PGNtoEPDchess: Multiprocessing Chess Database Processor & Test Suite Generator

High-performance multiprocessing utility with Svelte GUI to transform large PGN database collections into standardized EPD test suites, engineered by Christopher Lazok.

PGN to EPD GUI

This is a cross-platform desktop application for converting large PGN chess database files to EPD format. It features a modern Svelte frontend and a powerful Python backend, wrapped in a Tauri container for Windows and Linux.

The application is designed to handle long-running, CPU-intensive processing without freezing the UI, providing real-time progress updates and full user control (pause, resume, stop).

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Svelte with SvelteKit
• Backend: Python with FastAPI
• Desktop Framework: Tauri

1. Project Setup

1. Backend Dependencies (Python)

Navigate to the backend directory and install the required packages using pip. It is highly recommended to use a virtual environment.

# Navigate to the backend directory
cd /path/to/project/backend

# Create and activate a virtual environment (optional but recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `venv\Scripts\activate`

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Frontend Dependencies (Node.js)

Navigate to the frontend directory and install the required packages using npm.

# Navigate to the frontend directory
cd frontend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Return to the root directory
cd ..

Development Mode

For a smoother development experience, you can run the backend and frontend servers separately. This allows for features like hot-reloading on the frontend.

1. Run the Backend Server

Open a terminal in the project's root directory and run the Python FastAPI server.

# Make sure your virtual environment is activated
python backend/server.py

The backend API will be available at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

2. Run the Frontend Dev Server

Open a second terminal in the project's root directory and run the SvelteKit development server.

# Navigate to the frontend directory
cd frontend

# Start the dev server
npm run dev

You can now open your browser to http://localhost:5173 to see and interact with the application.

Building for Production

To create a single, standalone desktop application, follow these steps. The process involves first building the Python backend into an executable, then building the Tauri application which bundles everything together.

1. Install PyInstaller

PyInstaller is used to package the Python server into a single executable file. If you haven't already, install it in your virtual environment.

pip install pyinstaller

2. Build the Backend Executable

From the root of the project, run the following command to create the backend executable.

pyinstaller --name=backend-server --onefile --noconsole backend/server.py

This command will create a dist/ directory containing the backend-server executable (backend-server.exe on Windows).

3. Build the Tauri Application

Finally, with the backend executable in place, you can build the complete Tauri application.

# Run the Tauri build command from the root directory
npx tauri build

This will create the final, distributable application in the target/release/bundle/ directory. You can find the installer or standalone executable there.