Windows packaged app fails silently after 26.0.13

[crystalfp]

Never had issues with electron-builder until version 26.0.13.
After this version, and with the newer 26.3.1, the generated .exe file silently fails without any message or error when run. Even a message to be printed at the beginning of main.js will not be shown.
The platform is Windows and the steps are (see below for the package.json and electron-builder.yaml and the build:fix script):

node-gyp rebuild
npm run -s build:fix

Remember, this split is necessary for the correct compilation. Global node-gyp is version 12.1.0

package.json

electron-builder.yaml

No suggestion to diagnose why the exe does not start has been successful.
Thanks for looking!

[mmaietta]

Hello!

Could you please put together a minimum reproducible repo for this issue? I need to get console logs of the packaging phase using DEBUG=electron-builder env var set. Would recommend checking that on your side to see if anything is being thrown/revealed in the logs

the generated .exe file silently fails without any message or error when run. Even a message to be printed at the beginning of main.js will not be shown.

I'd also like the minimum repro repo so I can test locally with debug logging on the NSIS install or if there's an error during runtime. Seems like the latter, in which case, I'd recommend adding --inspect-brk to the CLI args when launching your app.exe so that you can connect the debugger and see what error is being thrown before main.js can executed

[crystalfp]

I will try to create a minimal reproduction.
In the meantime I tried to pass --inspect-brk or --inspect-wait but it is simply ignored. Note that I run the executable under win-unpacked, not the one installed by the installer. I suppose the changes between 26.0.13 and 26.0.14 are minimal, changing only the patch level. Looking at the package-lock.json the changes are in electron-builder, app-builder-lib, electron-builder-squirrel-windows plus @electron/asar that jumped from 3.2.18 to 3.4.1. Suspicious, because the application dies before reading my code that is inside the app.asar file. I tried to reinstall the old version, but app-builder-lib continues to depend on 3.4.1 so attempt failed. Anyway, if that was the problem you would have received many reports, I think.
So, really don't know what to think. Maybe is how I created the electron-builder.yaml file, but it is unchanged from previous versions.
For now I remain on 26.0.13, my users have priority. Anyway, thanks for your efforts!

[mmaietta]

For inspect flag, you may need to provide a port or have a way to connect to it.
https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/tutorial/debugging-main-process
If you're using @electron/fuses or electronFuses config property, you'll need to temporarily deactivate the CLI args flag if being used. That will block the inspect CLI flags

Please give this a try and run on the win-unpacked executable as you were doing before.

[crystalfp]

Thanks for the help @mmaietta ! I was able to attach the debugger and indeed the executable dies on an exception in an internal routine:

There is a reference to package.json, but don't think it is the cause of the exception.

[crystalfp]

Could be useful if I provide you the installer for this executable?

[mmaietta]

A minimum repro repo would work best! That way I can step-debug through the packaging process. The installer won't provide me much insight