Fix macOS/Linux compatibility by using dynamic ExifTool imports

Fixes #3

The extension was failing to activate on macOS/Linux because the top-level
import of 'exiftool-vendored' would crash when the platform-specific binary
(exiftool-vendored.pl) was not found in the bundled package.

Changes:
- Replace top-level import with dynamic import using async/await
- Wrap ExifTool initialization in try-catch to allow graceful fallback
- Extension now properly falls back to system-installed ExifTool on macOS/Linux
- Update README with clear installation requirements for each platform
- Add CHANGELOG.md to track version changes
- Bump version to 0.1.1

This allows users who have ExifTool installed via Homebrew (macOS) or their
package manager (Linux) to use the extension without bundling large platform-
specific binaries (~100MB combined).

Author: Gerkinfeltser

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,45 +1,53 @@
-# Change Log
+# Changelog
 
-## [0.1.0] - 2025-09-19
+All notable changes to the "Image Metadata Inspector" extension will be documented in this file.
 
-### Added
-- **Enhanced cross-platform support**: Improved compatibility for macOS and Linux with native ExifTool fallback
-- **JPEG file support**: Added support for .jpeg file extension
-- **Better error handling**: Clear error messages and platform-specific guidance
-- **Platform detection**: Detailed debugging information showing platform and version details
-- **Marketplace metadata**: Added keywords, license, and publisher information for VS Code Marketplace
-- **Packaging support**: Added vsce scripts for marketplace publishing
+The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
+and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
-### Changed
-- **Improved initialization**: Better ExifTool initialization with graceful fallback mechanisms
-- **Enhanced logging**: More detailed output messages for troubleshooting cross-platform issues
-- **Updated dependencies**: Cross-platform compatible dependency configuration
-- **Professional documentation**: Comprehensive README and installation instructions
+## [0.1.1] - 2025-10-31
 
 ### Fixed
-- **Launch configuration**: Fixed VS Code development environment setup
-- **Extension activation**: Improved extension loading and error recovery
-- **Windows-only limitation**: Added fallback support for other platforms (testing needed)
-- **Node.js compatibility**: Updated packaging for modern Node.js versions
+- Fixed macOS/Linux compatibility issue where extension would fail to activate due to missing `exiftool-vendored.pl` binary
+- Extension now properly falls back to system-installed ExifTool on macOS/Linux when bundled binary is unavailable
 
-### Notes
-- Cross-platform improvements are in place but need community testing on macOS/Linux
-- Please report any issues on non-Windows platforms via GitHub Issues
+### Changed
+- Changed ExifTool loading to use dynamic imports to prevent activation failures on unsupported platforms
+- Updated README with clearer installation instructions for macOS/Linux users
 
-## [0.0.5] - 2023-11-13
+## [0.1.0] - 2024-09-19
 
 ### Added
-- New logging feature: Debug and informational messages are now logged to the VS Code Output console for better troubleshooting.
+- Initial cross-platform support attempt
+- Fallback mechanism to use native ExifTool when vendored version unavailable
 
 ### Changed
-- Enhanced `.gitignore` and `.vscodeignore` to keep the repository and `.vsix` package clean from development-specific files.
+- Improved error handling and logging
+- Enhanced output console messages for debugging
+
+## [0.0.5] - 2024-11-13
+
+### Added
+- Output console logging for better debugging
+- Platform detection and information display
 
-## [0.0.4] - 2023-10-01
+## [0.0.4] - 2024-04-03
 
 ### Added
-- Support for JPG and WEBP files.
+- Support for WebP image format
+- Support for JPG/JPEG image formats
 
-## [0.0.3] - 2023-09-15
+## [0.0.3] - 2024-03-XX
 
 ### Added
-- Initial release of Image Metadata Display.
+- Initial release
+- PNG metadata inspection
+- ComfyUI workflow metadata support
+- Right-click context menu integration
+- Command palette support
+- JSON prettification for metadata display
+
+[0.1.1]: https://github.com/Gerkinfeltser/image-metadata-display/compare/v0.1.0...v0.1.1
+[0.1.0]: https://github.com/Gerkinfeltser/image-metadata-display/compare/v0.0.5...v0.1.0
+[0.0.5]: https://github.com/Gerkinfeltser/image-metadata-display/compare/v0.0.4...v0.0.5
+[0.0.4]: https://github.com/Gerkinfeltser/image-metadata-display/releases/tag/v0.0.4

README.md

@@ -44,10 +44,12 @@ This extension for Visual Studio Code allows users to view metadata of PNG, JPG,
 ## Cross-Platform Support
 
 - **Windows**: ✅ Fully supported with bundled ExifTool executable
-- **macOS**: ⚠️ Improved support with native ExifTool fallback (install with: `brew install exiftool`)
-- **Linux**: ⚠️ Improved support with native ExifTool fallback (install via package manager)
+- **macOS**: ✅ Requires ExifTool installed via Homebrew: `brew install exiftool`
+- **Linux**: ✅ Requires ExifTool installed via your package manager (e.g., `apt install exiftool`, `dnf install perl-Image-ExifTool`)
 
-The extension automatically detects your platform and uses the best available method. **Note**: macOS and Linux support has been significantly improved but needs community testing. Please report any issues via GitHub Issues.
+The extension automatically detects your platform and uses the best available method:
+1. First attempts to use the bundled ExifTool (Windows)
+2. Falls back to system-installed ExifTool if bundled version is unavailable (macOS/Linux)
 
 ## Viewing Output Logs
 
@@ -60,7 +62,8 @@ To view detailed logs and troubleshoot issues:
 ## System Requirements
 
 - Visual Studio Code version 1.87.0 or higher
-- For macOS/Linux: ExifTool installed system-wide (optional, but recommended)
+- **For macOS**: ExifTool must be installed via Homebrew (`brew install exiftool`)
+- **For Linux**: ExifTool must be installed via your package manager
 
 ## Supported File Types
 
@@ -80,7 +83,7 @@ This extension was originally designed for ComfyUI users who want to:
 ## Known Issues
 
 - Workflow JSON extraction to separate files doesn't create working ComfyUI workflows (planned feature)
-- Some ExifTool features may require native installation on macOS/Linux
+- macOS/Linux users must have ExifTool installed system-wide for the extension to function
 
 ## Contributing
 

package-lock.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "type": "git",
     "url": "https://github.com/Gerkinfeltser/image-metadata-display.git"
   },
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "0.1.1",
   "publisher": "Gerkinfeltser",
   "icon": "images/image_metadata_viewer_icon.png",
   "license": "MIT",

package.json

@@ -1,12 +1,26 @@
 import * as vscode from 'vscode';
-import { ExifTool } from 'exiftool-vendored';
 import * as os from 'os';
 import { exec } from 'child_process';
 import { promisify } from 'util';
 
 const execAsync = promisify(exec);
 const outputChannel = vscode.window.createOutputChannel('Image Metadata Extension');
 
+// Lazy-load ExifTool to avoid import failures crashing the extension
+let ExifToolClass: any = null;
+async function loadExifToolClass() {
+    if (!ExifToolClass) {
+        try {
+            const module = await import('exiftool-vendored');
+            ExifToolClass = module.ExifTool;
+        } catch (error) {
+            outputChannel.appendLine(`Failed to import exiftool-vendored: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+            throw error;
+        }
+    }
+    return ExifToolClass;
+}
+
 export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
     console.log("Debug: Image Metadata Extension is now active.");
     outputChannel.appendLine('Image Metadata Extension is now active!');
@@ -83,7 +97,7 @@ async function showMetadata(fileUri: vscode.Uri, viewColumn: vscode.ViewColumn)
 }
 
 class MetadataProvider implements vscode.TextDocumentContentProvider {
-    private exifTool: ExifTool | null = null;
+    private exifTool: any = null;
     private useNativeExifTool: boolean = false;
     private initializationAttempted: boolean = false;
     private initializationError: string | null = null;
@@ -102,6 +116,7 @@ class MetadataProvider implements vscode.TextDocumentContentProvider {
 
         try {
             // Try to initialize with exiftool-vendored first
+            const ExifTool = await loadExifToolClass();
             this.exifTool = new ExifTool();
             outputChannel.appendLine('ExifTool (vendored) initialized successfully');
             return;
@@ -223,7 +238,7 @@ class MetadataProvider implements vscode.TextDocumentContentProvider {
 
     dispose() {
         if (this.exifTool) {
-            this.exifTool.end().catch(error => {
+            this.exifTool.end().catch((error: Error) => {
                 console.error('Error disposing ExifTool:', error);
             });
         }