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SomberNight 936d1e0a24 pyinstaller binaries: include files needed by new jsonrpc libs fixes #5599		5 years ago
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CalinsQRReader@59dfc03272	update submodule (follow-up prev commit)	6 years ago
README.md	build macOS README: mention how Qt affects min supported macOS version	6 years ago
base.sh	mac build: fix locale in binaries	6 years ago
cdrkit-deterministic.patch	rename contrib/build-osx as contrib/osx. Move QRReader submodule there.	6 years ago
make_osx	build: update pyinstaller to 3.5	5 years ago
osx.spec	pyinstaller binaries: include files needed by new jsonrpc libs	5 years ago
package.sh	build: use sha256sum instead of md5sum	6 years ago

README.md

Building Mac OS binaries

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This guide explains how to build Electrum binaries for macOS systems.

1. Building the binary

This needs to be done on a system running macOS or OS X. We use El Capitan (10.11.6) as building it on High Sierra (or later) makes the binaries incompatible with older versions.

Another factor for the minimum supported macOS version is the bundled Qt version.

Before starting, make sure that the Xcode command line tools are installed (e.g. you have git).

1.1a Get Xcode

Building the QR scanner (CalinsQRReader) requires full Xcode (not just command line tools).

The last Xcode version compatible with El Capitan is Xcode 8.2.1

Get it from here.

Unfortunately, you need an "Apple ID" account.

After downloading, uncompress it.

Make sure it is the "selected" xcode (e.g.):

sudo xcode-select -s $HOME/Downloads/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/

1.1b Build QR scanner separately on newer Mac

Alternatively, you can try building just the QR scanner on newer macOS.

On newer Mac, run:

pushd contrib/osx/CalinsQRReader; xcodebuild; popd
cp -r contrib/osx/CalinsQRReader/build prebuilt_qr

Move prebuilt_qr to El Capitan: contrib/osx/CalinsQRReader/prebuilt_qr.

1.2 Build Electrum

cd electrum
./contrib/osx/make_osx

This creates both a folder named Electrum.app and the .dmg file.

2. Building the image deterministically (WIP)

The usual way to distribute macOS applications is to use image files containing the application. Although these images can be created on a Mac with the built-in hdiutil, they are not deterministic.

Instead, we use the toolchain that Bitcoin uses: genisoimage and libdmg-hfsplus. These tools do not work on macOS, so you need a separate Linux machine (or VM).

Copy the Electrum.app directory over and install the dependencies, e.g.:

apt install libcap-dev cmake make gcc faketime

Then you can just invoke package.sh with the path to the app:

cd electrum
./contrib/osx/package.sh ~/Electrum.app/