Github releases Electron 12

03.03.2021, 7:41 pm

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GitHub has presented version 12 of its Javascript framework Electron. The innovations are manageable. There are still breaking changes.

Electron 12 carries out the internal update from Node.js 12 to 14 and brings a new API with it, which seems particularly suitable for the developers of Electron extensions. With the new webframe API, developers can now access web content in the main process and not just when rendering. This makes testing extensions much easier and an extension developer noticed that this was not the case. The new API is already included a documentation Mistake.

New default values, new and changed APIs

Electron 12 is screwing on various interfaces and expanding the possibilities of API release. In version 12, Electron sets the standard values ​​of ContextIsolation and WorldSafeExecuteJavascript from the previous “false” to “true”. These are two of the different breaking changes, i.e. changes that are so clear that they can make existing software inoperable if the changes required by the new features are not expressly incorporated. Standard values ​​change in various other places.

Anyone who previously relied on the remote module should use @ electron / remote in the future. The migration is here described. Obviously, Github has also removed Flash support from Electron.

Another change comes from the Chromium roadmap. Since version 87, Chromium under x86 requires a processor that supports the SSE3 instruction set. This is the case with all modern computers. However, if you are still using a 15-year-old device, you might see an error message when you start Chromium. Electron 12 is now pulling the same here. In addition, it comes with changes to the stack and now supports V8 in version 8.9 and Chromium 89.

Side tip: If you absolutely need a browser for your old darling, you can use Firefox for the time being. The browser only requires SSE2 support.

Several breaking changes affect the display. The interfaces for the browser window and apps have received a number of changes. These concern, for example, the rendering process and addressing different display sizes. In addition, Electron 12 introduces a tablet mode for the browser window and brings adjustments to the Windows refresh rate. Extensions can now be reloaded more easily and can be equipped with file access.

This is how you get Electron 12

In a detailed blog post the developers explain all changes. Electron 12.0 can be found on the project website downloaded become. First impressions from Timetable for the next major version 13.0 are also available.

With the start of version 12 of the Electron framework, Github is giving up support for Electron 9. Users of the old version should now seriously consider an update.

By the way: Several well-known desktop applications are already based on Electron. Including Discord and Skype, but also editors such as Atom and Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code.

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