TimeTracker/docs/BUILD_WINDOWS_PERMISSIONS.md

Windows Build Permissions Fix

Issue: Symbolic Link Permission Error

Error:

ERROR: Cannot create symbolic link : Een van de vereiste bevoegdheden is niet aan de client toegekend.

This means Windows cannot create symbolic links because of missing permissions.

Solutions

Solution 1: Enable Developer Mode (Recommended)

1. Open Windows Settings:

   • Press Win + I
   • Go to Privacy & Security → For developers

2. Enable Developer Mode:

   • Turn on Developer Mode
   • This allows creating symbolic links without administrator privileges

3. Restart your terminal/PowerShell

4. Try building again:

   scripts\build-desktop-simple.bat
   

Solution 2: Run as Administrator

1. Right-click PowerShell or Command Prompt
2. Choose "Run as Administrator"
3. Navigate to project and build:

   cd C:\Users\dries\OneDrive\Dokumente\GitHub\TimeTracker
   scripts\build-desktop-simple.bat
   

Solution 3: Disable Code Signing (Already Applied)

The desktop/package.json has been updated to disable code signing for development builds:

"win": {
  "sign": false,
  "signingHashAlgorithms": []
}

This prevents electron-builder from downloading and extracting the code signing tools that cause the symlink issue.

Solution 4: Clear electron-builder Cache

If the cache is corrupted:

Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\electron-builder\Cache\winCodeSign" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Then try building again.

Quick Fix

Enable Developer Mode (fastest):

1. Win + I → Privacy & Security → For developers
2. Enable Developer Mode
3. Restart terminal
4. Build again

Or run as Administrator:

• Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
• Run build script

Why This Happens

• electron-builder downloads code signing tools
• These tools include macOS files that use symbolic links
• Windows requires special permissions to create symlinks
• Developer Mode or Administrator privileges are needed

Prevention

The build configuration has been updated to:

• Disable code signing for development builds
• This avoids downloading the problematic tools
• Production builds can re-enable signing if needed

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Last Updated: 2024