Creating a Flutter Windows Desktop Build from GitLab Shared Runners

Question

I am working on a CI pipeline for my flutter desktop app, currently it's Windows only but this will soon change to be Windows/Linux. I was planning to use the GitLab shared runners with the cirrusci/flutter docker image to automate this.

Unfortunately, when running the command I am greeted with this log: "build windows" only supported on Windows hosts.

Which makes total sense, since flutter builds native apps and likely requires the SDKs.

I was wondering if anyone is familiar with how to set up a pipeline for Windows desktop applications to be built. I can switch GitLab to use a Windows shared runner, but this doesn't have a flutter install.

Just wondering what the path of least resistance is here.. I've reached the end of my surface-level understanding of these systems (Docker + GitLab CI)

Thank you, David

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 24 '23 at 12:30

I'm trying to do the same. I took this project as an example https://gitlab.com/famedly/fluffychat/-/blob/main/.gitlab-ci.yml

I ended up with a job looking like this (in the .gitlab-ci.yml):

build_test_app_win_job:
  stage: build
  tags: 
    - shared-windows
    - windows
    - windows-1809
  before_script:
    # Install flutter (using Chocolatey and confirming all prompts)
    - choco install flutter --confirm --no-progress
    - Import-Module "$env:ChocolateyInstall\helpers\chocolateyProfile.psm1"
    - refreshenv
    # Disable Google Analytics report for Flutter
    - flutter config --no-analytics
  script:
    - cd test_app/
    - flutter pub get
    - flutter build windows -v >> debugCiLog.txt

However I'm stuck with a weird error during build (despite all being ok on my local computer):

[ +321 ms] C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\BuildTools\MSBuild\Microsoft\VC\v160\Microsoft.CppCommon.targets(231,5): error MSB6006: "cmd.exe" exited with code 1. [C:\GitLab-Runner\builds\TestProject\test_app\build\windows\flutter\flutter_assemble.vcxproj]

With verbose on:

[  +74 ms]   [   +8 ms] Error parsing assemble command: your generated configuration may be out of date. Try re-running 'flutter build ios' or the appropriate build command.
[   +8 ms]   [   +3 ms] 
[        ]              #0      throwToolExit (package:flutter_tools/src/base/common.dart:10:3)
[        ]              #1      AssembleCommand.runCommand (package:flutter_tools/src/commands/assemble.dart:295:7)
[        ]              #2      FlutterCommand.verifyThenRunCommand (package:flutter_tools/src/runner/flutter_command.dart:1374:12)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #3      FlutterCommand.run.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/src/runner/flutter_command.dart:1209:27)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #4      AppContext.run.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/src/base/context.dart:150:19)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #5      CommandRunner.runCommand (package:args/command_runner.dart:209:13)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #6      FlutterCommandRunner.runCommand.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/src/runner/flutter_command_runner.dart:281:9)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #7      AppContext.run.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/src/base/context.dart:150:19)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #8      FlutterCommandRunner.runCommand (package:flutter_tools/src/runner/flutter_command_runner.dart:229:5)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #9      run.<anonymous closure>.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/runner.dart:62:9)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #10     AppContext.run.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter_tools/src/base/context.dart:150:19)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[        ]              #11     main (package:flutter_tools/executable.dart:91:3)
[        ]              <asynchronous suspension>
[   +2 ms]   [  +67 ms] "flutter assemble" took 621ms.
[        ]   [   +5 ms] ensureAnalyticsSent: 2ms
[        ]   [   +1 ms] Running shutdown hooks
[        ]   [        ] Shutdown hooks complete
[        ]   [   +6 ms] exiting with code 1

The following error is probably wrong, I can not find something relevant on google (I have no space or special character in the path):

Error parsing assemble command: your generated configuration may be out of date. Try re-running 'flutter build ios' or the appropriate build command.

Maybe this can help you despite I fail on my setup. I would be interested if you have more success than me

Also, I try flutter doctor and all seems ok:

Visual Studio - develop for Windows (Visual Studio Build Tools 2019 16.6.4)
Flutter (Channel stable, 3.3.10, on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17763.1339], locale en-US)

I get stuck at command not found: choco... How did you go beyond that ? — Arton Hoxha, Mar 17 '23 at 09:08
As specify [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ci-cd/shared-runners/images/gcp/windows-containers/blob/main/cookbooks/preinstalled-software/README.md) Windows shared runners come with Chocolatey v0.10.15 pre-installed. Thus the command ´choco´ should be available. Have you set the job tags correctly? — Vivien, Apr 03 '23 at 15:49
I used my organization's private Gitlab which has no windows runner that's why... — Arton Hoxha, Apr 03 '23 at 19:05

Creating a Flutter Windows Desktop Build from GitLab Shared Runners

1 Answers1