BUILDING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+# Building & Releasing Series 3 Watcher
+
+## Prerequisites (Win7 VM — do this once)
+
+- Python 3.7.2 (or 3.8.10 if SP1 is installed)
+- Inno Setup 6 — installed at `C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\`
+- PyInstaller, pystray, Pillow — installed automatically by `build.bat`
+
+The Win7 VM is the build machine. All builds must happen there to ensure
+compatibility with the production DL2 computer.
+
+---
+
+## First-Time Install on a New Machine
+
+Do this when setting up a brand new machine that has never had the watcher before.
+
+**Step 1 — Build the .exe (on the Win7 VM)**
+
+1. Copy the `series3-watcher/` folder to the VM (shared folder, USB, etc.)
+2. Double-click `build.bat`
+3. Wait for it to finish — output: `dist\series3-watcher.exe`
+
+**Step 2 — Build the installer (on the Win7 VM)**
+
+1. Open `installer.iss` in Inno Setup Compiler
+2. Click **Build → Compile**
+3. Output: `Output\series3-watcher-setup.exe`
+
+**Step 3 — Create a Gitea release**
+
+1. On your main machine, go to `https://gitea.serversdown.net/serversdown/series3-watcher`
+2. Click **Releases → New Release**
+3. Set the tag to match the version in `series3_watcher.py` (e.g. `v1.4.1`)
+4. Upload **both** files as release assets:
+   - `dist\series3-watcher.exe` — used by the auto-updater on existing installs
+   - `Output\series3-watcher-setup.exe` — used for fresh installs
+
+**Step 4 — Install on the target machine**
+
+1. Download `series3-watcher-setup.exe` from the Gitea release
+2. Run it on the target machine — installs to `C:\Program Files\Series3Watcher\`
+3. The watcher launches automatically after install (or on next login)
+4. The Setup Wizard appears on first run — fill in the Terra-View URL and Blastware path
+
+---
+
+## Releasing an Update (existing machines auto-update)
+
+Do this for any code change — bug fix, new feature, etc.
+
+**Step 1 — Bump the version**
+
+In `series3_watcher.py`, update the `VERSION` string:
+```python
+VERSION = "1.4.2"   # increment appropriately
+```
+Also update `installer.iss`:
+```
+AppVersion=1.4.2
+```
+
+**Step 2 — Build the .exe (on the Win7 VM)**
+
+1. Pull the latest code to the VM
+2. Double-click `build.bat`
+3. Output: `dist\series3-watcher.exe`
+
+> For hotfixes you can skip Inno Setup — existing machines only need the `.exe`.
+> Only rebuild the installer if you need a fresh install package for a new machine.
+
+**Step 3 — Create a Gitea release**
+
+1. Go to `https://gitea.serversdown.net/serversdown/series3-watcher`
+2. Click **Releases → New Release**
+3. Tag must match the new version exactly (e.g. `v1.4.2`) — the auto-updater
+   compares this tag against its own version to decide whether to update
+4. Upload `dist\series3-watcher.exe` as a release asset
+5. Optionally upload `Output\series3-watcher-setup.exe` if you rebuilt the installer
+
+**Step 4 — Done**
+
+Existing installs check Gitea every ~5 minutes. When they see the new tag they
+will download `series3-watcher.exe`, swap it in place, and relaunch silently.
+No user action required on the target machine.
+
+---
+
+## Version Numbering
+
+Follows Semantic Versioning: `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`
+
+| Change type | Example |
+|-------------|---------|
+| Bug fix / text change | `1.4.1 → 1.4.2` |
+| New feature | `1.4.x → 1.5.0` |
+| Breaking change | `1.x.x → 2.0.0` |
+
+---
+
+## Files That Go in the Gitea Release
+
+| File | Required for | Notes |
+|------|-------------|-------|
+| `dist\series3-watcher.exe` | Auto-updates on existing machines | Always upload this |
+| `Output\series3-watcher-setup.exe` | Fresh installs on new machines | Only needed for new deployments |
+
+---
+
+## Files That Are NOT Committed to Git
+
+- `dist/` — PyInstaller output
+- `Output/` — Inno Setup output
+- `build/` — PyInstaller temp files
+- `*.spec` — PyInstaller spec file
+- `config.ini` — machine-specific, never commit
+- `agent_logs/` — log files

config-template.ini

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ MISSING_HOURS = 24
 
 # Logging
 ENABLE_LOGGING     = True
-LOG_FILE           = C:\Program Files\Series3Watcher\agent_logs\series3_watcher.log
+LOG_FILE           = C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Series3Watcher\agent_logs\series3_watcher.log
 LOG_RETENTION_DAYS = 30
 
 # Console colors - (Doesn't work on windows 7)

series3_tray.py

@@ -126,13 +126,21 @@ def apply_update(download_url):
 
 # --------------- Paths ---------------
 
-# When frozen by PyInstaller, __file__ points to a temp extraction dir.
+# Executable location — used for bundled assets (icon.ico etc.)
-# sys.executable is always the real .exe location — use that instead.
 if getattr(sys, "frozen", False):
     HERE = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.executable))
 else:
     HERE = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
-CONFIG_PATH = os.path.join(HERE, "config.ini")
+
+# config.ini lives in AppData so normal users can write it without UAC issues.
+# Fall back to the exe directory when running from source (dev mode).
+if getattr(sys, "frozen", False):
+    _appdata = os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA") or os.environ.get("APPDATA") or HERE
+    CONFIG_DIR = os.path.join(_appdata, "Series3Watcher")
+    os.makedirs(CONFIG_DIR, exist_ok=True)
+else:
+    CONFIG_DIR = HERE
+CONFIG_PATH = os.path.join(CONFIG_DIR, "config.ini")
 
 
 # --------------- Icon drawing ---------------

series3_watcher.py

@@ -63,7 +63,10 @@ def load_config(path: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         "OK_HOURS": float(get_int("OK_HOURS", 12)),
         "MISSING_HOURS": float(get_int("MISSING_HOURS", 24)),
         "ENABLE_LOGGING": get_bool("ENABLE_LOGGING", True),
-        "LOG_FILE": get_str("LOG_FILE", r"C:\Program Files\Series3Watcher\agent_logs\series3_watcher.log"),
+        "LOG_FILE": get_str("LOG_FILE", os.path.join(
+            os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA") or os.environ.get("APPDATA") or "C:\\",
+            "Series3Watcher", "agent_logs", "series3_watcher.log"
+        )),
         "LOG_RETENTION_DAYS": get_int("LOG_RETENTION_DAYS", 30),
         "COLORIZE": get_bool("COLORIZE", False),  # Win7 default off
         "MLG_HEADER_BYTES": max(256, min(get_int("MLG_HEADER_BYTES", 2048), 65536)),

settings_dialog.py

@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ DEFAULTS = {
     "MISSING_HOURS":        "24",
     "MLG_HEADER_BYTES":     "2048",
     "ENABLE_LOGGING":       "true",
-    "LOG_FILE":             r"C:\Program Files\Series3Watcher\agent_logs\series3_watcher.log",
+    "LOG_FILE":             os.path.join(
+                                os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA") or os.environ.get("APPDATA") or "C:\\",
+                                "Series3Watcher", "agent_logs", "series3_watcher.log"
+                            ),
     "LOG_RETENTION_DAYS":   "30",
     "COLORIZE":             "false",
 }