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screenjson

Native apps

Desktop Viewer

An open-source desktop ScreenJSON reader for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It wraps @screenjson/ui in a Tauri shell so the same rendering engine runs as a native desktop app.

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What it is

The Desktop Viewer is the installable ScreenJSON reader for desktop systems. It packages the same screenplay rendering engine used on the web into a native Tauri app so a screenplay can be opened locally on Windows, macOS, or Linux without relying on a browser tab or hosted session.

It uses @screenjson/ui for pagination, rendering, validation, language switching, and encrypted text handling.

Platforms

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux (AppImage)

What it does

  • Opens local .json ScreenJSON files directly from the OS
  • Rejects invalid JSON and non-ScreenJSON files with clear errors
  • Prompts for passwords on encrypted scripts and decrypts in memory
  • Preserves a paper-style screenplay layout on larger screens
  • Supports dark and light mode, zoom, and system print

Install

git clone https://github.com/screenjson/screenjson-viewer.git
cd screenjson-viewer
npm install

The viewer now installs @screenjson/ui from npm as a normal dependency.

Desktop development

Before running the desktop shell, install the standard Tauri prerequisites for your OS: Rust, Node.js, and the native WebView/build dependencies.

npm run tauri:dev

The Vite dev server starts on http://localhost:1420 and the Tauri window opens against it.

Build for release

npm run tauri:build

Desktop bundles are emitted under src-tauri/target/release/bundle/, including Windows packages, macOS bundles, and Linux .deb, .rpm, and .AppImage artifacts.

When to use it

Use the Desktop Viewer when you need an installable local reader for review, archive access, internal circulation, or any workflow where a screenplay should open like a native document rather than inside a CMS page.

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