Package Flutter Linux App Into AppImage Part 2

Now, We are ready to build our first Flutter AppImage app 🚀

Firstly , we will change our working directory to the project directory.

$ cd flutter_appimage

Then follow these steps:

1- Create folder AppDir

$ mkdir AppDir

2- Generate the YAML recipe file required to build the AppImage

$ appimage-builder --generate

this command will prompt some questions. Here is the final output :

INFO:Generator:Searching AppDir
? ID [Eg: com.example.app]: com.example.flutter_appimage
? Application Name: Flutter AppImage
? Icon: flutter_appimage_icon
? Executable path relative to AppDir [usr/bin/app]: flutter_appimage
? Arguments [Default: $@]: $@
? Version [Eg: 1.0.0]: latest
? Update Information [Default: guess]: guess
? Architecture: x86_64

Now, you will notice a new file AppImageBuilder.yml added to the root directory of our project.

Wait a second, What the hack this flutter_appimage_icon comes from 🙄🤔

Stop rubbing your head. Here is why :

• copy your favorite icon to the root directory and make sure its extension is SVG

• rename you icon to flutter_appimage_icon.svg

Now, let's open AppImageBuilder.yml and edit some stuff:

• add starting script that will delete old AppDir:

  script:
   - rm -rf AppDir | true
   - mkdir AppDir

• add after bundling scripts to add the Flutter App to the bandle

  AppDir:
    after_bundle:
    - cp build/linux/x64/release/bundle/flutter_appimage AppDir
    - cp -r build/linux/x64/release/bundle/lib/. AppDir/lib
    - cp -r build/linux/x64/release/bundle/data AppDir
    - cp flutter_appimage_icon.svg AppDir/usr/share/icons/

• Add gtk3 required for flutter app also define the repositories where dependencies comes from

    pacman:
      Architecture: x86_64
      repositories:
        core:
          - https://mirror.rackspace.com/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
        extra:
          - https://mirror.rackspace.com/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
      include:
        - gtk3
        - python # I don't know why we need but build fails without it  
        - perl # I don't know why we need but build fails without it

Alright, Here is the moment we have been waiting for:

$ appimage-builder --skip-test 

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁.....................Voila 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

New file added to the root directory Flutter AppImage-latest-x86_64.AppImage

Flutter Counter App packaged in AppImage.

But wait a second ...... not again 😫.

The bundled AppImage file is about 225 MB , your kidding me 😠.

I know the bundle size needs some optmization , I wil pospone this to part 3.

References :

• Flutter Application — appimage-builder 0.8.8 documentation

• Linux install - Flutter

• Build and release a Linux app to the Snap Store - Flutter

GitHub :

• GitHub - hosamkora/Flutter_AppImage: Sample app for packaging Flutter Linux app into AppImage using AppImage Builder