dev-app-launcher

dev-app-launcher is a simple utility application for starting and stopping other applications. It's built with Node.js and designed to streamline local development workflows.

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🚀 Features

• Launch and stop apps with ease
• Ideal for managing dev tools or microservices
• Electron-based for a simple GUI experience

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🛠️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• A code editor like Visual Studio Code (optional, but recommended)

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🧪 Run in Development Mode

To run the app from VS Code or any other IDE:

npm start

This launches the application in development mode with hot-reload enabled (if supported).

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📦 Build the Executable

To create a Windows executable:

Open a terminal and navigate to the root of the repository.

Run:

npm run make

After the build completes, a folder named out/dev-app-launcher-win32-x64 will be created.

Inside this folder, you'll find the executable:

dev-app-launcher.exe You can now distribute or run this .exe directly.

📁 Project Structure

dev-app-launcher/
├── .webpack/         # Webpack build artifacts (auto-generated)
├── node_modules/     # Installed dependencies from npm
├── src/              # Application source code
├── out/              # Output folder for builds
├── package.json      # npm configuration
├── README.md         # You're reading it!

➕ Adding Applications

You can add applications for the launcher to manage in a couple of ways:

• If no apps are configured, you’ll see the message: Looks like you have no applications configured along with a button labeled Add Application.

• Alternatively, click the cogs icon in the top right, then select Add Application.

🛠 Add Application Workflow

1. Click "Select Project" This opens a file picker. Navigate to the .csproj file of the application you want to add and select it.

2. Configuration Fields Once a project is selected, some fields will auto-populate:

• App Name

  • A friendly name for display purposes. You can change this to whatever you like.

• Executable

  • The expected output file name (e.g., my.project.exe).
  • This is usually auto-filled and shouldn’t be changed unless your project produces an executable with a custom name.

• Port

  • The port the application runs on. Required if you're not using a launch profile.

• SSL (checkbox)

  • Enable if the app runs with HTTPS.

• Launch Profile (optional)

  • Use this if you prefer launching via a defined Visual Studio or launchSettings.json profile instead of specifying a port.
  • Note: This feature works but is still under development and may be unstable.

• App Type

  • Tells the launcher how to handle the app. Supported types:
    • Azure Function
    • Console
    • API
    • UI
    • API with Swagger
  • If you select "API with Swagger", a link to the Swagger page will be shown when the app is running.

• URL (auto-populated)

  • If applicable (e.g., for Swagger-enabled APIs), this will auto-fill with the path to the Swagger UI or file.
  • You can edit this manually if your app uses a non-standard path.

📌 Notes

Only Windows is currently supported for the built executable.

Ensure all app dependencies are correctly installed via npm install before building or starting the app.

📃 License

MIT License – feel free to use, modify, and distribute.