By default the desktop app uses port 30305, unless a value is specifically set
in environment variable `STATUS_PORT`. For convenience of those developing the
app and running development builds, while simultaneously running production
builds (a.k.a. packaged builds, whether built locally or in CI), have `make
run` invoke `bin/nim_status_client` with `STATUS_PORT=30306`. That value can
still be overriden by manually invoking `make run` with a different value,
e.g. `make STATUS_PORT=30307 run` and `STATUS_PORT=30307 make run` are both
valid and achieve the same effect. NOTE: the port "sticks" in the database
after the first clean run, so when changing ports developers will need to
delete the data dir within their local repository, else the existing database
for dev builds will be stuck using whatever port was used previously. In the
future, we can figure out a means to always update the port setting in the
database just after the login event (but see #1505).
Also, for development builds use an icon (for the running app) that is
orangered (`#ff4500`) instead of the official blue color. This makes it much
easier to select between a running production instance and development instance
when Cmd-Tab'ing (on macOS, or equiv on Linux and Windows) through open
applications. Not all icons displayed at runtime have been changed in this
manner for development builds, just the main application icon, and that seems
to be sufficient to achieve the desired effect; though in the future we could
do similar for notification icon, menu bar icon, etc.
Sale Djenic
Andrei Smirnov
Michael Bradley, Jr