Build For Apple Silicon (new Github runners)

[gal064]

Github runners for M1 are now available and I'm not familiar with QT, but it looks like you could even build an M1 version on intel silicon.

Would it be possible to have an M1 build?

[pbek]

The build process for macos would need to work on Qt6 to do that I guess.
And I don't know if you could get two different architectures in one disk image with the Qt tooling.
But I also have no idea if the update script would be able to handle that.

And I'm lacking M1 hardware to be able to test the result 😁

[gal064]

I'm happy to help however I can. Unfortunately know nothing about QT to actually prepare a full PR, but if you want me to run a certain GitHub action or script, or test the result happy to do so.

BTW QTOwnNotes do sometimes freeze for a few seconds on M1. I don't know if it's just a bug, or related to not being built for apple Silicon, but in the past I've seen weird behaviors like this happen on intel apps run on M1

[pbek]

I'm happy to help however I can. Unfortunately know nothing about QT to actually prepare a full PR, but if you want me to run a certain GitHub action or script, or test the result happy to do so.

Thank you!
If anyone wants to pick this up, this is where the current release build process is started (uses Qt5):

QOwnNotes/.github/workflows/build-release.yml

Lines 331 to 395 in 952a368

	build-macos:
	name: '🍎 macOS Qt 5.15.2'
	needs: create_release
	runs-on: macos-latest
	env:
	QT_VERSION: 5.15.2
	steps:
	- name: '🧰 Checkout'
	uses: actions/checkout@v4
	with:
	submodules: recursive
	# https://download.qt.io/online/qtsdkrepository/mac_x64/desktop/
	- name: '⚙️ Cache Qt'
	id: cache-qt
	uses: actions/cache@v3
	with:
	path: ../Qt
	key: ${{runner.os}}-qtcachedir-${{env.QT_VERSION}}
	- name: '⚙️ Install Qt'
	uses: jurplel/install-qt-action@v3
	with:
	version: ${{env.QT_VERSION}}
	modules: ${{env.QT_MODULES}}
	aqtversion: '==2.0.0'
	cache: ${{steps.cache-qt.outputs.cache-hit}}
	- name: '⚙️ Set Env'
	shell: bash
	run: |
	export VERSION=$(cat version.h | sed 's/[^0-9,.]//g')
	echo "VERSION=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
	- name: '⚙️ Printenv'
	shell: bash
	run: |
	echo "VERSION=${VERSION}"
	printenv
	- name: '🚧 Compile application'
	run: |
	echo "#define RELEASE \"GitHub Actions\"" > release.h
	lrelease QOwnNotes.pro
	#ls ${Qt5_Dir}/bin
	${{env.QMAKE}}
	make -j ${{env.CORES}}
	../build-systems/github/macos/create-dmg.sh
	# - name: '📤 Upload artifact: macOS'
	# uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
	# with:
	# name: QOwnNotes.dmg
	# path: src/QOwnNotes.dmg
	- name: '📤 Release DMG'
	uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
	env:
	GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
	with:
	upload_url: ${{ needs.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
	asset_path: src/QOwnNotes.dmg
	asset_name: QOwnNotes.dmg
	asset_content_type: application/x-apple-diskimage

Most of the actual process is abstracted to https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes/blob/main/build-systems/github/macos/create-dmg.sh.

In case Qt6 is needed, this is where I experimentally build the macOS build with Qt6:

QOwnNotes/.github/workflows/build-release-qt6.yml

Lines 355 to 410 in 952a368

	build-macos:
	name: '🍎 macOS Monterey'
	needs: create_release
	runs-on: macos-latest
	env:
	# Qt 6.5 doesn't support macOS 10 anymore!
	QT_VERSION: 6.4.2
	steps:
	- name: '🧰 Checkout'
	uses: actions/checkout@v4
	with:
	submodules: recursive
	# https://download.qt.io/online/qtsdkrepository/mac_x64/desktop/
	- name: '⚙️ Cache Qt'
	id: cache-qt
	uses: actions/cache@v3
	with:
	path: ../Qt
	key: ${{runner.os}}-qtcachedir-${{env.QT_VERSION}}
	- name: '⚙️ Install Qt'
	uses: jurplel/install-qt-action@v3
	with:
	version: ${{env.QT_VERSION}}
	modules: ${{env.QT_MODULES}}
	aqtversion: '==2.0.0'
	cache: ${{steps.cache-qt.outputs.cache-hit}}
	- name: '⚙️ Set Env'
	shell: bash
	run: |
	export VERSION=$(cat version.h | sed 's/[^0-9,.]//g')
	echo "VERSION=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
	- name: '⚙️ Printenv'
	shell: bash
	run: |
	echo "VERSION=${VERSION}"
	printenv
	- name: '🚧 Compile application'
	run: |
	echo "#define RELEASE \"GitHub Actions\"" > release.h
	lrelease QOwnNotes.pro
	#ls ${Qt5_Dir}/bin
	${{env.QMAKE}}
	make -j ${{env.CORES}}
	../build-systems/github/macos/create-dmg-qt6.sh
	- name: '📤 Upload artifact: macOS'
	uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
	with:
	name: QOwnNotes.dmg
	path: src/QOwnNotes.dmg

BTW QTOwnNotes do sometimes freeze for a few seconds on M1. I don't know if it's just a bug, or related to not being built for apple Silicon, but in the past I've seen weird behaviors like this happen on intel apps run on M1

Any debug logs?

[pbek]

Building should maybe even work with Qt5 and qmake says: https://doc-snapshots.qt.io/qt5-5.15/macos.html#architectures

@gal064, so in theory you could try to fork the QOwnNotes repository and add QMAKE_APPLE_DEVICE_ARCHS="x86_64 arm64" to this line:

QOwnNotes/.github/workflows/build-release.yml

Line 377 in 952a368

${{env.QMAKE}}

If you enabled GitHub actions and push your changes to the release branch, that should trigger building a release for you. Of course, that would result in an app for only the M1 (if it works).

[gal064]

Tried to run it but I'm getting:
"Trying to compile Botan configured as x86_64 with non-x86_64 compiler."

Also tried to comment out the x86 config in botan.pri and received the following:
ld: symbol(s) not found for architecture arm64

I'm not sure if that error is unrelated or making changes to the pri file created that error. I was pretty much guessing

[pbek]

I guess Botan is able to compile for ARM, so it must be something with the settings... 🤔

[gal064]

Yep. I have no idea how to push forward here, so if you or anyone else want to pick this up would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway I'll submit a bug on the small freezes when it happens next

[pbek]

I tried just adding QMAKE_APPLE_DEVICE_ARCHS = x86_64 arm64 to the project file in fdd5e05, but the build on macOS failed, without telling why. 🤔
https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes/actions/runs/7685776723/job/20943900082

[spoelstraethan]

I wonder if any of the notes here on cross compilation might help/work?

https://github.com/qbittorrent/qBittorrent/wiki/Compilation:-macOS-(x86_64,-arm64,-cross-compilation)#qt

[gal064]

Looking at the logs, can the failure might be due to this:

:17:
libraries/botan/botan.h:293:6: error: "Trying to compile Botan configured as x86_64 with non-x86_64 compiler."
    #error "Trying to compile Botan configured as x86_64 with non-x86_64 compiler."
     ^

[gal064]

I ran into the same issue but wasn't sure how to set it up

[pbek]

Ah, good find! Hm... 🤔

[KwisatzJim]

I have a MBPro M3 Pro and was able to build for Apple Silicon. I did the fallowing:
git clone https://github.com/pbek/QOwnNotes.git -b release --depth=1
cd QOwnNotes
git submodule update --init

brew install qt-creator

brew install qt
You can add Homebrew's Qt to QtCreator's "Qt Versions" in:
Preferences > Qt Versions > Link with Qt...
pressing "Choose..." and selecting as the Qt installation path:
/opt/homebrew

brew install qt@5
fallow procedure to add qt5 to QT Creator:
You can add Homebrew's Qt to QtCreator's "Qt Versions" in:
Preferences > Qt Versions > Link with Qt...
pressing "Choose..." and selecting as the Qt installation path:
/opt/homebrew/opt/qt@5

open QT Creator
open the project file src/QOwnNotes.pro

then I think there was a 'configure project' button but it's not there now and I don't recall exactly, sorry. But that did it's thing for a while. I've never used QT Creator before so going by memory.

then I built it and ran it and it worked, building an Apple Silicon version

[KwisatzJim]

hmmm... ran into a hitch, I copied the .app to my Mac Mini M2 and it crashed on start until I installed qt@5

[pbek]

You could try to use the package manager nix to install QOwnNotes on the mac. 🤔

[KwisatzJim]

You could try to use the package manager nix to install QOwnNotes on the mac. 🤔

ok, not bad idea, but the nix version is 24.4.0 and current release is 24.4.2. But it is Apple Silicon which is nice.

[pbek]

Will be surely in the build pipeline. QOwnNotes is at 24.4.2 in nix.

[pbek]

I'd like to know if it worked in case you try 😉