Decision tree and where to download the tools

https://twitter.com/freakboy3742/status/1161149221812072449

> I have been told that AppImage is the new hotness for Linux Apps.
> I have been able to download and run AppImages.
> What I can’t find?
>
> HOW DO INSTALL THE DAMN TOOLS TO BUILD MY OWN APPIMAGES?
>
> A bright, shiny penny for anyone who can point me at the page of docs.

Most of the tools we use to make AppImages are, well, AppImages, and hence do not need to be installed.

> Ok… and how was *I* meant to know that? Point me at the page of documentation that says “These tools are all avaialble as AppImages from , and can be safely downloaded and executed directly.

> For example:
>
> “To build an AppImage from a .yml description file, simply run bash -ex ./pkg2appimage recipes/XXX.yml”.
>
> Excellent. Now where does pkg2appimage come from?

The high-level tools are mostly from third parties and not from the AppImage project itself:

* linuxdeployqt (for compiled applications, both QT and others): https://github.com/probonopd/linuxdeployqt/releases/continuous
* linuxdeploy (plugin-based alternative that can also package e.g., Python applications using a Python Conda plugin): https://github.com/linuxdeploy/linuxdeploy/releases/continuous
* The plugin mentioned: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheAssassin/linuxdeploy-plugin-conda/master/linuxdeploy-plugin-conda.sh
* electron-forge (a tool to build Electron-based apps, it has AppImage building capabilities built in): https://github.com/electron-userland/electron-forge/releases
* pkg2appimage (a script for converting existing deb packages to AppImage; "last resort" if you can't use one of the tools above): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AppImage/pkg2appimage/master/pkg2appimage

Our tool is running "under the hood" but if you really want you could use it directly, too:

* appimagetool (low-level tool, normally not used directly): https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/releases/continuous

> OMFG I cannot begin to tell you how much those docs don’t help.
>
> For example: Riddle me this: Why, in multiple pages of documentation, there is no mention of *how to install the toolchains*?

If you mean with "toolchain" the compilers and such, we don't cover those because AppImage is just a container format that executes whatever you put inside it (think of it as a fancy self-mounting filesystem image). Just like CD-ROM authoring tools don't explain how to make the files that go into a CD-ROM, we don't go at length on how to make the files that go into an AppImage.
If you mean with "toolchain" the tools to turn binaries into AppImages, I hope the links above point you into the correct places.

Let us know if you are stuck, AppImage developers are on #AppImage on irc.freenode.net and are usually helpful in solving almost any challenge (just be a bit patient since we do this in our free time).