Please provide an AppImage for Linux

[probonopd]

Currently it is quite complicated to install Instant-Lyrics, with many manual steps:

Providing an AppImage would have, among others, these advantages:

• Works for most Linux distributions (including Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, elementaryOS, Linux Mint, and others)
• One app = one file = super simple for users: just download one AppImage file, make it executable, and run
• No unpacking or installation necessary
• No root needed
• No system libraries changed
• Just one format for all major distributions
• Works out of the box, no installation of runtimes needed (unlike Snap and Flatpak)
• Optional desktop integration with appimaged
• Optional binary delta updates, e.g., for continuous builds (only download the binary diff) using AppImageUpdate
• Can optionally GPG2-sign your AppImages (inside the file)
• Works on Live ISOs (unlike Flatpak)
• Can use the same AppImages when dual-booting multiple distributions

Here is an overview of projects that are already distributing upstream-provided, official AppImages.

I generated a test AppImage for Instant-Lyrics:
https://bintray.com/probono/AppImages/Instant_Lyrics/_latestVersion#files
Just download, make it executable, and run. Should work on most 2014-ish and later distributions. Some fine-tuning may be needed.

Here is a yml file that controls the AppImage generation:
https://github.com/probonopd/AppImages/blob/master/recipes/meta/Instant-Lyrics.yml

To run it, do the following on a Ubuntu or Debian system:

wget https://github.com/probonopd/AppImages/raw/master/recipes/meta/Recipe
bash -ex Recipe Instant-Lyrics

This will grab the latest version of Instant-Lyrics from this GitHub repository and produce an AppImage.

[probonopd]

Such a relief to see this button now:

So, would you like to provide an official one?

[bhrigu123]

Hi,
I just tested out the AppImage on my computer, and it's working fine. I just had a few questions/clarifications:

1. To create an AppImage in the future, I would need to run the command bash -ex Recipe Instant-Lyrics, which I guess will do the following:

• Fetch the packages as listed in the https://github.com/probonopd/AppImages/blob/master/recipes/meta/Instant-Lyrics.yml and fetch the latest Instant-Lyrics from the master branch (as mentioned in your yml) and create an AppImage, which I should add to my Releases.
  Right?

2. It is not showing the icon when it adds Instant Lyrics to desktop apps entry.
   

[probonopd]

Can you please point me to a 256x256 px application icon in your repository that we can put into ./usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/instantlyrics.png?

[bhrigu123]

ah! I hadn't maintained the icons properly. Hold up; I'll need to add some more resolutions icons. I'll let you know.

[bhrigu123]

Added the 256x256 png at
https://github.com/bhrigu123/Instant-Lyrics/blob/master/icons/instant-lyrics-256.png

[probonopd]

Updated https://github.com/probonopd/AppImages/blob/master/recipes/meta/Instant-Lyrics.yml

[bhrigu123]

Great.

So, just to confirm, to create a new AppImage, I just need to run bash -ex Recipe Instant-Lyrics, which will automatically fetch the latest master branch of my repo. (which I should add to my releases). right?

[probonopd]

That is correct @bhrigu123. Alternatively you can of course host your own yml and feed that into the Recipe.

[bhrigu123]

Oh cool.

I'm finishing up on some changes and will update the repo soon.

[bhrigu123]

Done.

[probonopd]

Works like a charm for me. Thank you for this useful app!

[bhrigu123]

Hey, @probonopd , the AppImage stopped working suddenly. When I tried running it from the terminal I'm now getting this error:

./Instant_Lyrics-git.e3c0cc2.glibc2.15-x86_64.AppImage 
/bin/bash: ../lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5: no version information available (required by /bin/bash)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/tmp/.mount_kGRBO8/usr/bin/instantlyrics", line 2, in <module>
    import gi
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/__init__.py", line 42, in <module>
    from . import _gi
ImportError: /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/_gi.x86_64-linux-gnu.so: undefined symbol: g_irepository_get_immediate_dependencies

(I have created it using the yml file only that you provided )

[probonopd]

  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/__init__.py", line 42, in <module>
    from . import _gi
ImportError: /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gi/_gi.x86_64-linux-gnu.so: undefined symbol: g_irepository_get_immediate_dependencies

suggests that files are being loaded from /usr rather than from inside the AppImage. Need to find out the reason for this and change it.