## Building LibreWolf from source:

First, let's **[download the latest tarball](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/jobs/artifacts/main/raw/librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz?job=build-job)**. This tarball is the latest produced by the CI.

To download the latest from a script, use wget/curl like this:
```
wget -O librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/jobs/artifacts/main/raw/librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz?job=build-job
curl -L -o librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/jobs/artifacts/main/raw/librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz?job=build-job
```

Next, we create ourselves a build folder and extract the tarball.

```
mkdir build
cd build
tar xf ../librewolf-__VERSION__-__RELEASE__.source.tar.gz
```
Next step, if you have not done so already, you must create the build environment:
```
librewolf-__VERSION__/lw/mozfetch.sh
```
It takes about an hour for me to complete, but it needs to be done only once. This step might fail and cause problems. Hack a bit, and if that fails you can ask on our [Gitter](https://gitter.im/librewolf-community/librewolf)/[Matrix](https://matrix.to/#/#librewolf:matrix.org) channels.

Now we're ready to actually build LibreWolf:
```
cd librewolf-__VERSION__
./mach build
```
Also takes me an hour. Then, we can run it:
```
./mach run
```
Or make a package:
```
./mach package
```

### I want to keep up to date with the latest, but compile myself

1. To first clone the repo:
```
git clone https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source.git
cd source
make librewolf
```
2. To keep up-to-date:
```
git pull
make librewolf
```

## [dev info] How to use this repo instead of [Common](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/common):

Since the dawn of time, we have used **Common** to get _patches_, _source_files_, including _source_files/{branding}_

This source repo supports all that, because it uses these same things to produce the tarball. As far as I can tell, the mapping from Common to Source would be:

* _[patches](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/common/-/tree/master/patches)_ -> _[patches](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/tree/main/patches)_
* _[source\_files](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/common/-/tree/master/source_files)/search-config.json_ -> _[assets](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/tree/main/assets)/search-config.json_
* _source\_files/browser/[branding](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/common/-/tree/master/source_files/browser/branding)/librewolf_ -> _themes/browser/[branding](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/tree/main/themes/browser/branding)/librewolf_


With this mapping, I hope that other builders that can't use our tarball (afterMozilla project, weird distro's), still use the same source/patches as the builders that do use it.

### Another feature

The file [assets/patches.txt](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/blob/main/assets/patches.txt) defines what patches go in. These are not the only patches a builder will use, weird distro's etc, will use additional patches. those patches can live in the repo of that distro, or in a subfolder here. I hope this gives everybody the freedom to build anyway they please, like in Common, but with the added benefit that we produce a source tarball.

### Implementing a build script the new way:

The repository has a short [example shell script](https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source/-/blob/main/scripts/fetch-build.sh) on how to use the new-style tarball approach instead of the older patching-it-yourself approach.

## [dev info] Building the LibreWolf source tarball:

Luckly, you don't need the build environment for this. If you don't have write access, just:
```
git clone https://gitlab.com/librewolf-community/browser/source.git
cd source
make all
```
If you **do** have write access, we're first gonna check for a newer version of Firefox:
```
git clone git@gitlab.com:librewolf-community/browser/source.git
cd source
make check
```
If there is a new version, it's a good time to git commit and trigger a CI build job.
```
git commit -am v$(cat version)-$(cat release) && git push
```
To build the source archive:
```
make all
```
If you have a working build environment, you can build librewolf with:
```
make librewolf
```
This extracts the source, and then tries to `./mach build && ./mach package`.


## FAQ: Common issues when setting up the Mozilla build environment

1. it doesnt find a suitable python.
```
export MACH_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON=1
make librewolf
```
2. <python-package-1> requires <python-package-2, which is not installed.
```
pip3 install <python-package=2>
```
And retry.