The input package file targets no platform and cannot be transformed into a release package

[peterkuma]

When building an installer on Debian stable (Debian GNU/Linux 8.3) I get
the following error:

No dice: Failed with exit code: 255
Output:
System.InvalidOperationException: The input package file /mnt/data1/devel/electron-quick-start/installer/electron-quick-start.1.0.0.nupkg targets no platform and cannot be transformed into a release package.
  at Squirrel.ReleasePackage.CreateReleasePackage (System.String outputFile, System.String packagesRootDir, System.Func`2 releaseNotesProcessor, System.Action`1 contentsPostProcessHook) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Squirrel.Update.Program.Releasify (System.String package, System.String targetDir, System.String packagesDir, System.String bootstrapperExe, System.String backgroundGif, System.String signingOpts, System.String baseUrl, System.String setupIcon, Boolean generateMsi) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Squirrel.Update.Program.executeCommandLine (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at Squirrel.Update.Program.main (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

How to reproduce:

git clone https://github.com/electron/electron-quick-start.git
cd electron-quick-start
npm install --save-dev electron-winstaller
electron-packager . electron-quick-start --platform win32 --arch x64 --out dist --version 0.37.4 --overwrite
node electron-winstaller.js

electron-winstaller.js:

var electronInstaller = require('electron-winstaller');

resultPromise = electronInstaller.createWindowsInstaller({
  appDirectory: 'dist/electron-quick-start-win32-x64',
  outputDirectory: 'installer',
  authors: '',
  exe: 'electron-quick-start.exe'
});

resultPromise.then(() => console.log("It worked!"), (e) => console.log(`No dice: ${e.message}`));

electron-packager is in version 6.0.0. mono and wine are both installed on the
system, but I am not sure if some other packages are required as well:

mono-runtime          3.2.8+dfsg-10
mono-devel            3.2.8+dfsg-10
mono-4.0-gac          3.2.8+dfsg-10
mono-utils            3.2.8+dfsg-10
wine                  1.6.2-20
wine32                1.6.2-20
wine32-dev-tools      1.6.2-20
wine32-development    1.7.29-4
wine32-tools          1.6.2-20

uname -a:

Linux localhost 4.3.0-0.bpo.1-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.3.5-1~bpo8+1 (2016-02-23) x86_64 GNU/Linux

[peterkuma]

The problem was likely due to an old version of mono. After upgrading to Debian stable (mono 4.2.1) this error did not appear any more. However, I have encountered the same problem as in #55 with hanging mono.

[SWortham]

I'm getting the same error when running on a Mac, "The input package file /mnt/data1/devel/electron-quick-start/installer/electron-quick-start.1.0.0.nupkg targets no platform and cannot be transformed into a release package." But we're on mono 4.6.0.

[andrewda]

Getting the same error with 4.8.1 on Mac.

[nadav-dav]

why is this closed? was the issue resolved?

[marcinius]

Shouldn't be closed, get the same thing on Windows.

[fcastilloec]

I'm getting this error with mono 5.10.0.160 on Ubuntu 16.04

[weverb2]

Getting this error on OSX with Mono version 5.4.1.6.