Building and Distributing

The ESD Suite Framework includes a powerful distribution build manager (build.py) that helps you package your application for end-users. Because the framework relies on C++ and an embedded Python runtime, deploying the app correctly is critical to ensure it works on computers that don't have Python or CMake installed.

How to use the Build Manager

To start the build manager, open your terminal in the main directory and run:

python build.py

An interactive menu will appear with three distinct build options:

1. Installer (Recommended for Production)

This option generates a self-contained environment and seamlessly compiles it into an automated Windows Installer .exe.

• What it does: It creates a Standalone build, generates an installer.iss script in the dist/ folder, and automatically compiles it into ESDSuite_Installer.exe if Inno Setup is installed on your computer.
• Requirements: To use the automatic installer generator, you must have Inno Setup installed. It's a free, industry-standard Windows installer creator.
• If Inno Setup is missing: The script will still build the .iss file successfully, but it will ask you to download Inno Setup, right-click the installer.iss file, and select Compile manually to get your final _Installer.exe.

2. Sandbox / Standalone (Portable App)

This builds a completely self-contained, portable folder containing your application.

• What it does:
  1. Compiles your C++ engine in Release mode.
  2. Copies your ui/, server/, and .config files into a new dist/Standalone directory.
  3. Reaches out to python.org to download the official "Windows Embeddable Package" matching your exact Python version.
  4. Extracts the Python runtime directly alongside your executable.
• Why use this: The resulting dist/Standalone folder requires no installation. You can zip this folder, send it to a friend, and they can run ESDEngine.exe instantly, even if they don't have Python installed on their computer.

3. Regular (Local Dev Testing Only)

This is the standard build process used during development.

• What it does: It simply runs the CMake commands to build your executable.
• Warning: The resulting .exe points to your local system's Python installation. If you send this .exe to another user, they will likely get "missing DLL" errors or crash on startup, because their PC won't have the exact same Python path/version as yours.

What needs to be distributed?

If you are distributing your application manually (using the Sandbox option), ensure the following directory structure is maintained in your ZIP file:

📁 YourApp/
 ├── ESDEngine.exe         (Core Engine)
 ├── properties.config     (Core Settings)
 ├── python3.dll           (And other python embedded files...)
 ├── python311.zip         (Standard library)
 ├── 📁 ui/                (Your Frontend)
 └── 📁 server/            (Your Backend)