PortableApps Launcher Maker

PortableApps Launcher Maker is a Windows Tkinter desktop app for building PortableApps.com-style project folders from a normal application EXE.

It helps generate the pieces needed for a portable app package, including:

• appinfo.ini
• launcher.ini
• optional installer.ini
• PortableApps icon sizes
• help.html and help assets
• splash assets
• preview output before build

It can also call the PortableApps.com Launcher Generator to build the final portable launcher EXE when that tool is available.

Versioning

This project uses a four-part version format:

• X.0.0.0

Example:

• 1.0.0.0
• 2.0.0.0

The current app version is:

• 1.0.0.2

What's New In 1.0.0.2

• moved application EXE and output folder controls into the Project Settings header
• widened the live preview panel and increased the default app window size
• removed horizontal scrollbars from multi-line text areas
• returned dropdowns and inputs to stable native Tk/ttk controls
• prevented mouse-wheel scrolling over dropdowns from changing selected values
• kept Validate beside Create Project + EXE for a cleaner build flow
• added a source-controlled PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable wrapper project for PortableApps.com packaging

Quick Start Workflow

1. Launch the app
2. Choose the application EXE
3. Leave the output folder pointed at X:\PortableApps or choose another location
4. Fill in appinfo.ini, launcher, installer, registry, icon, and splash settings
5. Run Validate to Check if you miss some things
6. Click Create Project + EXE
7. The tool generates the PortableApps project and calls the PortableApps.com Launcher Generator to create the launcher

If the PortableApps.com Launcher Generator is not installed, the app will offer to open:

• PortableApps.com Development

Screenshot

Features

• creates the standard App, Data, and Other structure
• copies the selected application's folder
• extracts embedded icons from the selected EXE
• generates PortableApps icon outputs:
  • appicon.ico
  • appicon_16.png
  • appicon_32.png
  • appicon_75.png
  • appicon_128.png
  • appicon_256.png
• supports registry, icon, splash, and installer settings
• imports saved .reg exports into RegistryKeys
• previews generated folder layout and INI output live
• shows icon preview sizes from largest to smallest
• validates project settings before build
• uses collapsible card sections and a more web-style settings UI
• supports both 64-bit and 32-bit packaged app builds
• creates GitHub-release ZIP assets from finished builds

Current UI

The app is organized into focused tabs:

• appinfo.ini
• AppNamePortable.ini
• installer.ini
• Registry
• Icon
• Splash

Notable UI behavior:

• collapsible cards for major sections
• fixed top tab navigation while forms scroll
• live preview panel on the right side of the editor
• styled folder preview with important generated files highlighted
• icon preview strip showing multiple generated sizes
• help popup for PAL variables and registry guidance

Running From Source

python -m app.portableapps_main

Or install in editable mode:

pip install -e .
portableapps-launcher-maker

Release Builds

The packaged releases use PyInstaller one-folder builds. Keep the whole output folder together; do not copy only the .exe.

64-bit

Requires a 64-bit Python with PyInstaller available in that interpreter.

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\build_portableapps_release.ps1 -Python64 "C:\Path\To\Python64\python.exe"

Output:

• dist\PortableAppsLauncherMaker\PortableAppsLauncherMaker.exe

32-bit / x86

Requires:

• a 32-bit Python
• PyInstaller installed into that 32-bit Python

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\build_portableapps_release_x86.ps1 -Python32 "C:\Path\To\Python32\python.exe"

You can also set PORTABLEAPPS_X86_PYTHON first and run the script without arguments.

Output:

• dist\PortableAppsLauncherMaker-x86\PortableAppsLauncherMaker-x86.exe

GitHub Release ZIPs

After you have built one or both architectures, create GitHub-friendly ZIP assets with:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\package_github_release.ps1

Output:

• dist\release\PortableAppsLauncherMaker-win64.zip
• dist\release\PortableAppsLauncherMaker-win32.zip

You can use -Skip64 or -Skip32 if you only built one architecture.

PortableApps.com Project Wrapper

The repo includes a ready-to-edit PortableApps.com project folder:

• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable/
• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable/App/
• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable/Data/
• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable/Other/

The wrapper includes:

• App/AppInfo/appinfo.ini
• App/AppInfo/installer.ini
• App/AppInfo/Launcher/PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable.ini
• app icons and splash screen assets

Build the normal 64-bit app first, then copy the PyInstaller payload into the PortableApps wrapper:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\package_portableapps_project.ps1

This updates:

• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable\App\PortableAppsLauncherMaker

That payload folder is intentionally ignored by Git so the repo stays source-friendly. After packaging, open PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable with the PortableApps.com Launcher Generator to create:

• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable.exe

Downloads

For GitHub, the best distribution path is:

• commit source code to the repo
• upload packaged builds to GitHub Releases

Recommended release assets:

• PortableAppsLauncherMaker-win64.zip
• PortableAppsLauncherMaker-win32.zip

Repository Layout

• app/: application source
• tests/: automated tests
• build_portableapps_release.ps1: 64-bit release build
• build_portableapps_release_x86.ps1: 32-bit release build
• package_github_release.ps1: creates GitHub release ZIPs from built folders
• package_portableapps_project.ps1: copies the built app into the PortableApps wrapper project
• PortableAppsLauncherMakerPortable/: PortableApps.com project wrapper metadata and assets

Notes

• build/ and dist/ are generated output and should not normally be committed
• generated PyInstaller .spec files are intentionally ignored
• building the final portable launcher EXE expects the PortableApps.com Launcher Generator to be installed and available
• bundled default branding assets live in app/assets/