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Make node-webkit works with serialport

I have met issue on making serialport works under node-webkit. There are a lot of similar issues happened. So here is the way to solve the problem. Hope that helps.

Smart Cup Application

Software installation

The PC environment is Windows 7 64-bit and Mac OSX 10.9.5.

Windows

Download Node.js 32 bit version.

We got errors when build serialport with node-pre-gyp, it needs 32 bit version. The Node.js version currently used is v0.10.33,

http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.10.33/node-v0.10.33-x86.msi

Download Node-webkit

Only v0.8.6 can works correctly.

http://dl.node-webkit.org/v0.8.6/node-webkit-v0.8.6-win-ia32.zip

Debugging with Sublime Text 3

https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit/wiki/Debugging-with-Sublime-Text-2-and-3

Install serialport module for Node.js

  • Make sure you have python 2.7x installed and added into path environment.

http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7.7/

  • Install nw-gyp

Enter directory C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\npm

$ npm install nw-gyp -g
  • Install node-pre-gyp

Enter working directory, execute command

$ npm install node-pre-gyp -g
  • Install serialport

The current serialport version is v1.4.6. Enter working directory and install it.

$ cd c:\work\SmartCupApp
$ npm install serialport

It installs serialport module under .\node_modules\serialport

  • Rebuild serialport with node-webkit config.
$ cd node_modules\serialport
$ node-pre-gyp build --runtime=node-webkit --target=0.8.6

https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit/wiki/Build-native-modules-with-nw-gyp

  • But it still reports cannot find serialport module from the directory when execute script file, Just check current directory name to match with its output message, and then we can open the serial port.
[8732:1110/155118:INFO:CONSOLE(343)] "Uncaught Error: Cannot find module 'C:\work\SmartCupApp\node_modules\serialport\build\serialport\v1.4.6\Release\node-webkit-v11-win32-ia32\serialport.node'", source: module.js (343)

Check the directory it generated, it is node-webkit-v0.8.6-win32-ia32, change it to node-webkit-v11-win32-ia32 and the serialport works.

Generate Node-webkit package

To make a distribution package on Windows.

  • Zip the folder which contains Smartcup app source code. Named it as package.nw.

  • Create a folder release, extract node-webkit-v0.8.6-win-ia32.zip in it and remove nw.exe, move package.nw in it.

  • Generate release package Since we have installed 3rd party module serial-port, which required to change its name to nw.exe, that is inconvenience way but has to do this.

$ copy /b "C:\Program Files (x86)\node-webkit\nw.exe"+package.nw tmp.exe
$ rename tmp.exe nw.exe

https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit/wiki/How-to-package-and-distribute-your-apps http://www.sxrczx.com/pages/www.zan3.com/zan2222.html

Mac

Download Node.js 32 bit version.

We got errors when build serialport with node-pre-gyp, it needs 32 bit version. The Node.js version currently used is v0.10.33,

http://nodejs.org/dist/v0.10.33/node-v0.10.33-darwin-x86.tar.gz

Download Node-webkit

Only v0.8.6 can works correctly.

http://dl.node-webkit.org/v0.8.6/node-webkit-v0.8.6-osx-ia32.zip

Debugging with Sublime Text 3

https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit/wiki/Debugging-with-Sublime-Text-2-and-3

Install serialport module for Node.js

  • Make sure you have python 2.7x installed and added into path environment.

http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7.7/

  • Install nw-gyp

Enter directory /usr/local/bin

$ sudo npm install nw-gyp -g
  • Install node-pre-gyp

Enter working directory, execute command

$ sudo npm install node-pre-gyp -g
  • Install serialport

The current serialport version is v1.4.6. Enter working directory and install it.

$ cd $workdir/SmartCupApp
$ npm install serialport

It installs serialport module under ./node_modules/serialport

  • Rebuild serialport with node-webkit config.
$ cd node_modules/serialport
$ node-pre-gyp build --runtime=node-webkit --target=0.8.6

Mac OS will suggest to install Xcode command line tool, just install it.

https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit/wiki/Build-native-modules-with-nw-gyp

  • But it still reports cannot find serialport module from the directory when execute script file, Just check current directory name to match with its output message, and then we can open the serial port.
[8732:1110/155118:INFO:CONSOLE(343)] "Uncaught Error: Cannot find module '/Users/Mark/work/SmartCupApp/node_modules/serialport/build/serialport/v1.4.6/Release/node-webkit-v11-darwin-ia32/serialport.node'", source: module.js (343)

Check the directory it generated, it is node-webkit-v0.8.6-darwin-ia32, change it to node-webkit-v11-win32-ia32 and the serialport works.