---
title: "Tabnine Desktop Electron"
description: "Configures Tabnine for cross-platform desktop app development with Electron, React, and native integrations."
category: "configuration"
tags: ["tabnine", "electron", "desktop", "react", "cross-platform", "native"]
tech_stack: ["electron", "react", "nodejs", "native-modules", "webpack", "typescript"]
---

This setup helps you create a powerful Electron desktop application that uses React for the user interface, supports native modules, and works across different platforms.

### Configuration Overview
With this setup, you can develop desktop applications that run on various operating systems using Electron and React, while also integrating native modules to boost functionality.

### Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following installed:
- **Node.js**: version 14 or higher
- **npm**: version 6 or higher
- **Electron**: version 15 or higher
- **React**: version 17 or higher
- **TypeScript**: version 4 or higher
- **Webpack**: version 5 or higher
- **Tabnine**: installed and configured

### Installation & Setup
Let’s get your project up and running. Follow these steps:

1. **Create a new project directory**:
   ```bash
   mkdir my-electron-app && cd my-electron-app
   ```
   
2. **Initialize a new Node.js project**:
   ```bash
   npm init -y
   ```

3. **Install required dependencies**:
   ```bash
   npm install electron react react-dom typescript webpack webpack-cli ts-loader
   ```

4. **Set up TypeScript configuration**:
   Create a file called `tsconfig.json`:
   ```json
   {
     "compilerOptions": {
       "target": "es5",
       "module": "commonjs",
       "jsx": "react",
       "outDir": "./dist",
       "strict": true
     },
     "include": ["src/**/*"]
   }
   ```

5. **Create the main Electron file**:
   In the root directory, create a file named `main.ts`:
   ```typescript
   import { app, BrowserWindow } from 'electron';
   function createWindow() {
     const win = new BrowserWindow({
       width: 800,
       height: 600,
       webPreferences: {
         nodeIntegration: true,
         contextIsolation: false
       }
     });
     win.loadURL('http://localhost:3000');
   }
   app.whenReady().then(createWindow);
   app.on('window-all-closed', () => {
     if (process.platform !== 'darwin') app.quit();
   });
   app.on('activate', () => {
     if (BrowserWindow.getAllWindows().length === 0) createWindow();
   });
   ```

6. **Set up Webpack configuration**:
   Create a file called `webpack.config.js`:
   ```javascript
   const path = require('path');
   module.exports = {
     entry: './src/index.tsx',
     output: {
       filename: 'bundle.js',
       path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist')
     },
     resolve: {
       extensions: ['.tsx', '.ts', '.js']
     },
     module: {
       rules: [
         {
           test: /\.tsx?$/,
           use: 'ts-loader',
           exclude: /node_modules/
         }
       ]
     }
   };
   ```

7. **Create the React application entry point**:
   Make a file named `src/index.tsx`:
   ```typescript
   import React from 'react';
   import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
   const App = () => <h1>Hello, Electron with React!</h1>;
   ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));
   ```

8. **Add scripts to `package.json`**:
   Update the `scripts` section:
   ```json
   "scripts": {
     "start": "electron .",
     "build": "webpack"
   }
   ```

9. **Run the application**:
   Build and start your application:
   ```bash
   npm run build
   npm start
   ```

### File Structure
Once you set everything up, your project structure should look like this:
```
my-electron-app/
├── dist/
│   └── bundle.js
├── node_modules/
├── src/
│   └── index.tsx
├── main.ts
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── webpack.config.js
```

### Key Configuration Files
- **`main.ts`**: This file handles the main process for Electron and creates the application window.
- **`webpack.config.js`**: This file bundles the application using Webpack.
- **`tsconfig.json`**: This file specifies the TypeScript compiler options for your project.

### Advanced Options
You can take your app further with these options:
- **Auto-Updater**: Use `electron-updater` to simplify the update process.
- **Native Module Integration**: Leverage `node-gyp` to build native modules.
- **Performance Tuning**: Adjust Webpack settings for better performance in production.

### Troubleshooting
If you run into issues, here are some common ones and their solutions:
- **Problem**: The application won’t start.
  - **Fix**: Check that all dependencies are installed and look for errors in the console.
- **Problem**: Webpack isn’t bundling files.
  - **Fix**: Make sure the entry path in `webpack.config.js` is correct and that you have `ts-loader` installed.

### Best Practices
Keep your project running smoothly with these tips:
- **Use Environment Variables**: Manage configuration settings with `dotenv` for better security.
- **Modular Code Structure**: Organize your components and modules for easy maintenance.
- **Regular Updates**: Update dependencies often to keep your application secure.

### Performance Tuning
To improve performance, consider these strategies:
- **Enable Production Mode**: Run Webpack in production mode to reduce bundle size.
- **Code Splitting**: Use Webpack to split your code for faster loading.
- **Lazy Loading**: Implement React’s lazy loading feature for components to enhance performance.