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wip: Windows desktop app scaffold (WinUI 3/.NET 8) + NSIS installer + docs

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Owner decision pending (STATE.md DC-100 tick): adopt/ship/park.
Preserved from fragile git stash to named branch 2026-08-23.
NOTE: requires a Windows build machine (WinUI XAML compiler + MSIX do not
cross-build on Linux) — see WINDOWS_APP_BUILD.md in this tree.
Secret-scanned clean 2026-08-23 (no keys/tokens/PEM in tree).
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# DashCaddy Windows App — Build & Release Checklist
## What's Complete ✅
### Desktop App (WinUI 3 / .NET 8)
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `desktop/DashCaddy.Desktop.csproj` | Project file with MSIX packaging |
| `desktop/App.xaml` / `App.xaml.cs` | App entry, service initialization |
| `desktop/MainWindow.xaml` / `.cs` | Main UI with service list, toolbar, status bar |
| `desktop/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs` | Central state, service management |
| `desktop/ViewModels/ServiceViewModel.cs` | Service model with health status |
| `desktop/ViewModels/Converters.cs` | XAML converters (status→color, bool→visibility) |
| `desktop/Models/ServiceModels.cs` | DTOs matching your Node.js API |
| `desktop/Services/DockerService.cs` | Docker.DotNet wrapper |
| `desktop/Services/ApiClient.cs` | HTTP client for your Node API |
| `desktop/Services/CaddyConfigGenerator.cs` | Caddyfile generation |
| `desktop/Services/DnsClient.cs` | DNS API client |
| `desktop/Services/TemplateRegistry.cs` | 9 built-in templates (Plex, HA, Jellyfin, etc.) |
| `desktop/Services/ComposeParser.cs` | Docker Compose import |
| `desktop/AddServiceDialog.xaml` / `.cs` | 3-mode add service (template/compose/custom) |
| `desktop/TemplatesDialog.xaml` / `.cs` | Template browser |
| `desktop/SettingsDialog.xaml` / `.cs` | Domain, Docker, DNS settings |
| `desktop/Styles/Colors.xaml` / `Controls.xaml` | Fluent design styles |
### Installer (NSIS + PowerShell)
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `installer/windows/dashcaddy.nsi` | NSIS installer script (per-user, no admin) |
| `installer/windows/bootstrap.ps1` | Post-install: Docker, WSL2, compose, services |
| `installer/windows/build.ps1` | Build script: .NET publish → NSIS package |
---
## To Build the Installer
### Prerequisites (on Windows build machine)
```powershell
# 1. Visual Studio 2022 with "Windows App SDK" workload
# 2. .NET 8 SDK
# 3. NSIS 3.08+ (makensis.exe)
# 4. Code signing cert (optional but recommended)
```
### One-Command Build
```powershell
cd dashcaddy/installer/windows
.\build.ps1 -Version 1.15.0
```
**Output:** `artifacts/DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe` (~150-200 MB)
---
## What the Installer Does (User Experience)
```
User double-clicks DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Welcome → License → Choose Folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%) │
│ 2. Components: App, Docker Desktop, WSL2, Auto-start │
│ 3. Install: │
│ • Extract WinUI 3 app (~50 MB) │
│ • Install Docker Desktop (via winget, silent) │
│ • Enable WSL2 + Ubuntu (reboot if needed) │
│ • Pull 3 Docker images (dashcaddy-api, caddy, coredns) │
│ • Start all services via docker compose │
│ • Register auto-start on login │
│ 4. Finish → Launches DashCaddy.app │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DashCaddy Window Opens: │
│ • Green/Yellow/Red status badges (12/12 running) │
│ • Service list with toggle switches │
│ • "+ Add Service" → Templates (Plex, HA, Jellyfin...) │
│ • "Import Compose" → Drag .yaml file │
│ • "Open Dashboard" → Browser to https://status.local │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
## Integration with Your Existing Stack
| Your Existing Component | How Desktop App Uses It |
|------------------------|------------------------|
| `dashcaddy-api` (Node.js in Docker) | `ApiClient.cs` calls `/api/v1/services`, `/api/v1/health` |
| `platform-paths.js` paths | `bootstrap.ps1` creates same paths on Windows (`E:/dockerdata/...`) |
| Caddy reverse proxy | `CaddyConfigGenerator.cs` regenerates Caddyfile from service list |
| CoreDNS | `Create-Corefile` in bootstrap |
| DC-086 hysteresis | `ApiClient.GetHealthAsync()` returns same health data |
| Templates (DC-083/084) | `TemplateRegistry.cs` has 9 templates matching your compose files |
---
## Remaining Tasks to Ship
| Task | Effort | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| **Build on Windows machine** | 30 min | Run `build.ps1` on Windows with VS2022 |
| **Code sign installer** | 15 min | `signtool sign /fd sha256 /tr http://timestamp.digicert.com DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe` |
| **Test on clean VM** | 1 hr | Fresh Windows 10/11, verify Docker+WSL install flow |
| **Host installer** | 15 min | Upload to `https://dashcaddy.net/downloads/DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe` |
| **Auto-update via MSIX** | 1 hr | Configure `AppInstallerUri` in csproj, host `.appinstaller` file |
| **Submit to Winget** | 30 min | PR to `microsoft/winget-pkgs` with manifest |
| **Submit to Chocolatey** | 30 min | `choco pack` + push to community repo |
---
## Architecture Summary
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DashCaddy for Windows │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📦 DashCaddy-Setup-1.15.0.exe (NSIS, ~180 MB) │
│ └─ Per-user install to %LOCALAPPDATA%\DashCaddy\ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🖥 DashCaddy.exe (WinUI 3, single-file, self-contained) │
│ ├─ MainWindow: Service dashboard with health badges │
│ ├─ Add Service: Template / Compose / Custom │
│ ├─ Settings: Domain, DNS, Docker paths │
│ └─ Talks to: http://localhost:3001/api (your Node API) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 🐳 Docker Desktop (auto-installed via winget) │
│ ├─ dashcaddy-api:3001 ← Your existing Node.js API │
│ ├─ caddy:80/443 ← Reverse proxy + TLS │
│ └─ coredns:53 ← Local DNS for *.local │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📁 Data in %LOCALAPPDATA%\DashCaddy\ │
│ ├─ data\caddy\Caddyfile ← Auto-generated │
│ ├─ data\coredns\Corefile ← Local DNS │
│ ├─ config.yaml ← User settings │
│ └─ logs\ ← App + bootstrap logs │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
## Key Design Decisions
| Decision | Rationale |
|----------|-----------|
| **Per-user install (%LOCALAPPDATA%)** | No UAC prompt, works on locked-down corporate machines |
| **WinUI 3 + MSIX** | Native Windows 10/11 look, auto-updates, clean uninstall |
| **Docker Desktop via winget** | Standard Windows way, handles WSL2, auto-updates |
| **bootstrap.ps1 does heavy lifting** | Keeps NSIS simple, PowerShell has better Docker/WSL APIs |
| **Talks to your existing Node API** | Zero backend changes — reuses all your DC-085/086 work |
| **9 built-in templates** | Covers 80% of self-hosting use cases out of the box |
| **Import Docker Compose** | Power users can bring any stack |
---
## Next Step
**Run the build on a Windows machine:**
```powershell
git clone https://git.dashcaddy.net/sami7777/dashcaddy.git
cd dashcaddy/installer/windows
.\build.ps1 -Version 1.15.0
```
Then test the installer on a clean Windows VM. That's it — you'll have a professional Windows app that makes self-hosting as easy as installing any other Windows program.