Building for Flatpak

Similar to Snap, there exists a Flatpak version of Jami which is distributed on Flathub.

What is Flatpak and how does it work?

It is recommended that you read the Introduction to Flatpak and Basic Concepts to get a basic understanding.

Important

Before proceeding, install the flatpak package!

Source code

The source code for the Flatpak version is the exact same as that of desktop client. However, the manifest, dependencies, and Flatpak-specific patches are hosted on the official GitHub repository (as required by Flathub) which can be found here.

Prerequesites

Install flatpak-builder

flatpak install flathub org.flatpak.Builder

Then, add the Flathub repo user-wide:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --user flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Building the Flatpak locally

Clone the GitHub repository

git clone git@github.com:flathub/net.jami.Jami.git

Build Jami

flatpak-builder --force-clean --user --install-deps-from=flathub --repo=DIR builddir net.jami.Jami.yml

DIR - the name you wish to give to your repository. By default you should name it repo. Should you name it anything else, you must keep it in mind when installing Jami, debugging the Flatpak, and submitting updates to Flathub.

Install Jami

flatpak install DIR -y net.jami.Jami

Run Jami

flatpak run net.jami.Jami

Note

If you have multiple Flatpak installations of Jami, you should specify a --branch=BRANCH after run to ensure that you are running the Flatpak you just built!

You can check your Flatpak installations and their corresponding branches using flatpak list. To run the Flatpak you just built and installed, set BRANCH to the branch that corresponds to Origin being repo.

Debugging

Debugging Flatpaks within the sandbox on your own machine is possible.

Warning

Due to the way Jami is built for Flatpak, debugging can be time-consuming since jami-core is built as a shared library. This means that each time you restart the debugger, you will need to wait for symbols to load. Unless you are certain that the issue you are debugging for is specific to the Flatpak version of Jami, it is usually faster to build and debug the desktop client locally. For instructions, see here.

Dowloading the debug version

The instructions to build the Jami Flatpak as described in the previous section must be complete prior to proceeding. Once done, install the debug version:

flatpak install --include-sdk --include-debug repo -y net.jami.Jami

Starting the debugging environment

The following command will run a shell within the sandbox:

flatpak run --command=sh --devel --filesystem=$(pwd) net.jami.Jami

Once run, the shell should appear similar to the following:

[📦 net.jami.Jami net.jami.Jami]$

There are now two methods for debugging. Regardless of which is chosen, commands described in either section should be run within the sandbox shell.

Debug with the GNU Project Debugger (GDB)

gdb --args /app/bin/jami --debug

Debugging can now be done as usual.

Debug with Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

  1. Start gdbserver

    gdbserver :1234 /app/bin/jami --debug

    Note

    The port number can be changed if required. Make sure the port number for miDebuggerServerAddress in .vscode/launch.json reflects the new port number.

  2. Launch VS Code at the root of the project

  3. Enter the Run and Debug section (Ctrl+Shift+D)

  4. Select Attach to Remote GDB

  5. Run Jami (F5)

Setting breakpoints

Source files are located in builddir/files/lib/debug/source at the root of the project and is where breakpoints should be set.

Submitting updates to Flathub

If not done already, install flatpak-builder and add the Flathub repo user-wide as described in the Prerequesites section.

Build the manifest

flatpak run --command=flathub-build org.flatpak.Builder --install net.jami.Jami.yml

Run and test Jami

flatpak run net.jami.Jami

Run the linter

You must run the commands below if you have made any changes to any of the YAML files. If there are errors, they must be resolved before opening a pull request. Othwerise, the Flathub test build will fail as well.

flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder manifest net.jami.Jami.yml

flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder repo repo

The list of linter errors can be found here.

Push changes and open a pull request

If the build was successful and passed the linter checks, changes can be pushed to the GitHub repo and a pull request can be done. Once the the pull request is opened, Flathub’s automatic build system will create a test build for both x86_64 and aarch64. If the build was successful, you will be able merge to master which will trigger the official build.

Note

Any changes to finish-args in net.jami.Jami.yml as well as changes to net.jami.Jami.metainfo.xml will require approval by the Flathub maintainers. Depending on the changes, your build may be rejected or require explanation/justification. For the latter, an issue will be opened on the GitHub repository where you may justify/explain your changes.

To see the status of approval, sign in to Flathub and navigate to Developer Portal -> Jami.