Improvements for the deploy windows script. by JaminShanti · Pull Request #3680 · jamulussoftware/jamulus

JaminShanti · 2026-05-07T02:18:20Z

Windows: Optimize deployment script and remove VSSetup dependency

Short description of changes

This PR modernizes and optimizes the deploy_windows.ps1 script to streamline the build process and eliminate external PowerShell module requirements. Key improvements include:

Dependency Reduction: Replaced the VSSetup module with native vswhere.exe calls for locating Visual Studio installations, removing the need for NuGet/Package Provider setup.
Build Resilience: Fixed MSBuild argument quoting issues and implemented dynamic PlatformToolset detection (e.g., v143 for VS 2022) to ensure the script works out-of-the-box on newer dev environments.
Developer Experience: Added -Skip64Bit and -Skip32Bit flags for targeted debugging of the build pipeline, along with improved logging and registry-based Qt discovery fallbacks.
Integrity Check: Added a "Safety Gate" that prevents the NSIS compiler from generating an empty installer if no application binaries were successfully built.

CHANGELOG: Windows: Optimized the deployment script to remove module dependencies and improve build reliability.

Context: Fixes an issue?

This PR improves the local contributor experience on Windows by making the build environment more robust and easier to debug without external dependencies.

Does this change need documentation? What needs to be documented and how?

No user-facing documentation is required. Internal documentation for the new skip flags is handled via the script's param block comments.

Status of this Pull Request

Working implementation.

What is missing until this pull request can be merged?

Verification of the GitHub CI "Autobuild" checks once the PR is opened.

Checklist

I've verified that this Pull Request follows the general code principles
I tested my code and it does what I want
My code follows the style guide
I waited some time after this Pull Request was opened and all GitHub checks completed without errors.
I've filled all the content above

AUTOBUILD: Please build all targets

Copilot

Pull request overview

Note

Copilot was unable to run its full agentic suite in this review.

Modernizes deploy_windows.ps1 to reduce external dependencies (removing VSSetup), improve build resilience on newer Visual Studio toolchains, and add better diagnostics/guardrails during Windows packaging.

Changes:

Replaced VSSetup-based VS detection with native vswhere.exe and added dynamic PlatformToolset selection.
Added centralized logging, debug/skip toggles, and improved dependency download/caching behavior.
Added an installer “safety gate” to prevent producing an empty package when no binaries were built.

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Exiting comment, not mine. Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

ann0see · 2026-05-09T15:30:32Z

Please specify where AI was used in case it was

JaminShanti · 2026-05-09T16:04:42Z

Hello Ann,
I used AI in the code development, in the MD, and in the testing.

pljones · 2026-05-09T17:00:44Z

I've not checked other Windows builds -- these appear to be non-fatal but I don't know why they happen:

    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility Version 14.44.35226.0
    Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility Version 14.44.35226.0
    Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility Version 14.44.35226.0
    Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    System.Management.Automation.RemoteException
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\translation_ja_JP.qm
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\qrc_resources.cpp
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\moc_predefs.h
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\moc_sound.cpp
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\ui_aboutdlgbase.h
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\midi.obj
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\pitch_analysis_core_FLP.obj
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\qrc_resources.obj
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\Jamulus.vc.pdb
    Could Not Find D:\a\jamulus\jamulus\build\debug\win-mainicon.res

pljones · 2026-05-09T17:06:43Z

Similarly, I don't know if this is normal: https://github.com/jamulussoftware/jamulus/pull/3680/checks?check_run_id=75167700993

JaminShanti · 2026-05-09T17:18:20Z

I'll check the errors. I was fataling on them but one of the findings I moved them to continue on error.

ann0see · 2026-05-09T21:10:14Z

-        [string] $Command,
-        [string[]] $Arguments
-    )
+# --- Centralized Logging Function ---


AI comment which doesn't add too much value.

ann0see · 2026-05-09T21:10:51Z

+    }
+}
+
+# Execute native command with errorlevel handling and memory-safe logging


AI comment.

Ya I had to redo the native command function a few times from copilot feedback.

ann0see · 2026-05-09T21:11:41Z

+    Write-Log "Build and Deploy directories initialized."
 }

-# For sourceforge links we need to get the correct mirror (especially NISIS) Thanks: https://www.powershellmagazine.com/2013/01/29/pstip-retrieve-a-redirected-url/


No. You may not remove any pointers/sources.

I think that got trimmed when I was adjusting width for my IDE, added back.

ann0see · 2026-05-09T21:14:01Z

This needs tough investigation as it clearly includes a lot of AI changes which may be unnecessary

JaminShanti · 2026-05-09T22:16:30Z

I expanded the System.Management.Automation.RemoteException, now it writes the exception that was discovered.

Improvements for the deploy windows script.

52d5551

pljones requested a review from Copilot May 7, 2026 15:57

Copilot AI reviewed May 7, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread windows/deploy_windows.ps1 Outdated

Comment thread windows/deploy_windows.ps1 Outdated

Comment thread windows/deploy_windows.ps1 Outdated

JaminShanti and others added 5 commits May 7, 2026 21:31

Potential fix for pull request finding

11e27c9

Exiting comment, not mine. Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Execute native command with errorlevel handling and memory-safe logging

c29ed94

fixed cleanup step

863e748

one change on the logging

7159342

Improve PowerShell exception management

77895b3

ann0see requested changes May 9, 2026

View reviewed changes

Radjammin@gmail.com added 2 commits May 9, 2026 17:56

Improve PowerShell automation object exception message

e1d6d2f

Adding back comment

fc1ffbe

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Windows: Optimize deployment script and remove VSSetup dependency

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JaminShanti commented May 7, 2026 •

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