Linux -- Use Snap to install the third-party WeChat client Electronic-Wechat

Preface

It's unlikely Tencent will develop any software for Linux systems, but that's not a big deal. We have many excellent third-party alternatives (a reluctant workaround).

About Snap

Introduction on Ubuntu's official website

Snaps are applications packaged with all their dependencies to run on all popular Linux distributions from a single build. They update automatically and roll back gracefully. Whether you’re building for desktop, cloud, or the Internet of Things, publishing as a snap will keep users up to date and make system configuration issues less likely, freeing you to code more and debug less. Snapcraft, the open source tool to publish snaps, picks up from your existing build artefacts or language of choice, be it Python, Go, C/C++, Node.js, or even .NET. With 20 minutes you can have your first app built and released in the Snap Store.

Learn more: https://snapcraft.io

Install Snap Basic Environment

sudo apt install snapd snappy

Install electronic-wechat

sudo snap install electronic-wechat

Since the Snap version includes all dependencies, the application size is relatively large, and the installation may require some patience. If the installation fails, it is recommended to install one application at a time and retry individually. After installation, you need to restart or log out of the system in order to see the WeChat launcher (shortcut) in the main menu.

Application Config

Add WeChat to the Application Menu

Create file: /usr/share/applications/electronic-wechat.desktop

File content:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Electronic Wechat
Name[zh_CN]=微信电脑版
Name[zh_TW]=微信电脑版
Exec=/opt/electronic-wechat/electronic-wechat
Icon=/opt/electronic-wechat/resources/electronic-wechat.png
Terminal=false
X-MultipleArgs=false
Type=Application
Encoding=UTF-8
Categories=Application;Utility;Network;InstantMessaging;
StartupNotify=false

This setup applies globally. To make it effective only for the current user, create a desktop file in the following directory: ~/.local/share/applications

End

Snap applications are easy to install and portable, though their downside is a larger file size—this is because, to ensure compatibility across all Linux distributions, they bundle all necessary dependencies together. Of course, with today's large computer hard drives, the size of a Snap is negligible. The key point is that Linux users now have access to more useful software.