A BeyondCode course

Learn how to
build desktop applications
as a web developer

This course teaches you how to build, publish, and distribute desktop applications with HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

Sign up to get RegExpress and a free preview video!

RegExpress requires a free license key because you'll learn how to implement this

Building a desktop application from scratch can be frustrating!

  • What programming languages do you begin with?
  • Which operating system do you focus on?
  • Can you maintain multiple code bases at once?

Marcel is one of the most productive developers I’ve ever seen. I’m always excited to learn what he has in store next. This Electron series will be an instant buy.

Jeffrey WayLaracasts

Marcel is brilliant and his courses and apps are consistently excellent. If this is a topic of interest for you, this is definitely the guy to learn it from!

Matt StaufferAuthor of Laravel: Up & Running

Build desktop apps with web technologies

This course teaches you how to use your existing knowledge of tools like VueJS, React, TailwindCSS and NodeJS to build cross-platform desktop applications.

Even if you are a complete beginner, this course guides you through the process of creating a desktop application from scratch.

Chances are pretty high that you've already used Electron applications before: We built Tinkerwell and HELO with Electron, and also well-known applications like VSCode or Slack make use of Electron and benefit from the Electron ecosystem with the power of Javascript.

What we'll build

In this video course, we are going to build a desktop application from scratch using nothing but HTML, VueJS and TailwindCSS.

The app is called RegExpress – a regular expression app that helps you test, debug, and even visualize your regular expressions.

We are going to use native system features, such as storing and opening files, storing images to disk, and makes use of the menu bar.

Marcel has been putting out interesting desktop apps for years that have really improved the workflow of web developers like me, and I think he’s the perfect person to help other web developers start building their own desktop apps.

Adam WathanCreator of TailwindCSS

I am super impressed with the quality of the apps that Marcel is putting out...and how quickly he seems to do it. If you're looking to learn about Electron, he's your guy!

Jonathan ReininkCreator of InertiaJS

What you'll learn

How to create a native desktop application
Communication between multiple windows
Creating menu bar applications
Expand your existing skills beyond the browser
Integrating TailwindCSS into your Electron app
Licensing and selling your desktop app
Using native operation system features
Understand the Electron API in detail
Keeping your apps automatically updated
Writing tests for your Electron app
Bundling your apps on Mac, Windows and Linux
Kickstart your next app idea
Using local databases in your Javascript apps
Code signing your apps on MacOS
Automatically distribute your app from GitHub
Using GitHub actions
Keeping track of your application errors
Debugging your Electron app

Meet your instructor

Hi, I am Marcel Pociot,

CTO of Beyond Code, guest instructor at Laracasts, and I'm working on the popular Electron apps Tinkerwell, HELO, and Invoker.

Batteries included

This course teaches how to add licensing to your Electron apps to distribute and sell them easily.

Desktop apps with Electron

Your License Key

Learn how to implement licensing in your Electron app.

My awesome app!

Autoupdates

Learn how to keep your applications up to date with the built-in auto updater.
A new version of your app is available Install the update now.

Boilerplate

Don't waste your time starting from scratch.
My boilerplate project includes everything you need and lets you focus on what matters most: your app idea!

Including:

  • Tailwind CSS
  • Offline license key validation
  • Preconfigured Auto-Updater
  • GitHub release distribution
  • VSCode debugging integration
  • Sentry integration
  • GitHub actions

45 lessons

I've compressed all our knowledge into 3 hours of video. Learn everything that you need to know about building Electron apps in one evening.

Getting started

Hot Reloading

Electron processes

Debugging

Vue Devtools

Browser windows

Installing Tailwind CSS

The input component

The Matches component

App menus

Keyboard shortcuts

Edit functionality

Opening files

Reading files

IPC Communication

Regex visualization

Storing the visualization

Background thread communication

Saving files

Match Output

Integration tests with Spectron

Testing user interactions

Testing IPC communication

Getting started

Devtools in menubar

Menubar app idea

Spawning commands

Identifying shared sites

Open URLs in the default browser

Keeping track of child processes

Add 3rd party resources

Menu bar context menus

Building the app

App Icons

Building for multiple OS at once

Distribute your app to GitHub

Custom distribution (S3, Spaces, custom URL, ...)

GitHub Actions

Notarizing Mac Builds

Error handling

premium

Licensing introduction

premium

Offline license key validation

premium

Adding License key validation UI

premium

Global state

premium

Reading the global state

Start building your first app now

Premium – $149

Learn how to develop, debug, distribute and license Electron apps!

  • Access to all 40 essential lessons
  • Additional 5 lessons about licensing your app
  • All lessons as stream and download
  • Quickstart Electron Boilerplate
  • Source code of RegExpress
  • Source code of Expose Menubar

Essential – $99

Introductory price. Regular price $149

  • Access to 40 essential lessons
  • All lessons as stream and download
All prices are exclusive of VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stream / download the videos?

Once you purchase the course, you will get access to a dedicated course platform, where you have a login and can keep track of your progress throughout the course. You can either stream or download the videos.

Can I purchase a team license for all my developers at a discount?

If you want to buy 5+ courses, please get in touch with us a support@beyondco.de

Will I receive an invoice after my purchase?

Yes, absolutely. Once purchased, you will receive an email from Paddle, our payment provider, which contains an invoice.

How can I activate RegExpress?

When you bought the video course, you will receive your license key in the confirmation email. If you subscribed to the newsletter, you can generate a license key here.

Where can I download RegExpress?

When you bought the course, you can download RegExpress on your dashboard. If you subscribed to the newsletter, you can download the latest version here by logging in with your license key.