[UE4] Several packaging methods for Windows

brief description

• Automation Tool (Unreal Automation Tool, referred to as UAT)
• Automated tools use the specific command BuildCookRun
  • The packaging process includes
    • Build (Build): This phase will compile the executable for the selected platform.
    • Cook: This stage transforms the content by executing the editor in a special mode.
    • Stage: This stage copies the executable and content to the staging area, which is a separate directory from the development directory.
    • Package: This stage packages the project into the platform's native distribution format.
    • Deploy: This phase deploys the build to target devices.
    • Run (Run): This stage starts the packaged project on the target platform.
• You can use RunUAT.bat for packaging, the path is Engine/Build/BatchFiles/RunUAT.bat
• The savegame path after shipping is packaged is C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\[ProjectName]\Saved\SaveGames

---

Editor packaging

• File -> Package Project -> Target Platform
• compile configuration
  • DebugGame
  • Development
  • Shipping
  • The default path is generated  [ProjectName]\WindowsNoEditor, and the path can be customized
• More settings ProjectSettings -> Package
• Log Running AutomationTool section

  Running AutomationTool
  UATHelper: Packaging (Windows (64-bit)): Parsing command line:
   -ScriptsForProject="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject"
   BuildCookRun -nocompileeditor -installed -nop4
   -project="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject"
   -cook -stage -archive
   -archivedirectory="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips"
   -package
   -ue4exe=C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe
   -compressed
   -ddc=InstalledDerivedDataBackendGraph
   -pak
   -prereqs
   -nodebuginfo
   -targetplatform=Win64
   -build
   -target=tips
   -clientconfig=Development
   -utf8output
  

  

---

Start Launch on the device

• PIE Toolbar Launch
  • default build path [ProjectName]\Saved\StagedBuilds\WindowsNoEditor
  • Execute by default

    C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips\Saved\StagedBuilds\WindowsNoEditor\tips\Binaries\Win64\tips.exe 
     ../../../tips/tips.uproject /Game/CPPFunction/Pak/PakMap
     -stdout
     -abslog="C:\Users\Alice\AppData\Roaming\Unreal Engine\AutomationTool\Logs\C+SoftwareInstallation+EpicGames+UE_4.26\Client.log"
     -Messaging
     -Windowed
     -CrashForUAT
     -SessionId=E68DB8EB44C5712DE6D61BBE209F527E
     -SessionOwner="Alice"
     -SessionName="Launch On Device"
    

• Can be customized in Project Launcher
• Can use UnrealFrontend [EnegineDir]\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealFrontend.exe
  • UnrealFrontend can perform advanced build, cook, deploy, package and launch options

Project Launcher Packaging

• icon
  
• Steps
  • Running AutomationTool

  Parsing command line:
  -ScriptsForProject="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject"
   BuildCookRun
   -project="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject"
   -noP4
   -clientconfig=Development
   -serverconfig=Development
   -nocompile
   -nocompileeditor
   -installed
   -ue4exe=C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe
   -utf8output
   -platform=Win64
   -targetplatform=Win64
   -build
   -cook
   -map=
   -unversionedcookedcontent
   -pak
   -createreleaseversion=1.0.0
   -compressed
   -prereqs
   -stage
   -package
   -cmdline=" -Messaging"
   -addcmdline="-SessionId=9876DEE24FEBCC47A5E8C29B1BDD9E48 -SessionOwner='Alice' -SessionName='tip' "
   -archive
   -archivedirectory="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/"
  

  • BUILD COMMAND STARTED

  Running: 
  C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Binaries\DotNET\UnrealBuildTool.exe
   tips Win64 Development
   -Project="C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips\tips.uproject"
   "C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips\tips.uproject"
   -NoUBTMakefiles  -remoteini="C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips"
   -skipdeploy
   -Manifest="C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips\Intermediate\Build\Manifest.xml"
   -NoHotReload
   -log="C:\Users\Alice\AppData\Roaming\Unreal Engine\AutomationTool\Logs\C+SoftwareInstallation+EpicGames+UE_4.26\UBT-tips-Win64-Development.txt"
  

  • COOK COMMAND STARTED

  Running: 
  C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe
   "C:\Users\Alice\Documents\Unreal Projects\tips\tips.uproject"
   -run=Cook
   -TargetPlatform=WindowsNoEditor
   -fileopenlog
   -unversioned
   -createreleaseversion=1.0.0
   -abslog=C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Programs\AutomationTool\Saved\Cook-2021.05.24-16.21.35.txt -stdout
   -CrashForUAT
   -unattended
   -NoLogTimes
   -UTF8Output
  

  • STAGE COMMAND STARTED
  • PACKAGE COMMAND STARTED

---

RunUAT.bat script packaging

• Through the above packaging log output Running AutomationTool part, you can replace RunUAT.bat to execute the script
• When the project is too large, or the server performs packaging regularly, you can use RunUAT.bat for packaging
• script template

  [EngineDir]\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\RunUAT.bat -ScriptsForProject="[ProjectDir]/ProjectName.uproject" BuildCookRun -nocompileeditor -installed -nop4 -project="[ProjectDir]/ProjectName.uproject" -cook -stage -archive -archivedirectory="[PackageDir]" -package -ue4exe=[EngineDir]\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe -compressed -ddc=InstalledDerivedDataBackendGraph -pak -prereqs -nodebuginfo -targetplatform=Win64 -build -target=tips -clientconfig=Development -utf8output
  

• Branches for easy reading of script templates

  [EngineDir]\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\RunUAT.bat
   -ScriptsForProject="[ProjectDir]/ProjectName.uproject"
   BuildCookRun -nocompileeditor -installed -nop4
   -project="[ProjectDir]/ProjectName.uproject"
   -cook -stage -archive
   -archivedirectory="[PackageDir]"
   -package
   -ue4exe=[EngineDir]\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe
   -compressed
   -ddc=InstalledDerivedDataBackendGraph
   -pak -prereqs -nodebuginfo -targetplatform=Win64 -build
   -target=tips -clientconfig=Development -utf8output
  

• practice

   C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Build\BatchFiles\RunUAT.bat -ScriptsForProject="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject" BuildCookRun -nocompileeditor -installed -nop4 -project="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips/tips.uproject" -cook -stage -archive -archivedirectory="C:/Users/Alice/Documents/Unreal Projects/tips" -package -ue4exe=C:\SoftwareInstallation\EpicGames\UE_4.26\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UE4Editor-Cmd.exe -compressed -ddc=InstalledDerivedDataBackendGraph -pak -prereqs -nodebuginfo -targetplatform=Win64 -build -target=tips -clientconfig=Development -utf8output
  

reference

• The original blog address  【UE4】Several packaging methods for Windows-Dicairen- Blog Garden
• Build operations: cook, package, deploy and run
• automatic tool