fix: expose the built-in electron module via the ESM loader

[MarshallOfSound]

What is this?

This specifically enables the following two patterns:

// foo.mjs
import { app } from 'electron';

// foo.js or foo.mjs
async function main() {
  const { app } = await import('electron');
}

What isn't this?

This is not "ESM support for Electron". I classify that as supporting an ESM entrypoint for an Electron app. Currently for reasons well outlined in the requisite issue #21457 an Electron app must have a CJS entrypoint. It can then immediately farm out to an ESModule but it's important apps understand the limitations / issues with that approach, hence we do not allow an mjs file to be directly used as an entrypoint.

How does it work?

Weirdly, this is like the 4th time I've tried this. And this time I found a relatively lightweight patch to make it work, basically we trick the ESM module resolver in node.js to consider "electron" the url electron:electron which then routes to the commonjs esm loader and loads the electron module straight out of our Module._cache entry we inject it into ✨

As a bonus this PR comes with tests proving it works 😄

I can claim this as semver/patch given it was always kinda supposed to work (it's a bug that you can load a module via require and not via import) so I think this is a fine backport candidate.

Notes: You can now import the built-in electron module via ESModule loaders, i.e. import('electron') and import 'electron' now work natively

[inukshuk]

Wow, that's great! I assume this will only work using the Node.js ESM module loader and not in a Renderer with Node Integration?

[MarshallOfSound]

Haven't tested, but I believe that to be correct. V8 allows a single ESM loader per isolate, not per context. Which means in the renderer we have to choose between nodes ESM loader and blinks. Obviously we're going to choose blinks to ensure the web, well, works 😅

[release-clerk]

Release Notes Persisted

You can now import the built-in electron module via ESModule loaders, i.e. import('electron') and import 'electron' now work natively

[trop]

I have automatically backported this PR to "20-x-y", please check out #35956

[trop]

I have automatically backported this PR to "22-x-y", please check out #35957

[trop]

I have automatically backported this PR to "21-x-y", please check out #35958