macOS/Qt6/Homebrew deployment issues

[jelmervdl]

When running macdeployqt from a Qt 6 installed through Homebrew, the resulting translateLocally.app bundle still refers to libraries only installed on your system locally. macdeployqt tries to fix all these references, but fails. This issue is about this journey, what I've found so far, and hopefully a solution that not just "just use Qt5 for now".

Source macdeployqt: https://github.com/qt/qtbase/blob/f5f7f78766d62b7192b98b96bbd68dab1961e54e/src/tools/macdeployqt/shared/shared.cpp

The issue starts when macdeployqt starts copying the plugins into the application bundle. The Homebrew version of Qt6 is compiled with relative paths:

> otool -l /usr/local/Cellar/qt/6.2.0/share/qt/plugins/platforms/libqcocoa.dylib
...
Load command 35
          cmd LC_RPATH
      cmdsize 48
         path @loader_path/../../../../lib (offset 12)

From the original location, that path resolves to /usr/local/Cellar/qt/6.2.0/lib. However, macdeployqt tries to resolve this after the plugin is copied, and then this path is no longer valid. Then, this path resolves to $BUILD_DIR/lib.

Current work-around I'm trying because it's too stupid to work:

ln -s $(brew --prefix qt)/lib ./lib

Experimenting in #68 with this solution.

[jelmervdl]

Oh oh I want to try to set this up! https://localazy.com/blog/how-to-automatically-sign-macos-apps-using-github-actions But I don't think I can add secrets to this repo. Can't find the button for it (but can test it on my own fork!)

[jelmervdl]

No ball.

jelmer@Mac translateLocally.app % Contents/MacOS/translateLocally 
dyld: Library not loaded: @loader_path/libbrotlicommon.1.dylib
  Referenced from: /Volumes/:Users:runner:work:translateLocally:translateLocally:build:translateLocally/translateLocally.app/Contents/Frameworks/libbrotlidec.1.dylib
  Reason: image not found
zsh: abort      Contents/MacOS/translateLocally

jelmer@Mac translateLocally.app % otool -L /Volumes/\:Users\:runner\:work\:translateLocally\:translateLocally\:build\:translateLocally/translateLocally.app/Contents/Frameworks/libbrotlidec.1.dylib 
/Volumes/:Users:runner:work:translateLocally:translateLocally:build:translateLocally/translateLocally.app/Contents/Frameworks/libbrotlidec.1.dylib:
	@executable_path/../Frameworks/libbrotlidec.1.dylib (compatibility version 1.0.0, current version 1.0.9)
	@loader_path/libbrotlicommon.1.dylib (compatibility version 1.0.0, current version 1.0.9)
	/usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib (compatibility version 1.0.0, current version 1292.0.0)

Looks like macdeployqt did not properly resolve @loader_path (but also no errors in the build logs… it didn't attempt? Is that because macdeployqt thinks libbrotlicommon is a system package maybe? Is Homebrew fundamentally incompatible with macdeployqt?

[jelmervdl]

For anyone not me or Nick: #68 seems to have solved all woes in regards to building distributable macOS bundles by using Qt's own Qt distribution.

[jelmervdl]

Sticking this here for bookmarking & reference:

• Entitlement key reference
• Customizing the notarization workflow

[XapaJIaMnu]

Since we have automatic deployment now, I am going to close this.