feat(windows): ship MSIX instead of appx; add headless smoke test (#451)

* windows: ship MSIX instead of appx; add headless smoke test

- installer/appxmanifest.xml: ProcessorArchitecture amd64 (was x86, wrong
  for the 64-bit PyInstaller build), newer Windows 10 min/max baseline,
  updated comments to reflect MSIX.
- install-windows.ps1: emit friture-$version.msix via MakeAppx (was .appx),
  save the manifest as AppxManifest.xml (MSIX canonical name).
- build.yml: add 'Verify app launches' smoke-test step for Windows
  (frozen dist/friture/friture.exe, offscreen Qt, full-init assertion via
  the cross-platform smoke_test.py), a platformdirs-based log capture/upload,
  switch the artifact/upload from .appx to .msix, and add MSIX to the Store
  release files. (Store ingestion signs the package; CI builds an unsigned
  MSIX for packaging validation only.)

* smoke_test: cross-platform timeout kill (Windows needs proc.kill fallback)

os.killpg/signal.SIGKILL are POSIX-only; on Windows they raise
AttributeError. Extract _kill_proc() that tries the process-group kill on
POSIX and falls back to proc.kill() otherwise, so the Windows smoke test
can terminate a hung release build instead of crashing the harness.

* appxmanifest: ProcessorArchitecture x64 (MSIX schema forbids 'amd64')

* audiobackend: tolerate no default output device at startup

sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output') raises PortAudioError ('Error
querying device -1') on a headless host with no default output device,
which crashed AudioBackend() -> Friture() before init completed. Mirror
the existing guard in get_input_devices() so a missing default output
device degrades to an empty device list instead of raising.

* audiobackend, settings: avoid startup crash with no audio device (headless)

On a host with no default input/output device (e.g. the Windows CI
runner, unlike Linux which loads a PulseAudio monitor source), the
frozen app could not start:

* get_readable_devices_list() / get_readable_output_devices_list()
  called sounddevice.query_devices(kind=...) unconditionally and, when
  it raised PortAudioError, logged via logger.exception() -- emitting a
  'Traceback' line that trips the smoke test's FATAL_MARKERS. Guard the
  kind= calls and log at debug instead; mirror get_input_devices()'s
  early return when there are no devices.
* SettingsDialog popped a blocking QMessageBox.critical() + sys.exit(1)
  on the empty device list. Under the offscreen Qt platform (the CI
  smoke test / any headless host) that modal blocks forever with no
  user to dismiss it, preventing init from reaching 'Init finished' and
  before any QML is shown. In headless mode, log a warning and continue
  with an empty device set instead; interactive desktop users keep the
  existing message+exit behaviour.

Neither change affects machines that have a real audio input device.

* settings: use QApplication.instance().platformName() (PyQt6 regressed the static call)

PyQt6 moved QGuiApplication.platformName() from a static method to an
instance method, so QtCore.QCoreApplication.platformName() raised
AttributeError during SettingsDialog construction on a headless Windows
runner, crashing Friture() before full init. Use the existing
QApplication.instance() pattern (already used elsewhere in the codebase)
to query the offscreen platform.

* settings: don't crash on a stale/unknown saved themePreference at startup

SettingsDialog.restoreState() did themeButtonGroup.button(id).setChecked(True)
with the id read back from QSettings (AudioBackend group). On a system whose
stored value is absent, stale, or outside {0,1,2}, button() returns None and
QML/.setChecked raises AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute
'setChecked' -- crashing Friture() during restoreAppState() before
'Init finished'.

This reproduces on a fresh Windows CI runner with no audio (unlike Linux,
whose PulseAudio monitor source provides a default input): the headless
no-device path runs SettingsDialog.__init__ (which returns early, leaving
the comboBox empty) and restoreState is still invoked from the analyzer.

Guard the button(id) lookups (both theme and input-type groups): if no
button carries the stored id, fall back to the System (0) button instead
of crashing. Real interactive users see no behaviour change (their stored
0/1/2 still maps to a button); only a bad/sentinel id is rescued.

* settings: assign theme-button IDs before the no-audio early return

Root cause of the Windows headless startup crash (now visible in the
smoke log as 'No theme button for id 0'):

SettingsDialog.__init__ early-returns in the no-input-device / offscreen
branch, which on a headless Windows runner is the common path (unlike
Linux, which loads a PulseAudio monitor source as its default input).
That early return happened BEFORE the themeButtonGroup.setId(...) calls,
so on the no-device path the button group had no IDs -- restoreState()'s
button(0) returned None, and .setChecked() raised AttributeError.

Move the idToggled connect + the three setId(0/1/2) calls to right after
setupUi(), before the device-list early return, so the button group is
always populated. The defensive None-guard in restoreState() stays as
defense-in-depth. No behaviour change for interactive desktop users
(their button IDs were already set).

* Cleanup

* Refine comment

* Log PortAudio error details

* Do not log the stacktrace to avoid confusing the smoke test

Author: tlecomte

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -41,11 +41,42 @@ jobs:
       shell: powershell
       run: ./.github/workflows/install-windows.ps1
 
-    - name: Upload friture appx
+    - name: Verify app launches (smoke test)
+      # Launch the frozen friture.exe headless (offscreen Qt) and assert it
+      # reaches full init. The MSIX itself is not installed here (it is
+      # unsigned; the Store signs on ingestion) -- we validate the same frozen
+      # binary the MSIX wraps.
+      shell: bash
+      run: uv run python scripts/smoke_test.py dist/friture/friture.exe --no-splash
+
+    - name: Capture Friture log
+      if: always()
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        uv run python - <<'PY'
+        import os, shutil, platformdirs
+        src = os.path.join(platformdirs.user_log_dir("Friture", ""), "friture.log.txt")
+        dst = "friture-smoke.log"
+        if os.path.exists(src):
+            shutil.copy2(src, dst)
+        else:
+            with open(dst, "w") as f:
+                f.write("log not found: " + src)
+        PY
+
+    - name: Upload friture smoke-test log
+      if: always()
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
+      with:
+        name: friture-smoke-log-windows
+        path: friture-smoke.log
+        if-no-files-found: warn
+
+    - name: Upload friture msix
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
-        name: friture-appx
-        path: dist/friture-*.appx
+        name: friture-msix
+        path: dist/friture-*.msix
         if-no-files-found: error
 
     - name: Upload friture msi
@@ -105,12 +136,27 @@ jobs:
         ./friture-*.AppImage --appimage-extract
         uv run python scripts/smoke_test.py ./squashfs-root/AppRun --no-splash
 
+    - name: Capture Friture log
+      if: always()
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        uv run python - <<'PY'
+        import os, shutil, platformdirs
+        src = os.path.join(platformdirs.user_log_dir("Friture", ""), "friture.log.txt")
+        dst = "friture-smoke.log"
+        if os.path.exists(src):
+            shutil.copy2(src, dst)
+        else:
+            with open(dst, "w") as f:
+                f.write("log not found: " + src)
+        PY
+
     - name: Upload AppImage smoke-test log
       if: always()
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
-        name: friture-smoke-log
-        path: ~/.local/state/Friture/log/friture.log.txt
+        name: friture-smoke-log-linux
+        path: friture-smoke.log
         if-no-files-found: warn
 
     - name: Upload appImage
@@ -176,6 +222,7 @@ jobs:
           fail_on_unmatched_files: true
           files: |
             **/friture*.msi
+            **/friture*.msix
             **/friture*.dmg
             **/friture*.AppImage
             **/friture*.AppImage.zsync

.github/workflows/install-windows.ps1

@@ -44,18 +44,20 @@ Write-Host "==========================================="
 
 Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "==========================================="
-Write-Host "Build appx package"
+Write-Host "Build MSIX package"
 Write-Host "==========================================="
 
-Copy-Item -Path .\dist\friture -Destination .\dist\friture-appx -Recurse
-Copy-Item -Path resources\images\friture.iconset\icon_512x512.png -Destination .\dist\friture-appx\icon_512x512.png
+Copy-Item -Path .\dist\friture -Destination .\dist\friture-msix -Recurse
+Copy-Item -Path resources\images\friture.iconset\icon_512x512.png -Destination .\dist\friture-msix\icon_512x512.png
 
-# apply version to appxmanifest.xml and save it to the dist folder
+# apply version to AppxManifest.xml and save it to the package folder.
 $xml = [xml](Get-Content .\installer\appxmanifest.xml)
 $ns = New-Object System.Xml.XmlNamespaceManager($xml.NameTable)
 $ns.AddNamespace("ns", $xml.DocumentElement.NamespaceURI)
 $package = $xml.SelectSingleNode("//ns:Package", $ns)
 $package.Identity.Version = "$version.0.0"
-$xml.Save(".\dist\friture-appx\appxmanifest.xml")
+$xml.Save(".\dist\friture-msix\AppxManifest.xml")
 
-MakeAppx pack /v /d .\dist\friture-appx /p ".\dist\friture-$version.appx"
+# SignTool is omitted here on purpose,
+# as Microsoft Store ingestion signs the final package.
+MakeAppx pack /v /d .\dist\friture-msix /p ".\dist\friture-$version.msix"

friture/audiobackend.py

@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ def get_readable_devices_list(self):
         try:
             default_input_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='input')
             default_input_device['index'] = raw_devices.index(default_input_device)
-        except sounddevice.PortAudioError:
-            self.logger.exception("Failed to query the default input device")
+        except sounddevice.PortAudioError as err:
+            self.logger.warning(f"Failed to query the default input device: {err}")
             default_input_device = None
 
         devices_list = []
@@ -166,9 +166,20 @@ def get_readable_devices_list(self):
     def get_readable_output_devices_list(self):
         output_devices = self.get_output_devices()
 
+        # if there are no output devices at all,
+        # sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output') raises PortAudioError ("Error
+        # querying device -1").
+        # Degrade to an empty list.
+        if len(output_devices) == 0:
+            return []
+
         raw_devices = sounddevice.query_devices()
-        default_output_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output')
-        default_output_device['index'] = raw_devices.index(default_output_device)
+        try:
+            default_output_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output')
+            default_output_device['index'] = raw_devices.index(default_output_device)
+        except sounddevice.PortAudioError as err:
+            self.logger.warning(f"No default output device available: {err}")
+            default_output_device = None
 
         devices_list = []
         for device in output_devices:
@@ -218,8 +229,8 @@ def get_input_devices(self):
 
         try:
             default_input_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='input')
-        except sounddevice.PortAudioError:
-            self.logger.exception("Failed to query the default input device")
+        except sounddevice.PortAudioError as err:
+            self.logger.exception(f"Failed to query the default input device: {err}")
             default_input_device = None
 
         input_devices = []
@@ -243,11 +254,18 @@ def get_input_devices(self):
     def get_output_devices(self):
         devices = sounddevice.query_devices()
 
-        default_output_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output')
+        # sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output') raises PortAudioError when
+        # there is no default output device.
+        # Degrade gracefully instead.
+        try:
+            default_output_device = sounddevice.query_devices(kind='output')
+        except sounddevice.PortAudioError as err:
+            self.logger.warning(f"No default output device available: {err}")
+            default_output_device = None
 
         output_devices = []
         if default_output_device is not None:
-            # start by the default input device
+            # start by the default output device
             default_output_device['index'] = devices.index(default_output_device)
             output_devices += [default_output_device]
 

friture/settings.py

@@ -52,10 +52,24 @@ def __init__(self, parent, toolbar_view_model: MainToolbarViewModel):
         # Setup the user interface
         self.setupUi(self)
 
+        self.themeButtonGroup.idToggled.connect(self.theme_preference_toggled)
+        # Set explicit IDs for theme buttons to match ThemeManager enum values
+        # 0 = System (Unknown), 1 = Light, 2 = Dark
+        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeSystem, 0)
+        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeLight, 1)
+        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeDark, 2)
+
         devices = AudioBackend().get_readable_devices_list()
 
         if devices == []:
-            # no audio input device: display a message and exit
+            # no audio input device
+            if QtWidgets.QApplication.instance().platformName() == "offscreen":
+                # Headless (e.g. the CI smoke test).
+                # Log and continue with an empty device set instead of exiting,
+                # for validation purposes.
+                self.logger.warning("No audio input device available; continuing in headless mode")
+                return
+            # display a message and exit
             QtWidgets.QMessageBox.critical(self, no_input_device_title, no_input_device_message)
             QtCore.QTimer.singleShot(0, self.exitOnInit)
             sys.exit(1)
@@ -85,13 +99,6 @@ def __init__(self, parent, toolbar_view_model: MainToolbarViewModel):
         self.radioButton_duo.toggled.connect(self.duo_input_type_selected)
         self.checkbox_showPlayback.stateChanged.connect(self.show_playback_checkbox_changed)
         self.spinBox_historyLength.editingFinished.connect(self.history_length_edit_finished)
-        self.themeButtonGroup.idToggled.connect(self.theme_preference_toggled)
-
-        # Set explicit IDs for theme buttons to match ThemeManager enum values
-        # 0 = System (Unknown), 1 = Light, 2 = Dark
-        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeSystem, 0)
-        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeLight, 1)
-        self.themeButtonGroup.setId(self.radioButton_themeDark, 2)
 
     @pyqtProperty(bool, notify=show_playback_changed) # type: ignore
     def show_playback(self) -> bool:

installer/appxmanifest.xml

@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <!-- 
 
-To build an appx package to publish to the Microsoft store:
+To build an MSIX package to publish to the Microsoft Store:
 
-1. enable Windows developer mode (to allow side-loading)
+1. enable Windows developer mode (to allow side-loading of an unsigned package)
 2. the build output is in a friture-bin folder
-3. friture-bin should contain appxmanifest.xml
-4. in that folder, run: Add-AppxPackage -Register .\appxmanifest.xml
+3. friture-bin should contain AppxManifest.xml
+4. in that folder, run: Add-AppxPackage -Register .\AppxManifest.xml
 5. app should start from Windows Start menu
   - to deploy again, increase the version
 6. from the parent folder, run:
-PS C:\...\friture> MakeAppx pack /v /d .\friture-bin /p friture.appx
-7. friture.appx file can be uploaded in a new submission to the Windows Partern Center
+PS C:\...\friture> MakeAppx pack /v /d .\friture-bin /p friture.msix
+7. friture.msix can be uploaded in a new submission to the Microsoft Partner Center
+   (this CI build produces an unsigned MSIX;
+   the Store signs the package on ingestion).
 
 References:
 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/packaging-tool/create-app-package
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/package/create-app-package-with-ma
         Name="53504SilentGain.Friture"
         Version="0.0.0.0"
         Publisher="CN=74EE87F8-B2A0-400A-A66A-377F7F4E3BBE"
-        ProcessorArchitecture="x86" />
+        ProcessorArchitecture="x64" />
     <Properties>
         <DisplayName>Friture</DisplayName>
         <PublisherDisplayName>Silent Gain</PublisherDisplayName>
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/package/create-app-package-with-ma
         <Resource Language="en-us" />
     </Resources>
     <Dependencies>
-        <TargetDeviceFamily Name="Windows.Desktop" MinVersion="10.0.14393.0" MaxVersionTested="10.0.14393.0" />
+        <TargetDeviceFamily Name="Windows.Desktop" MinVersion="10.0.17763.0" MaxVersionTested="10.0.19041.0" />
     </Dependencies>
     <Capabilities>
         <rescap:Capability Name="runFullTrust"/>

scripts/smoke_test.py

@@ -34,6 +34,20 @@
 
 TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 20
 
+
+def _kill_proc(proc):
+    """Kill a launched process, cross-platform.
+
+    On POSIX we started the process in its own session (start_new_session=True)
+    and kill the whole process group so a spawned helper child cannot keep the
+    stdout/stderr pipes open and make communicate() hang. Windows has no
+    process groups, so we just TerminateProcess the leader.
+    """
+    try:
+        os.killpg(os.getpgid(proc.pid), signal.SIGKILL)
+    except (AttributeError, ProcessLookupError, PermissionError):
+        proc.kill()
+
 # Substrings that, if found in the log or stderr, mean the bundle is broken
 # (a missing Qt module, shared library, or Python extension). We include the
 # Python traceback header and the app's own unhandled-exception log line so a
@@ -122,13 +136,12 @@ def main():
         rc = proc.returncode
     except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
         timed_out = True
-        # kill the entire process group, not just the leader
-        try:
-            os.killpg(os.getpgid(proc.pid), signal.SIGKILL)
-        except (ProcessLookupError, PermissionError):
-            proc.kill()
+        _kill_proc(proc)
         stdout, stderr = proc.communicate()
         rc = proc.returncode
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        _kill_proc(proc)
+        raise
 
     elapsed = time.time() - started