Release packaging: Nuitka onedir build, Inno installer, instant exit

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -13,10 +13,13 @@ jobs:
   windows:
     name: Windows release package
     runs-on: windows-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 30
+    timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - name: Check out repository
         uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 #v7.0.1
+        with:
+          # Full history so build.py can read the latest tag for the exe version.
+          fetch-depth: 0
 
       - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@5fda3b95a4ea91299a34e894583c3862153e4b97 # v7.0.0
@@ -29,24 +32,31 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Windows binaries
         working-directory: windows
-        run: python build.py
+        run: python build.py --installer
 
       - name: Package Windows release
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
-          New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path release\DualTouch-windows | Out-Null
-          Copy-Item -LiteralPath windows\dist\DualTouch-windows.exe -Destination release\DualTouch-windows\
+          New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path release | Out-Null
+          # Nuitka onedir build: ship the whole dist folder (exe + helper + data) as-is.
+          Copy-Item -LiteralPath windows\dist\DualTouch-windows -Destination release\DualTouch-windows -Recurse
           Copy-Item -LiteralPath README.md,LICENSE -Destination release\DualTouch-windows\
-          Compress-Archive -Path release\DualTouch-windows -DestinationPath DualTouch-windows.zip -Force
+          Compress-Archive -Path release\DualTouch-windows -DestinationPath DualTouch-windows-portable.zip -Force
+          # Inno Setup installer as its own release asset (built into windows\dist).
+          Copy-Item -Path windows\dist\DualTouch-windows-setup-*.exe -Destination .
 
       - name: Upload Windows artifact
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a #v7.0.1
         with:
           name: DualTouch-windows
-          path: DualTouch-windows.zip
+          path: |
+            DualTouch-windows-portable.zip
+            DualTouch-windows-setup-*.exe
 
       - name: Attach Windows artifact to tagged release
         if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
         uses: softprops/action-gh-release@3d0d9888cb7fd7b750713d6e236d1fcb99157228 #v3.0.2
         with:
-          files: DualTouch-windows.zip
+          files: |
+            DualTouch-windows-portable.zip
+            DualTouch-windows-setup-*.exe

README.md

@@ -56,7 +56,12 @@ It is a Windows-only fork of [SteamlessKeyboard](https://github.com/PietPetGit/S
 
 **Release build**
 
-Run `DualTouch-windows.exe` (it will request elevation on start).
+Run `DualTouch-windows.exe` from the extracted `DualTouch-windows`
+folder (it will request elevation on start) — the whole folder ships
+together, so keep all of its files side by side. The
+`DualTouch-cursor-helper.exe` next to it is the same binary under its
+cursor-helper name (so the two processes are distinguishable in Task
+Manager); keep it too.
 
 - Settings: `%APPDATA%\DualTouch\settings.json` (auto-created with defaults; a legacy file next to the exe is migrated automatically)
 - Logs: `%APPDATA%\DualTouch\dualtouch.log`
@@ -95,10 +100,23 @@ menus), or by hand-editing `settings.json` for finer control.
 
 ```sh
 cd windows
-python build.py
+python build.py               # folder distribution
+python build.py --installer   # + Windows installer (needs Inno Setup 6)
 ```
 
-Output: `windows/dist/DualTouch-windows.exe`.
+Output: `windows/dist/DualTouch-windows/` (a standalone folder
+distribution — `DualTouch-windows.exe`, the `DualTouch-cursor-helper.exe`
+copy, and everything they need; ship the whole folder together).
+
+With `--installer`, an Inno Setup 6 setup is compiled to
+`windows/dist/DualTouch-windows-setup-<version>.exe`
+([Inno Setup](https://jrsoftware.org/isdl.php) must be installed or
+`ISCC.exe` on PATH).
+
+Releases are compiled with [Nuitka](https://nuitka.net): all Python is
+turned into machine code, so the bundle contains no Python sources or
+bytecode. The first build on a machine without a C compiler auto-downloads
+MinGW and takes several minutes; later builds are faster.
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 

requirements.txt

@@ -19,4 +19,6 @@ vdf
 PyGObject<3.52 ; sys_platform == "linux" # gi / AppIndicator tray backend (linux/tray_linux.py)
 
 # ---- build tool (used by CI to produce the release binaries) ----
-pyinstaller
+# Nuitka compiles the whole app to machine code: release bundles ship no
+# Python sources or bytecode (see windows/build.py).
+nuitka>=2.4

windows/applog.py

@@ -15,23 +15,41 @@
 
 
 def _is_frozen():
-    return getattr(sys, "frozen", False)
+    """True when running from a compiled distribution. PyInstaller sets
+    sys.frozen; Nuitka does not — its marker is the module-level
+    __compiled__ attribute present in every module it compiles."""
+    return getattr(sys, "frozen", False) or "__compiled__" in globals()
+
+
+def _exe_path():
+    """Path of the binary the user actually launched.
+
+    Nuitka standalone reports sys.executable as '<dist>\\python.exe' even
+    though no such file exists in the output folder, so anything that
+    persists, relaunches or advertises a path must ask Windows for our own
+    process image instead (GetModuleFileNameW(NULL))."""
+    if _is_frozen():
+        import ctypes
+
+        buf = ctypes.create_unicode_buffer(1024)
+        if ctypes.windll.kernel32.GetModuleFileNameW(None, buf, 1024):
+            return os.path.normpath(buf.value)
+    return os.path.abspath(sys.executable)
 
 
 def _bundle_dir():
     """Directory containing read-only bundled resources (data/, glyphs)."""
     if _is_frozen():
-        # PyInstaller sets sys._MEIPASS at bootstrap; not in typeshed stubs.
-        return getattr(
-            sys, "_MEIPASS", os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
-        )
+        # Compiled (Nuitka standalone) builds keep every resource next to the
+        # executable, so the exe dir IS the bundle dir.
+        return os.path.dirname(_exe_path())
     return os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 
 
 def _exe_dir():
     """Directory we treat as the install location (for portable settings)."""
     if _is_frozen():
-        return os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.executable))
+        return os.path.dirname(_exe_path())
     return os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 
 

windows/autostart.py

@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@
 
 
 def _is_frozen():
-    return getattr(sys, "frozen", False)
+    # applog-style detection: Nuitka doesn't set sys.frozen (PyInstaller
+    # does); its marker is the compiled module's __compiled__ attribute.
+    return getattr(sys, "frozen", False) or "__compiled__" in globals()
 
 
 def _startup_dir():
@@ -67,7 +69,11 @@ def _command():
     """(executable, arguments) the scheduled task should run. Frozen: the EXE
     itself. From source: the current interpreter running the tray package."""
     if _is_frozen():
-        return os.path.abspath(sys.executable), ""
+        # applog._exe_path, not sys.executable: Nuitka standalone reports a
+        # python.exe that doesn't exist in the dist folder.
+        from applog import _exe_path
+
+        return os.path.abspath(_exe_path()), ""
     return os.path.abspath(sys.executable), "-m tray"