# Updating the Bible App The app updates itself from **a folder you control** — a network share, a folder on this PC, a USB drive, or a small web server. No GitHub, no app store, no internet required (a network share is enough). --- ## One-time setup (per installed machine) 1. Open the app → **menu (☰) → Settings → Updates** 2. Put your update location in **Update folder or address**, for example: - `\\WATERS-SERVER\builds\bible-app` (network share — recommended) - `D:\BibleAppBuilds` (folder on this PC) - `http://server.local/bible-app` (web server) 3. Leave **“Check for updates automatically when the app starts”** ticked. 4. Click **Save**. That's it. From now on the stage PC never needs a hand-carried .exe. --- ## Publishing a new version (on the dev machine) ```bash # 1. bump the version in package.json (e.g. 1.4.0 -> 1.4.1) # 2. build + publish in one step: npm run release ``` That produces the regular ~300 MB installer and publishes it — this is what existing machines download. To also make the one-file installer for a **new** machine (app + AI model in a single 2.2 GB .exe), run this afterwards: ```bash node tools/build-full-installer.cjs ``` It lands in `dist-installer/Bible App Full Setup .exe`. You only need it when setting up a PC that has never had the app. `npm run release` builds the installer and copies it, plus a `latest.json` manifest, into the update folder. To publish somewhere specific, or to add release notes the operator will see: ```bash npm run publish-update -- "\\WATERS-SERVER\builds\bible-app" "Faster laser, new popup cards" ``` Publish destination is chosen in this order: 1. the path you pass on the command line 2. the `BIBLEAPP_UPDATE_DIR` environment variable 3. the folder configured in the app on this machine 4. `dist-installer/publish` (fallback) The script keeps the 3 most recent installers in that folder and deletes older ones. --- ## Installing an update (on the stage PC) 1. **Settings → Updates → Check for Updates** 2. If a new version exists it shows the version number and notes → **Download & Install** 3. A progress bar runs while the installer copies (~1.4 GB, fast over a LAN) 4. The app closes, the installer runs, and the app reopens **Everything is kept:** notes, graphics, announcements, maps, annotations, service profiles, OSC settings, phone-remote PIN, and all popup/tool preferences. Those live in your user-content folder, which the installer never touches. > Do this **before** a service, not during one — the app restarts as part of installing. --- ## What `latest.json` looks like The publish script writes it for you; you only need this if you're placing a build by hand: ```json { "version": "1.4.1", "file": "Bible App Setup 1.4.1.exe", "notes": "What changed in this version", "date": "2026-08-12" } ``` Both the `.exe` and `latest.json` must sit in the same folder. Version numbers are compared numerically, so `1.4.10` correctly beats `1.4.9`. --- ## Setting up a brand-new machine — one file Use **`Bible App Full Setup .exe`** (about 2.2 GB). It is a single self-extracting file containing the app *and* the offline AI model. Copy it to the new PC any way you like (USB stick, network, cloud) and double-click it. 1. Windows asks for permission (it is an installer) → **Yes** 2. It asks *"Install Bible App with the offline AI model?"* → **Yes** 3. It installs the app and places the AI model. Nothing else to copy, no second file, no internet. The AI model is written to `C:\ProgramData\Bible App\llama-cache\model.gguf`. That folder belongs to the machine, not to one user account, and **no installer or update ever touches it** — so the AI survives every future update. Settings → Updates will show *"AI model installed for all users on this PC"*. > Why two different installers? A Windows installer cannot exceed 2 GB, and the app plus the model is > over that. The regular `Bible App Setup .exe` (~300 MB) is what the in-app updater > downloads, which keeps ordinary updates fast. The **Full** one exists for new machines. **Always check the file after copying it.** An interrupted copy or a cloud placeholder leaves a 0 KB file, and Windows then says *"This app can't run on your PC"* — which looks like an app problem but isn't: ```bash Get-FileHash "Bible App Full Setup 1.4.1.exe" -Algorithm SHA256 ``` Compare that to the `.sha256` file next to the installer. If they match, install it. If not (or the file is 0 KB), copy it again. After that first install, updates verify themselves — the app checks size and checksum before it runs anything, and refuses a damaged download instead of installing it. ### Keeping several machines in step Point every machine at the same update location so nobody hand-carries files again: - **Same building:** a network share, e.g. `\\WATERS-SERVER\builds\bible-app` - **Different site:** any web address the app can reach (`http://...`), or a synced cloud folder that lands on that PC's disk ## If something goes wrong | Symptom | Fix | |---|---| | “Could not read update info” | The folder path is wrong, or `latest.json` isn't in it. Check Settings → Updates. | | “Installer not found” | `latest.json`'s `file` name doesn't match the actual .exe in the folder. | | Network share not reachable | Confirm the stage PC can open that share in File Explorer. | | Update seems stuck | The installer is large; watch the progress bar. It resumes fine if you retry. | | “came across empty (0 bytes)” / “is incomplete” | The copy into the update folder didn't finish. Re-copy the installer there and try again. | | “was damaged in transfer (checksum mismatch)” | The file arrived corrupted. Publish or copy it again. | | Windows: “This app can't run on your PC” | The .exe you're double-clicking is 0 KB or corrupt — check its size, verify the hash, and re-copy. | | Need to roll back | Run an older installer from the update folder by hand — it installs over the top. |