Developer and user documentation for the main projects:
SimpleLauncher— WPF desktop app (the launcher)SimpleLauncher.Core— class library (services, models, persistence)SimpleLauncher.Avalonia— cross-platform Avalonia port (Windows x64/ARM64, Linux x64/ARM64 — Linux is beta); remaining work is tracked inReferences/TODO.md
Companion files: ManualTests.md (manual test checklist for areas without unit tests) · WhatsNew.md (changelog) · parameters.md (emulator parameter reference).
These files are published twice from the same docs/ folder:
- GitHub Pages — purelogiccode.github.io/SimpleLauncher renders the folder with docsify (
index.html+site.css). - GitHub Wiki — github.com/purelogiccode/SimpleLauncher/wiki is synced by
scripts/sync-wiki.py, which also translatesdocs/README.mdinto the wikiHomepage.
Both publications use a side menu: docs/_sidebar.md is the docsify navigation, and the sync script converts it into the wiki _Sidebar.md (preserving its sections, order and labels). Add or rename a page in docs/_sidebar.md and re-run the sync to update both menus; keep every entry pointing at a page that exists in docs/.
- User-facing: 01 → 03 → 05 → 16 → 18
- Architecture: 04 → 02 → 06 → 07
- Feature deep-dives: 08 → 09 → 10 → 11 → 12 → 13
- Maintenance: 14 → 15 → 16 → 17
| Doc | Content |
|---|---|
| 01 — Overview | What Simple Launcher is, differentiators, feature surface, version/license |
| 02 — Projects & Solution | Solution layout, csproj deep-dive for both projects, packages, folder structure |
| 03 — Quickstart | Install, prerequisites, first launch, Easy/Expert Mode, folder structure |
| 04 — Architecture | Layers, DI composition root, startup/shutdown sequence, host-interface pattern, MVVM |
| 05 — Configuration | appsettings.json, settings.xml, system.xml schema, placeholders, data-file locations, credentials |
| 06 — Systems & Launch | System model, launch pipeline, 8 launch strategies, extraction/mounting/conversion, 21 emulator config handlers, AI parameter resolution |
| 07 — Core Services | Complete catalog of SimpleLauncher.Core\Services\ (grouped) + interfaces + models |
| 08 — UI Layer | Windows, pages, ViewModels, UI services, menus, themes, languages |
| 09 — RetroAchievements | RA API client, system matcher, hashing, credential injection, RA windows |
| 10 — Game Scanning | GameScannerService + the 11 storefront scanners |
| 11 — Bundled Tools | Shipped tools\ payloads, ExternalToolLauncherService, Tools\ source projects |
| 12 — Data Formats | XML / MessagePack / SQLite / JSON / YAML / TOML usage across the app |
| 13 — Logging & Debug | Serilog setup, sinks, Debug Window, bug-report pipeline |
| 14 — Testing | Test projects (fast/slow split), helpers, coverage summary, running tests |
| 15 — Development | Build/publish, versioning, localization, analyzers, release workflow |
| 16 — Updater | Update check, Updater.exe flow, restart/reinstall, install hardening |
| 17 — Release Notes | Condensed changelog 5.8.4 → 1.1 |
| 18 — Emulator Parameters | parameters.md conventions + full system → emulator index (84 systems / 352 entries) |
| GUI Test Harness | AT-SPI + vision harness for the Linux VM manual checklist |
| Manual Tests | Manual test checklist for areas without unit tests |
| Parameters | Emulator command-line reference with official download links |
- Code facts are cited with
path:linereferences into the repository. ⚠marks behavior that should be verified before relying on it.- Relative links (
xx-*.md) work from withindocs\;../links point to the repo root. - Version-specific numbers (package versions, test counts) reflect the repository at doc-write time (5.8.4).