When running Windows, set execution policy to bypass. Load modules and trap exceptions that might be thrown. This outputs a warning message per PS module instead of full script execution failing.
Loads the user's library from the /Library/Games endpoint and displays it immediately. This route returns a full data set for the user's games. Images are rendered directly from the server. The import still runs in the background, preserving any offline functionality.
Adds a new section "Scripting" in the server UI where PowerShell modules can be defined. These can be used for defining a library of functions that can be used in any script. These modules are automatically synced to the launcher and imported upon script execution.
The remaining Playwright failures were all in interactions that depend on
the Blazor Server circuit being responsive in CI:
- Settings page access now navigates to /Settings/General directly instead
of expanding the flaky nested Settings SubMenu flyout.
- Drop SettingsMenu_ShowsAllExpectedSubItems; the submenu-expansion is the
unreliable interaction the bUnit migration exists to replace, and the
Settings pages are now covered by bUnit component tests.
- Remove the GameImport UI tests (and unused GamesPage/OpenRCT2.lcx). The
ChunkUploader modal never renders under the in-process test host, so they
failed in every CI run; the Games list render is already covered by
AdminNavigationTests.GamesPage_ShowsEmptyTable.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replace the SignalR-circuit-race-prone Playwright component tests for
GameEdit, Settings, metadata, profile, roles and users with in-process
bUnit component tests. Keep a thin Playwright smoke layer for the true
E2E paths (login, admin navigation/routing, first-time setup, game
import) that bUnit cannot cover.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Now that both GameDetailView layout tests render (INavigationService +
MultiplyConverter fixes), capture their deterministic CI screenshots as
baselines. Completes the launcher visual baseline regeneration.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
GameDetailViewModel resolves INavigationService from DI, and
GameDetailView.axaml references the MultiplyConverter declared in the
real App.axaml. Neither was present in the test harness, so both
GameDetailView layout tests threw before producing a screenshot.
Register the real NavigationService and mirror the MultiplyConverter
into TestApp so the views render. Baselines still need a fresh CI
capture since these tests never previously rendered.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replaces 9 stale/corrupt baselines with fresh deterministic captures
from the CI Linux renderer. The three background views now render with
the random background disabled (ViewBackground seam); the remaining six
update corrupt mid-transition captures (e.g. overlapping Run/Stop text)
and cross-platform font differences.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
LoginView, SplashView and ServerSelectionView each picked a random
full-screen background on load, so the visual-regression baselines could
never match — every run compared against a different photo and reported a
spurious 82-94% regression. Centralize the selection in ViewBackground and
let tests disable it, so captured screenshots and baselines are stable.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The DataTable component issues relational queries (AsSplitQuery, Include,
and a translated punctuation-stripping search expression) that the EF
InMemory provider cannot translate. On CI this surfaced as a native stack
overflow in CountAsync that crashed the in-process server and cascaded
into widespread timeouts. A file-based SQLite database supports these
queries and concurrent connections, stabilizing the test run.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The Monaco editor's PowerShellCompletions.g.ts is gitignored and required
by the frontend webpack build. The in-build MSBuild target uses Windows
path separators that don't resolve on the Linux runner, so the ui_tests
job must generate the file explicitly first — mirroring the server build
jobs which already do this.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Target net10.0 to match the now-net10 server project (and fix the
Playwright browser-install path in the PR workflow accordingly).
- Dismiss the persistent "Import Ready" notification (added with main's
background UploadTracker) before clicking Import; its Duration=0 toast
overlays and intercepts the modal's Import button.
- Update General settings assertions: "Database Provider" moved to the new
dedicated /Settings/Database page, so assert on "Use SSL" instead.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replace the FileChooser approach with SetInputFilesAsync targeting the
ChunkUploader's hidden InputFile (matched by id prefix), which correctly
drives Blazor's OnChange and enables the Upload button. Also wait on the
actual Upload button's enabled state instead of the first primary button
(which matched the always-enabled "Browse" button and passed spuriously).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replace non-waiting Assert.True(await locator.IsVisibleAsync()) checks with
auto-retrying Assertions.Expect(locator).ToBeVisibleAsync()/ToBeHiddenAsync()
to remove flakiness against Blazor's async rendering. Table-row/field page
objects (Metadata/Roles/Users/Profile) now expose ILocator helpers instead of
Task<bool>, so deletion checks wait for the element to disappear.
Also: rename ScreenshotHelper.CaptureIfFailedAsync to CaptureAsync (xUnit v2
cannot expose the test outcome to DisposeAsync, so it always captures the final
page state), drop the unused TestConstants.ServerPort/BaseUrl now that ports
bind dynamically, and fix IClassFixture doc comments to ICollectionFixture.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Adds a tool that checks archives to see if they use data descriptors instead of local entry headers for tracking entry size. It will also repack these archives if required.
Amends the tool installation to use game install directory and correctly populate actions. Tools previously used an undocumented/unpopulated/inaccessible global install directory. This has been changed to use the game's install directory. Uninstall scripts are also now executed for tools when the game is uninstalled.
Fixes#414
- Added auto discovery of scopes and claim mappings to auth provider editor
- Added the ability to map claims to roles
- Auto-provision users logged in over external auth
Ref #411
When enabled, AutoRedirectToProvider will switch authentication challenges to redirect to the external auth provider instead of displaying the password login form. If more than one external provider is configured, a minimal external auth provider login page will be shown.
Ref #410
- Changed scroll transition on video/screenshot carousel to use RenderTransform instead of margin to cut down on layout passes for each frame. This should result in a significant drop in CPU usage when scrolling.
- Pause playback of videos when scrolled out of view or window is no longer active.
- Removed additional InlineVideoPlayer controls from being created for each item in the media carousel, and instead only created for videos. This should result in a significant drop in RAM allocation when scrolling.
- Rework caching mechanism for covers to have an upper limit of allocated RAM.
- Only decode screenshots / covers at Hi DPI size in which they are displayed at. This should ensure crisp display while only allocating the amount of RAM needed for display.
Sends a keepalive/heartbeat signal across RPC while a game is running. Server-side this enables the ability to manage play session state with realtime information instead of hoping that the client will stop the play session. Keepalives are tracked in server cache allowing for future potential horizontally-scaled server instances.
Script editor now supports drag and drop for .ps1, .reg, and other text files. .ps1 files will be handled by replacing the contents of the text editor. .reg files will be converted to PowerShell commands and inserted into the script editor. Any other text file will be inserted as an escaped string.
- Add ability to connect to server
- Add uploading of finished package to server
- Add metadata lookup when connected to server
- Fix layout when specifying action
- Hide finish button at generate step
Adding a game now immediately provides a dialog to lookup a game through metadata providers. Selecting a result will create the game with the populated metadata. An additional option of automatically downloading art (icon, cover, background, logo) is also provided, though may be inaccurate and completely up to the results of the provider.
- Faster enumeration of large directories
- Add toggleable columns
- Add Created and Type columns
- Fix breadcrumbs
- Properly build left view tree with support for cross-platform roots and special folders
RunWrapper scripts were defined as a script type but never executed. This adds full execution support during game launch, with proper game running state tracking and cancellation/stop support including child process cleanup.
Redesigns the list view to look more like the classic library view from the previous launcher, with added carousels for Recently Played and Collections.
Tracks files created in the game's install directory when the install script is run. This results in the ability to delete redist files when the game is uninstalled.
- Moved launcher data under Data directory
- Fixed initialization under Win9x
- Draw our own cursor
- Add logging throughout application
- Added settings screen
- Added miniz and sqlite vendor libs (with minor modifications to support 9x)
- Fix game extraction
- Cache media files under Data/Media directory
- Fix keyboard input
- Add scrollbars
- Add install options modal
- Add support for multiple install directories
- Added download queue
- Reimplemented settings using Settings.yml matching the schema of other launchers
- Added SQLite support and storing game information in database
- Improved image caching
- Add uninstall
Call StateHasChanged when a new server is discovered so the list
updates immediately. Unsubscribe from BeaconClient.OnBeaconResponse
in Dispose to prevent callbacks firing after the component is torn down.
Split the single try/catch into three isolated blocks so that:
- ObjectDisposedException on EndReceiveFrom stops the loop cleanly
- Other socket errors still re-arm the socket to keep listening
- Non-JSON packets (e.g. loopback of our own probe) are silently
dropped without killing the receive loop
Switch SendAsync from UdpClient.SendAsync to Socket.SendTo, and enable
the broadcast socket option before binding. The UdpClient path was not
reliably sending to broadcast addresses on all platforms.
- Moves Redistributables for games to separate panel
- Add option override for games
- Add Monaco completions for option schema editing
- Add UI for editing options for a redistributable
- Add config importing to translate from INI, JSON, XML, etc to redist option schema
Options are defined schema that the redistributable will allow a game to customize / override. This will be useful for install scripts on a redistributable. It opens up the opportunity to define a redistributable for something such as dgVoodoo and override options on a per-game basis without having to edit the config manually in the game's scripts.
- Filter variable completions and hover by script type so only relevant variables appear (e.g. $AllocatedKey only in KeyChange scripts)
- Add inline validation warnings for package scripts missing New-Package and for variables used outside their valid script type
- Extend debug console to support tools and redistributables, add stop button and elapsed time display
- Disable minimap, enable bracket pair colorization and word wrap
- Add snippet insertion via Monaco snippet controller with selection replacement support
- Add script templates that auto-populate on new script creation
- Add Variables dropdown in editor toolbar based on current script type
- Change Add Script button to type-selection dropdown, auto-populate script name from type, remove Type field from editor dialog
- Move Requires Admin checkbox to toolbar row, move toolbar and editor outside Form to prevent dropdown clicks from closing the modal
- Set MaskClosable=false on script editor modals so Monaco autocomplete clicks don't dismiss the dialog
- Game importing happens on a separate thread to avoid UI blocking
- Server requests per-game are done in parallel to cut down on import times
- Media downloading is done in parallel
- Library import progress shown in title bar
- Enabled WAL mode for SQLite for better performance
- Fix potential issues with deferred imports causing infinite loops or lockups
- Added sort order to media for screenshots and videos
- Added new "Preview" pane to game editor. Simulates the game details view in the launcher and allows for in-place media upload / grabbing
- Added abstractions for media grabbing
- Added subtitle to media picker dialog to indicate which services provide which assets
- Added preview for videos
- Made media searching faster overall
- Introduces transitions in between views
- Adds proper routing with history stack
- Replaces hacky "go back" navigation code with routing navigation
- Filters/scroll position are maintained on navigation
Tasks are broken down into major and minor tasks. Major tasks are like install game, redistributable, or tool. These are reported as individual tasks in the download queue. Minor tasks are running of a script, downloading saves, extracting/downloading, etc.
- var request and var response in Init() → const (never reassigned,
var is function-scoped and hoisted which is undesirable in class methods)
- let formData in UploadChunk() → const (never reassigned)
- chunkResponse in UploadChunk() removed (assigned but never read)
- let start in GetChunks() → const (never reassigned)
- var percent in UpdateProgressBar() → const (never reassigned)
Archive is the local form model used for version/changelog input.
On a new upload Archive.Id is Guid.Empty, so callers received an
empty GUID instead of the real database ID. Pass uploadedArchive.Id,
which is the record fetched from the database after the upload
completes.
If ChunkUploader.Start() threw a JS interop exception Uploading was
left as true permanently, disabling the Upload and Cancel buttons
for the rest of the session without any visible error. Using a
finally block ensures the flag is reset whether the call succeeds,
throws, or is cancelled.
FileMode.Append forces all writes to the end of the file, making
fs.Position assignments ineffective. This works by accident on a
fresh sequential upload but will silently corrupt the file on any
retry, since chunks are re-sent from their original offset but land
at the current end instead. Use FileMode.OpenOrCreate so the seek
to chunk.Start is honoured.
/api/Upload/Init and /api/Upload/Chunk had no authorization policy,
meaning any unauthenticated request could create archive database
records and write arbitrary data to server storage. Every other
endpoint group in the application requires authorization; apply
the same administrator role requirement here.
document.querySelector() can return null if the elements are not
yet in the DOM. Dereferencing null would throw inside the axios
onUploadProgress callback, which is caught by UploadChunk's catch
and re-thrown as a string - causing the whole upload to fail
silently with an undefined message.
UploadChunk throws a template literal string, not an Error object.
Accessing .message on a string primitive returns undefined, so
JSOnUploadError was always called with undefined and the server log
showed no useful detail. Use String(ex) as fallback so the message
is always populated.
The original catch block was simply swalloing errors instead of
propagating them upwards.
When the /api/Upload/Init request failed it set this.Key = null, logged
to the console, and returned normally. From the caller's perspective
Init() had succeeded.
Start() in the Blazor component then called Upload() immediately after,
which proceeded with this.Key = null. Every chunk was sent to the server
with a null key, the server returned 400 for each one, each UploadChunk
call threw, and the whole upload failed - but only after sending every
chunk, and only with the opaque "Error uploading chunk N/M" message
rather than anything pointing at the actual cause.
By removing the catch, an axios error in Init() propagates up through
the JS interop call InvokeVoidAsync("Init", ...) in Start(). That throws
a JSException in C#, Start() exits immediately before Upload() is ever
called, and the finally block resets Uploading so the UI recovers. The
user gets a failure where it actually happened.
bundle.js is built by webpack as an ES module (output.library.type:
'module'), ending with named exports such as:
export { Be as ChunkUploader, s as InfiniteScroll, ... }
All three inclusion sites (App.razor, _Layout.cshtml,
ScriptLoader.razor) loaded it via a plain <script> tag, which is for
classic scripts only and does not support the 'export' keyword.
Edge throws a visible SyntaxError and uploading does not work.
Fixed by adding type="module" to the bundle.js script tag in all three
locations.
- Started adding localization resources
- Implemented notifications using Notify.NET
- Reworked many control styling to use overall app theme instead of controlling them individually
- Adjusted display of play button in different states
- Fixed cover in download queue"
- Added play actions overlay
- Fixed grouped view reference to bitmap converter
- Add backgrounds for login / splash
- Fix logo to use uncut version
- Update titlebar icon
- WIP implementation of notifying on install complete/fail with cross-platform support
- WIP support for gamepads using SDL2
- Add lancommander:// protocol support for navigating to a specific game (currently used for notifications)
- WIP support for updating taskbar progress
- Don't show "in library" checkmark in library view
- Change back button text based on active view
- Adjust styling of download queue
- Add grouping by first letter + index control
- Change titlebar title based on view selected
- Adjust how titlebar overlaps main content
- Make chips clickable in game details
- Add overlay for game install options
- Add resizing to window
- Added a horizontal and list view for depot/library
- Games only show covers (with fallback cover)
- Added install addon / directory select dialog
- Fixed download queue
- Added footer somewhat matching Blazor launcher
- Temporarily removed sidebar
- Implemented custom window chrome
- Added profile button
- Reworked game details to better match Blazor launcher
- Added grouping by genre, collection, or first letter
After login succeeds, switch to the splash view with a 'Loading library...'
message and progress bar before running ShellViewModel.InitializeAsync().
This gives immediate visual feedback instead of leaving the user staring
at the login screen wondering if the app has frozen.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
TokenProvider.GetToken() was reading solely from settingsProvider.CurrentValue,
which rebuilds from the YAML file after configRefresher.RefreshAsync() calls
OnReload(). Since the settings file save is debounced by 1 second, the rebuilt
Settings object has a null token.
Fix: TokenProvider now keeps a local _cachedToken field that is set immediately
during SetToken() and used as the primary source in GetToken(), falling back
to the settings provider only for tokens loaded from disk (e.g., app restart
with stored credentials).
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
ApiRequestBuilder.UseAuthenticationToken() was reading the token eagerly
at construction time (line 22 initializer). After login, configRefresher.RefreshAsync()
calls OnReload() which invalidates the IOptionsMonitor cache. The next
CurrentValue access creates a new Settings from the YAML file, which hasn't
been persisted yet (1-second debounce), so the token is null.
Fix: read the token lazily from tokenProvider at the point of use instead
of capturing it at construction time. Remove the now-unused _token field.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Initialize ShellViewModel fully before switching CurrentView in all paths
(splash→shell, login→shell, offline→shell). Previously the UI rendered
with uninitialized child ViewModels causing race conditions.
- Hide download queue panel entirely when no items (removes confusing
'No active downloads' panel and empty header on first login)
- Collapsed download progress only shows when there's an active download
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Scripts are now grabbed from a separate request. This ensures that the contents of the scripts themselves don't muddy up the manifest model. This also opens up the potential to allow clients to redownload scripts without redownloading the entire game/tool/redist.
Blazor Server's InputFile component doesn't reliably process synthetic
FileList objects from Playwright's SetInputFilesAsync on headless Linux.
Switch to clicking the upload label to trigger the native file dialog,
then intercept it with Playwright's FileChooser API. This triggers a
real browser file selection that Blazor always recognizes.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Add ScreenshotHelper that captures full-page screenshots for every test
- Screenshots are named with the full test display name for easy correlation
- Save to SCREENSHOT_DIR env var (CI) or bin/Screenshots/ (local)
- Add ITestOutputHelper to all 10 test classes for test name extraction
- Screenshots are included in the existing ui-test-results artifact upload
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- GameEditTests now use a game seeded via the service layer in
ConfiguredServerFixture instead of importing via the UI.
This eliminates the Blazor InputFile compatibility issue on Linux CI.
- GamesPage.ImportGameAsync uses SetInputFilesAsync with retry and
manual change event dispatch for Blazor InputFile compatibility.
- Add dorny/test-reporter to display test results in PR summary.
- Add checks/pull-requests write permissions for test-reporter.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Use Playwright's FileChooser API instead of SetInputFilesAsync on the
hidden file input. AntDesign's Upload component JS interop doesn't
recognize files set directly on the hidden input in headless Linux,
leaving the Upload button disabled. The FileChooser approach intercepts
the native file dialog, which AntDesign processes normally.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
The LANCommander.UI project runs 'npm run package' during build,
which requires Node.js and npm dependencies to be installed first.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Runs Playwright UI tests on ubuntu-latest with Chromium.
Only builds and tests the LANCommander.Server.UI.Tests project.
Uploads test results as artifacts for inspection on failure.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Refactor FirstTimeSetupTests to use FreshServerFixture via ICollectionFixture
instead of creating its own UITestApplicationFactory per test
- Skip _realHost.Dispose() in UITestApplicationFactory since the DI container's
deep dependency chain causes an uncatchable native StackOverflowException
- All 62 tests pass with exit code 0 (61 pass, 1 skip)
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Copy OpenRCT2.lcx into TestData/ and reference via AppContext.BaseDirectory
so tests don't depend on a user-specific Downloads path.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Switch all test classes from IClassFixture<ConfiguredServerFixture> to
[Collection("Server")] with ICollectionFixture so a single server instance
is shared across all test classes (avoids static DatabaseContext.Provider conflicts)
- Put FirstTimeSetupTests in its own collection since it needs an unconfigured server
- Remove Hangfire hosted services in UITestApplicationFactory to prevent
stack overflow during process shutdown (deep DI disposal chain)
- Add graceful shutdown handling with timeout in DisposeAsync
- All 54 tests pass, 1 skipped, clean exit code 0
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Create UsersPage page object with navigate, search, user visibility,
roles check, and delete methods
- Add UserManagementTests with 5 tests: admin user visibility, search,
roles display, new user registration, and user deletion
- Fix GamesPage.cs syntax error (unchecked is a C# keyword)
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Create SettingsPage page object with navigation helpers for all settings
sub-pages and SettingsTests with 9 tests covering General form elements,
Users list, Roles list, Authentication, Archives, Media, Beacon, Updates,
and Appearance settings pages.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Add Playwright-based UI tests for the Roles management page including:
- RolesPage page object with navigation, add, delete, and visibility methods
- Tests verifying Administrator role visibility
- Tests for adding and deleting custom roles
- Test confirming Administrator role cannot be deleted
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Replace process-based server management (ServerManager) with ASP.NET Core's
WebApplicationFactory<Program> for proper integration testing:
- Add UITestApplicationFactory with dual-host pattern (real Kestrel + dummy TestServer)
to work around .NET 9's hard-cast to TestServer in WebApplicationFactory
- Use in-memory EF Core database with dynamic port binding (IPAddress.Loopback:0)
- Stub IVersionProvider and IGitHubService to avoid external dependencies
- Programmatically create admin user in ConfiguredServerFixture via service layer
- Remove ServerManager.cs (no longer needed)
- Skip CompleteWizardAndLogin test (requires real DB file I/O)
- 18 tests pass, 1 skipped, ~28s runtime (down from ~101s)
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Scripts now import properly
- Archives now import properly when using non-absolute storage location paths
- Support legacy LCX files that have manifests with the name _manifest.yml
Added NotifyPropertyChangedFor(nameof(CanInstall)) to IsInstalled and IsInstalling properties so the install button properly enables/disables when going online/offline
- Detect server unreachable at startup and enter offline mode if user was previously logged in
- Skip server import when offline, load library from local database only
- Add offline indicator bar in sidebar (orange warning with 'Go Online' button)
- Add manual 'Go Offline' button in sidebar footer
- Disable install button when offline (CanInstall property)
- Propagate offline state from ShellViewModel to Sidebar, GamesListViewModel, GameDetailViewModel, and GameActionBarViewModel
- TryGoOnlineAsync attempts to reconnect and re-authenticate when user clicks 'Go Online'
- Create ScriptConsoleControl for displaying script output and interactive input
- Create PowerShellConsoleWindow to host the script console
- Wire up ScriptDebugger events to console control for real-time output
- Add debug scripts menu to GameActionBarView (visible when EnableScriptDebugging=true)
- Scripts run via SDK's ScriptClient and stay interactive after completion
- Fix MediaImporter.ExistsAsync to check database record instead of file existence
- Remove Iciclecreek.Avalonia.Terminal dependency, revert Avalonia to 11.2.3
- Create custom PdfViewerControl using PDFtoImage library
- Replace AvaloniaPdfViewer (had DynamicData version conflict) with PDFtoImage
- Add page navigation and zoom (DPI) controls to PDF viewer
- Update GameActionBarView with proper MenuFlyout bindings for manuals
- Add OpenFirstManualCommand property for safe binding to first manual
- Created LANCommander.Launcher.Avalonia.yml workflow for building cross-platform
- Builds for Linux x64, macOS ARM64/x64, Windows x64
- Uses single-file publish with native libraries included
- Updated LANCommander.Release.yml to include Avalonia launcher builds
- Artifacts are included in release draft
- Changed IsInLibrary() to IsInLibraryAsync() which checks database directly
- The sync version was checking Items collection which may not be populated
- Added 📚 badge overlay on game covers for games in user's library
- Badge appears in top-right corner of cover image
- Added AvaloniaPdfViewer NuGet package (0.0.2-pre) for PDF rendering
- Created ManualViewerWindow to display game manuals
- Created ManualViewerViewModel with title and file path binding
- Added ManualViewModel for managing manual items in the action bar
- Added LoadManuals() to GameActionBarViewModel to load available manuals
- Added manual button (📖) to GameActionBarView with dropdown for multiple manuals
- Manuals are detected from game media with MediaType.Manual
- Use Dispatcher.UIThread to post property updates from timer callback
- Ensures PlayTime and LastPlayed update immediately when game closes
- Fixed thread synchronization for CheckRunningState and RefreshPlayStatsAsync
- Play button uses SplitButton when game has multiple actions
- Clicking dropdown shows all available actions to run
- Uninstall button combines with Remove from Library as dropdown option
- Added GameActionViewModel class to wrap actions with commands
- Added ShowSimplePlayButton computed property for visibility logic
- Create ViewModels/Components/ and Views/Components/ folders
- Extract LibrarySidebarView and LibrarySidebarViewModel from ShellView
- Move LibraryItemViewModel to Components folder
- Move GameItemViewModel to Components folder
- Create GameBannerView component (not yet integrated)
- Create PageHeaderView component (not yet integrated)
- Simplify ShellView to use LibrarySidebarView component
- Update GamesListView to reference Components namespace
This improves code organization and makes it easier to navigate
the codebase as the UI grows.
- Create LANCommander.Launcher.Avalonia project using Avalonia MVVM
- Implement server selection, login, and game library views
- Add library sidebar showing user's games
- Add depot/games list view with game details
- Integrate with LANCommander.Launcher.Services for:
- DepotService, LibraryService, ImportService, MediaService
- SDK authentication and connection clients
- Fix async initialization pattern to prevent UI thread deadlocks
- Add ConfigureAwait(false) to ServerConfigurationProvider.RefreshAsync
- Add Microsoft.Extensions.Http package for HttpClient DI
Key features:
- Server discovery and connection
- User authentication with credential persistence
- Library import from server to local SQLite cache
- Game icons and banners via MediaService
- Navigation between library, depot, and game details
- Chat messages are now loaded based on scroll position
- Read status is now updated and set by last message read
- Reworked script importing by using ScriptProvider
- Move all Launcher components to LANCommander.Launcher.UI namespace
- Move all SCSS files next to components (when possible)
- Refactor styles that control overflow of content into titlebar to MainWindow only
- Remove use in launcher UI of SDK.Client
- Load thread after creation
- Change thread list from DataList to Flex
- Move unread badge to right side of chat thread list item
- Fix avatar rerendering after another message is added to message group
- Add styling to thread list
- Change message input to support markdown and add markdown rendering for message contents
ImportContext wasn't being set on the importers which caused problems during the import process. Fixed that and added a bunch more logging around the place so we can get better tracing into what's happening through the import pipeline
Changed the IMigration interface to have a series of steps, first a method to indicate that the migration should run, next some pre-checks (like is it in a container), and lastly the actual execution.
Next, the settings and folder migrations are broken into individual migrations, which means that it's a lot more obvious which ones run and which ones are skipped.
Created a new abstraction for migrations that have to run against the file system, so that we don't need to do the check in each migration.
Adding the default DB name to the settings so it's got a const value.
Updated the Settings migrator to check a few more places
Using the required keyword to indicate what is expected to be passed to the components in the stack.
Looking through the usage, only the Values property can come through as null, everything else is set to something that should never be nullable (and then, if it is, it should be considered a proper error to resolve).
- Removed WindowService.cs which was just a thin wrapper around PhotinoBlazor
- Removed WindowOptions, WindowType, and WindowRef models (unused or part of incomplete window tracking)
- Updated Program.cs to directly use PhotinoBlazorAppBuilder
- Service registration now done through direct extension method calls
- Window configuration uses existing extension methods in Startup/Window.cs
- Simplified initialization flow with clearer code structure
- All functionality preserved, just more transparent and maintainable
Fixes the action, custom field, multiplayer mode, and save path editors from clearing out taxonomies when saving. Also passes the Game/Server/Redistributable ID as a cascading parameter.
Switched the library importing in the launcher to work based on a queue. As a new game is added to the queue, it should find any related data and also add it to the queue. This should result in an easier to maintain importer while reducing the load on the launcher's DAL. This may result in more RAM usage while importing. Local manifests have also been refactored to match manifests in import/export LCX files, removing the old manifest format. This is a large breaking change that will probably break existing game installations. A migration will probably have to be created.
Instead of providing delegates to a ScriptClient singleton, script execution now relies on dependency injection for debugging. This can be handled by registering an implementation of IScriptDebugger. Multiple script debuggers are supported. These changes required the creation of a PowerShellScriptFactory to handle DI of the service provider to the script.
In the case of LANCommander, "debugging" scripts really just gives an opportunity for the application to break after a script's execution and provide a poor-man's pty. This could be expanded upon in the future to hook directly into PowerShell's debugging functionality, but would require a substantial refactor to script execution.
Settings for the server are now combined with the settings from the SDK. This introduces a large breaking change and a migration should be created. This refactor utilizes .NET Configuration and the Options pattern. This will allow for the overriding of any setting using envionment variables. It also means that Settings.yml can be used to override any .NET configuration. A SettingsProvider implementation was created, and any updating of settings was changed from SettingsService.SaveSettings() to SettingsProvider.Update(s => { ... })
- Moves authentication back to a /Authenticate page route
- Flatten the namespaces of page components
- Implement top-level layouts as windows
- Move handling of redirecting to /Authenticate with component inside of an AuthenticatedLayout
- Use individiual injected services instead of SDK.Client
- Wipe out tokens on logout
- Process logout even if server can't be reached
- Added SafeAvatar component for retrieving user avatars with fallback to initials
- Added a title/name for chat threads
- Moved chat input to a separate component
Removes the manual tracking of user connections by connection ID in the RPC hub. SignalR automatically links connections to connected users and provides Client.User[s] methods.
Also fixes message sending to participants and tracking of participants per thread.
Adds a grace period to the keep alive watchdog. This ensures that if the connection is severed for more than 10 seconds, it will then raise the ConnectionSevered event, thus displaying the notification of disconnection.
Greatly reduces the amount of memory usage when streaming from the server by:
1. Shedding use of an internal MemoryStream
2. Using HttpCompletionOption.ResponseHeadersRead to start reading the stream without loading all of the HttpContent into memory
SettingsProvider uses IOptionsMonitor to maintain the current value of settings. This gets updates on YML file changes and since it's a single instance (instead of injecting IOptions<Settings>), consumers always have the latest values.
The library view was constructed to be a monolithic component. It has been split out to multiple components, with the potential for expansion into other library items types in the future (other than just a game). The handler for failed installs has also been moved to the queue.
- API requests are now made through the ApiRequestBuilder with DI supplied via the ApiRequestFactory singleton
- Reliance on RestSharp and WebClient has been removed in favor of HttpClient
- Auth token is now being tracked by the ITokenProvider
- Network information (MAC address, broadcast addresses, IP address) is now supplied with the INetworkInformationProvider singleton
- Connection state is now being maintained by the ConnectionService, with a reliance on RPC (SignalR websocket) reporting actual connection state without relying on pings
- All download streams are now provided as a TrackableStream
- Singleton Client class has been removed. All usage of the SDK should happen via Dependency Injection
This is just a base, non-functional refactor of the SDK to use DI. The following changes to the rest of the codebase need to be made:
- Usage of the SDK client in the launcher needs to be replaced in favor of injecting SDK services
- PowerShell cmdlets need to be able to have services injected. Most likely a separate scope will have to be opened up per PS runtime?
- Usage of the SDK client in the server needs to be replaced in favor of injecting SDK services. This should be minimal and should actually provide benefit when it comes to executing client-like features (scripts mostly) without needing a fully configured client that maintains connection state.
- Configuration of the client needs to be implemented using ILANCommanderConfiguration
Adds localization across the launcher and includes English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Portuguese, Ukranian, and Chinese. These localizations were generated by Claude 3.5 and need to be reviewed by a human for accuracy.
Images in the depot should show a loading indicator, then display the image. If the image fails to load, it should fallback safely without showing a broken image icon.
This refactor splits the import and export functionality out of the ImportContext and adds an ExportContext. This also introduced separate importer and exporter implementations.
Additionally, adding archive, save, scripts, and server files to the final export archive has been implemented at the exporter implementation for each instead of handling it in the context. This should be a good pattern if other files need to be added down the road.
- Fixed circular DI issues with importers and importer context
- Added additional mappings for data <-> manifest models
- Avoid null reference exceptions when trying to export archives/media where files don't exist
- Consolidate import dialogs
- Render selectable flags in export dialog
- Fixed various media uploaders to use new MediaService.WriteToFile
In cases the page is not queried properly (likely due to wrong UserAgent) and will have a dynamic HTMl page which will forward to the correct page. Instead of having that mechanism in place, the API endpoint is queried to get the HTML content by the cargoquery API.
Reimplements the BeaconService using standard UDP sockets. Fixes an issue where the beacon was binding to the same port as the web server and was possibly causing disconnections. A socket is bound on each network interface that is up in order to hit all possible networks.
Had to remove the responsibility of providing the current version of the application from UpdateService. A new IVersionProvider can be used to get the version. This also allows for this to be mocked in tests.
- Depot endpoint was doing an improper operation to get a user by username
- Failure to get depot results will result in a graceful error handling
- Depot will now show a no results error if nothing is available
- Depot will now show a no results message if there are no results in the applied filter
Fixes#210
Ref #190
Ported the save API functionality to endpoints as part of ongoing efforts to use minimal API patterns.
Added some more security checks to make sure users can only alter or download their own saves.
Moved upload pathing to use the default save storage location. Settings pages will need to be updated to use this storage location. Other areas of the application will have to be checked to make sure they're not reading from `Settings.yml`.
The way updates are being handled means that the auditing interceptor doesn't work as the entities are not showing in the change tracker at that stage as modified. Added the auditing to BaseDatabaseService instead.
- Made download progress show correct time/transfer values
- Added progress for redist installs
- Executed correct scripts on redist install
- Fixed extraction path / working directory for redists
- Make game install use FileTransferMonitor
- Include title of what's being installed in download progress
Broke the startup of the app into a series of extension methods (and classes to contain them), rather than one long method. This means the stack tracers are easier to follow when the startup fails, and it's clearer what's happening when throughout the pipeline.
I've included a few optimisations, such as starting to rely more on DI for injecting things (like the logger) rather than the static logger, which in turn can help with testability and evaluation of the callstack.
2025-01-02 11:40:15 +11:00
2020 changed files with 549928 additions and 27718 deletions
Thanks for your interest in contributing to LANCommander! This project is primarily developed by a single developer, so community contributions are greatly appreciated.
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) (for the server UI's TypeScript/SCSS assets)
- A code editor such as [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/), [Rider](https://www.jetbrains.com/rider/), or [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/)
This guide will walk you through setting up LANCommander from scratch — from installing the server to connecting your first client and adding games to your library.
---
## 1. Install the Server
The LANCommander server is available as pre-built binaries for Windows, Linux, and macOS (x86 and ARM), as well as a Docker container.
### Docker (Recommended)
The easiest way to get started is with Docker. See the [Docker deployment guide](/Server/Installation/Docker) for a full walkthrough, including a sample `docker-compose.yml`.
### Binary
1. Download the latest release for your platform from the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/releases).
2. Extract the archive to a directory of your choice (e.g. `C:\LANCommander` on Windows or `/opt/lancommander` on Linux).
3. Run the server executable:
- **Windows:**`LANCommander.Server.exe`
- **Linux / macOS:**`./LANCommander.Server`
4. The server will start and listen on port **1337** by default.
---
## 2. Initial Server Setup
Once the server is running, open a browser and navigate to `http://<server-address>:1337`.
On first launch you will be prompted to create an administrator account. Fill in a username and password, then click **Create**. These credentials will be used to log in to the server's web interface.
After creating your account you will be taken to the main dashboard where you can begin configuring your library.
---
## 3. Install the Launcher
The LANCommander launcher is the desktop client your users will use to browse, install, and play games.
1. Download the latest launcher release for your platform from the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/releases).
2. Extract and run the launcher executable.
---
## 4. Connect the Launcher to the Server
When the launcher opens for the first time you will be presented with a login screen.
1. Enter the address of your LANCommander server (e.g. `http://192.168.1.100:1337`).
- If the launcher is on the same network as the server and beaconing is enabled, the server will appear automatically in the **Discovered Servers** list.
2. Enter your username and password, then click **Login**.
- If you don't have an account yet, click **Register** to create one (requires registration to be enabled on the server).
3. After logging in, the launcher will sync your accessible game library from the server.
---
## 5. Add Games to the Library
Games are managed from the server's web interface.
1. Log in to the server at `http://<server-address>:1337`.
2. Navigate to **Games** in the sidebar.
3. Click **Add Game** and fill in the game's details (title, metadata, cover art, etc.).
4. Upload the game archive or point to an existing archive on disk.
5. Optionally configure [scripts](/Scripting/Overview) (install, uninstall, key change, etc.) for the game.
Once a game is added and made accessible to users, it will appear in the launcher after the next sync.
---
## Next Steps
- [Server Documentation](/Server/Overview) — detailed server configuration, redistributables, collections, and more
- [Launcher Documentation](/Launcher/Overview) — launcher features including the download queue, filtering, and script debugging
- [Scripting](/Scripting/Overview) — automate game setup with PowerShell scripts
- [SDK Documentation](/SDK/Overview) — integrate LANCommander into your own applications
The official LANCommander launcher is a desktop application built in ASP.NET Blazor and was designed to be easy to use and familiar. By providing a custom launcher, LANCommander is able to provide a tight integration between the server and any authenticated client.

## Logging In
When opening the launcher for the first time, users will be presented with an authentication screen. From here they will have to enter the LANCommander server address and their credentials. If the launcher is running on the same network as the server, the **Discovered Servers** pane will show any available servers (if beaconing is enabled. See [Server / Settings](/docs/Server/Settings) for more details).
If the user does not have an account registered on the server, they can register either directly in-launcher by clicking the **Register** button, or the server's web UI.
After logging in, the launcher will immediately start syncing the user's accessible games from the server. Once the sync is complete the user is free to start installing any games listed.
## Changing the Install Location
By default, the launcher will install games to `C:\Games` on Windows. This can be changed in settings by hovering over your username in the top right and clicking **Settings** in the dropdown.

If you have more than one storage path specified for games, you will be asked upon install which path you would like to install the game to.
By clicking the filter icon in the bottom right, you can filter games based on specific criteria. This metadata is pulled in directly from the game's configuration on the server.

## Download Queue
The launcher has the ability to queue up multiple game installs by utilizing a download queue. Simply start installing multiple games and click the bottom bar to see the queue's current progress.
If a new game is available or a user's list of accessible games has changed, click the import button at the top of the application next to the user's name to sync the list of games from the server.
Developing scripts for games is often a process of trial and error. When the setting **Enable Script Debugging** is enabled in the launcher, users will be given the ability to execute any configured scripts for a game without having to reinstall.
Additionally, a terminal will show at the bottom of the launcher after the script has executed. This is a limited PowerShell runspace and will allow for basic debugging of scripts and provides a history of the execution. Any variables that were passed into the script are also listed for visibility.
LANCommander is an open source digital game distribution platform. In essence, it's a ways to self-host your own game library ala Steam, GOG, Epic, etc.
Both the server and custom launcher applications are built using the ASP.NET Blazor web application framework. Binaries are provided for Windows, Linux, and macOS supporting both x86 and ARM architectures. The server also has a preconfigured Docker container for easier deployment.
The platform is designed to work on local networks and loads no assets from the internet when installing games from the launcher. It was originally developer to help assist deploying games at a LAN party where the local network was closed circuit and no internet access was permitted. The server can also be accessed publicly, though use of a reverse proxy or VPN is recommended.
# Development
Code can be viewed over at the project's [GitHub page](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander). This is where new releases will be posted and also serves as the main issue tracker.
The Docker container is available over at [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/lancommander/lancommander) and automatically gets updated with each version release through our CI/CD pipeline.
# Community
The community behind LANCommander is small, but extremely knowledgeable. Most support and troubleshooting questions stem from discussions in the official [Discord server](https://discord.gg/vDEEWVt8EM). There is also a forum within the server where users post freeware and shareware games that can be directly imported into your LANCommander server.
If you would like to support the project, there is a [Patreon page](https://patreon.com/LANCommander) available with a couple paid tiers as well as a free tier. This also serves as a general blog for the project with news about development.
# Installation and Use
This site serves as the main documentation platform for the project. As such, it is recommended to check out the following resources:
- **Administrator privileges** - the Packager requires elevation to monitor installer processes via DLL injection
The Packager is distributed as a single 32-bit executable (`LANCommander.Packager.exe`). No installation is required.
## Download
Download the latest release from the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/releases). The Packager artifact is named `LANCommander.Packager-Windows-x86-v{VERSION}.zip`.
Extract the archive to a directory of your choice and run `LANCommander.Packager.exe`.
## Command-Line Usage
The Packager can optionally accept arguments to skip the initial file picker dialog:
An `.LCX` file is a standard ZIP archive containing everything needed to install and configure a game through LANCommander. The Packager generates this format automatically, but understanding its structure is useful for troubleshooting or manual editing.
## Archive Structure
```
package.lcx (ZIP)
├── manifest.yaml # Game metadata (YAML)
├── Archives/
│ └── {guid} # Inner ZIP containing game files
└── Scripts/
├── {guid} # Install script (PowerShell)
└── {guid} # Uninstall script (PowerShell)
```
### manifest.yaml
The manifest is a YAML file describing the game's metadata, actions, archive references, and script references. It follows the LANCommander SDK's `Game` manifest schema and includes:
- **Archives** - references to inner archive entries with compressed/uncompressed sizes
- **Scripts** - references to script entries with type (Install/Uninstall) and admin requirements
### Archives
The `Archives/` directory contains one or more inner ZIP files, each identified by a GUID. The inner archive holds the game files with paths relative to the install directory root.
### Scripts
The `Scripts/` directory contains PowerShell scripts identified by GUID. The Packager generates up to two scripts:
**Install Script** - Recreates registry keys and values captured during monitoring. If the Patch GameSpy option was enabled, it also includes an `Edit-PatchGameSpy` call. Scripts assume `$InstallDirectory` is available in the execution environment (provided by the launcher's PowerShell runtime).
**Uninstall Script** - Removes the registry keys and values that were created by the install script.
## Importing into LANCommander
`.LCX` packages can be imported directly through the LANCommander server's web interface. The server reads the manifest, extracts the archive and scripts, and creates the corresponding game entry with all metadata, actions, and scripts pre-configured.
The LANCommander Packager is a standalone Windows utility that automates the creation of `.LCX` game packages. It monitors a game installer as it runs, captures all file and registry changes, and guides you through a wizard to produce a ready-to-import package for your LANCommander server.
Instead of manually creating archives, writing install scripts, and filling out metadata by hand, the Packager handles all of this in a single guided workflow.
- [Getting Started](/Packager/Getting%20Started) - requirements, download, and command-line usage
- [Wizard Walkthrough](/Packager/Wizard) - step-by-step guide through the seven wizard stages
- [LCX Package Format](/Packager/LCX%20Format) - internal structure of `.LCX` files
The Packager walks you through seven steps to create a complete `.LCX` package. Each step is shown in the sidebar with a progress indicator.
---
## Step 1: Monitor Installer
After selecting an installer executable, the Packager launches it and monitors all file and registry activity using native DLL injection (Interposer). A real-time log displays captured events as the installer runs.
The Packager automatically:
- Detects the installer's architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and injects the appropriate Interposer DLL
- Monitors child processes spawned by the installer
- Filters out writes to system directories (Windows, temp folders)
- Captures both file writes and registry key/value creation
Once the installer exits, the captured data is summarized in the status bar. Click **Next** to continue.
:::info
The log view continues to show captured events for reference. All diagnostic output is also written to `packager.log` in the application directory.
:::
---
## Step 2: Install Directory
The Packager analyzes the captured file writes to detect the game's installation directory. This is determined by finding the most common non-system directory among the written files.
If the detected directory is incorrect, click **Browse** to manually select the correct location. This directory becomes the root of the game archive.
---
## Step 3: Select Files
All files within the install directory are displayed in a tree view with checkboxes. By default, every file is selected.
- **Check/uncheck a directory** to toggle all files within it
- **Select All** / **Select None** buttons at the top for bulk operations
- The counter at the top shows how many files are currently selected
Files outside the install directory (if any were captured) are listed by their full paths. Only files that still exist on disk at this point are shown.
---
## Step 4: Registry Entries
All captured registry writes are displayed in a tree view organized by hive and key path. Entries are deduplicated so if the same key and value were written multiple times during installation, only one entry is shown.
Each leaf entry displays an indicator:
- **Green +** - the entry was created during installation
- **Yellow ~** - the entry was updated (written to an existing key)
Selected entries will be included in the auto-generated install and uninstall scripts. The install script recreates the registry keys and values; the uninstall script removes them.
---
## Step 5: Game Metadata
Enter basic information about the game. The title is pre-populated from the installer's filename.
| Field | Description |
|:------|:------------|
| **Title** | Display name of the game (required) |
| **Sort Title** | Optional override for alphabetical sorting |
| **Version** | Game version, defaults to `1.0` |
| **Released On** | Release date of the game |
| **Singleplayer** | Whether the game supports singleplayer |
| **Description** | A description of the game |
| **Notes** | Private notes (admin-only, not shown to users) |
---
## Step 6: Game Executable
The Packager scans your selected files for `.exe` files and filters out common installer/redistributable executables (e.g. `vcredist`, `dxsetup`, `setup`, `unins`). The remaining executables are displayed in a list.
Select the primary game executable. This is the file the launcher will run when the user clicks "Play". You can also customize:
| Field | Description |
|:------|:------------|
| **Action Name** | Label shown on the play button, defaults to `Play` |
| **Arguments** | Command-line arguments passed when launching |
---
## Step 7: Generate Package
Configure the output path for the `.LCX` file and optionally adjust packaging options before generating.
### Output Path
The default output path is based on the game title in the current working directory. Click **Browse** to choose a different location.
### Options
Expand the **Options** panel to configure additional settings:
| Option | Description |
|:-------|:------------|
| **Patch GameSpy** | Adds an `Edit-PatchGameSpy -Path $InstallDirectory` call to the install script. This scans the install directory for GameSpy references and patches them for OpenSpy compatibility. |
| **Compression Level** | Controls the trade-off between archive size and packaging speed. Options: Optimal (default), Fastest, No Compression, Smallest Size. |
| **Write Summary Log** | Writes a `.Package.log` file alongside the `.LCX` output documenting the source installer, selected files, registry entries, metadata, and options used. |
Click **Generate .LCX** to build the package. A progress bar shows the current stage:
1. Creating game files archive
2. Generating scripts
3. Writing manifest
On completion, the output path and file size are displayed.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# Server
## Database Overhaul
For some big news, the server now supports MySQL and PostgreSQL as database providers! SQLite support is still available as well for anyone that wants to keep their setup simple.
In order to support multiple database providers, the data layer of the application has been rebuilt from the ground up. Due to the way that Blazor SSR handles database contexts, this was a necessary and arduous process and was the source of the most time put into this release. That being said, lazy loading in Entity Framework has been removed. This means that almost every query across the application has been optimized and will run faster while consuming fewer resources.
:::info
Support for MySQL and PostgreSQL should be considered experimental. Make sure to keep regular backups as there is a non-zero chance of data loss.
:::
#### Caching
Many areas of the application now utilize a cache where speed is paramount. Most of these improvements will be seen in the API and loading data from the server in the launcher. Redis support is also being looked at for taking one more step to allowing distributed server configurations.
#### Authentication
OAuth/OIDC identity providers can now be defined in Settings. No restrictions are imposed, and an "Account Link" functionality has been added to the web UI for existing users. Yes, you read that right, there's no SSO tax!
Some provider templates have been provided, but have not been fully vetted. Keep in mind that most IDPs require SSL for authentication. We'll talk about that a little later, but it's still recommend to use a reverse proxy or products like Cloudflare Zero Trust to provide a robust and secure solution.
### New Login / Registration Design
The login and registration pages have been redesigned to be a bit more attractive while supporting new authentication features. A new button for downloading the launcher has been added as well!
These downloads can be provided directly via the server if **Host Client Updates** is set under Settings / Launcher. Your supported architectures and platforms can be customized as well.
:::info
Support for launchers on Linux and macOS are still experimental
:::
## Logging
The available logging providers are now able to be fully configured from Settings / Logging. Support for remote logging with Seq or Elastic search has been added. For now this only is supported on the server, but in the future this information may be broadcasted to clients using the launcher in order to collect user logs if desired.
## Redistributable Scripting
Additional script types of Name Change, Before Start, and After Stop are now available to redistributables. These script types work the same as if they were defined for games, but they are shared with any game that has the redistributable as a dependency.
Redistributable archives will now be extracted to the game's `.lancommander` directory under its own directory matching its ID (e.g. `.lancommander\d3355f4a-870e-4964-a5a3-832a8d8a6b3f\Files`). These files are then cleaned up once install has completed.
## Game Custom Fields
Custom fields have been added to games and can be used in scripts (game and redistributable), actions (games and servers), and save paths. These are loaded like any other variable with their name set as-is. For example, if you wanted to have a game custom field of `AppId`, you could use it in a script as `$AppId` or in an action/save path as `{AppId}`.
## Server Process Tracking
Some game servers would fail to have their process tracked correctly. This has been revamped and the server's entire process tree will now be tracked. This should resolve any issue previously seen where a server could be started from LANCommander, and then would immediately stop while still actually running on the host machine.
## Datatables
Most datatables throughout the web UI have been reworked and should be faster, while supporting column customization. This is an area that will be continued to be improved upon with the potential for individual column searching and filtering being a possiblity in the future.
## Image Optimization
Images for media are now optimized on application start and upload. This results in faster downloads for the launcher. The following optimizations are currently implemented:
- PNGs with no alpha pixels are converted to JPG
- "Thumbnails" are generated with a JPG quality of 75
- "Thumbnails" are generated with a max width/height based on type. Refer to [Thumbnail Generation]() for more information.
## Multiple Upload Locations
An often-requested feature has been to allow for the uploading of archives to multiple locations on the host. This has now been implemented and is available for configuration in the First Time Setup or Settings / Archives.
Please note that in order to keep track of archives properly, a random GUID is still used as the uploaded archive's name. It is not recommended to alter these files once they've been uploaded.
## HTTPS Support
SSL support for Kestrel (the underlying HTTP server) can now be defined in Settings / General. Most OAuth/OIDC providers will require HTTPS for redirects.
## Stylesheets
The CSS for the web UI can now be customized under Settings / Appearance. A separate stylesheet only for Pages can also be defined.
## PowerShell Scripting
The following cmdlets have been added to the scripting engine:
- `Get-HorizontalFov`
- `Get-VerticalFov`
- `Out-PlayerAvatar`
Review the [Cmdlets](/Scripting/Cmdlets) documentation for more information and usage.
## Fixes and Minor Improvements
- Updated to .NET 9
- Text alignment in select inputs has been fixed
- Uploading large files with the chunk uploader should now be more reliable
- Archive file sizes will now calculate properly on upload
- Searched images can now be double clicked to select
- Login / registration pages have been reworked to support authentication providers
- Documentation and social icons have been added to the main menu
- Cookie policy can now be customized in Settings
- Fatal errors in the UI should now be caught without having to reload the page
- Scripts for installing the application as a service have been provided
## Breaking Changes
- In supporting multiple upload paths, configuration has moved from `Settings.yml` to the database. Your current path should have migrated on update, but you should probably double check it.
- Redistributable scripts will now execute out of the game's `.lancommander\<Redistributable ID>\Files` directory
# Launcher
## Depot and User Library
On start of the launcher, you'll probably notice that you have no games listed. Fear not! Your games are not gone, your library is just empty. By clicking on the "Depot" button you'll be able to browse and filter the games from the server. From here games can be installed directly or added to your library.
User libraries are tracked by the server and synced locally to the launcher. This also means that logging into the launcher on another machine will sync your user library. For admins, games in the depot will also be filtered based on accessible collections and role permissions so you can curate as much or as little as needed.
## Addon Installation
When installing a game that has expansions and/or mods defined, a new dialog will display allowing you to select what to install:
Keep in mind that this does not apply to standalone expansions or standalone mods. For a refresher on game types, check out [Server / Games](/Server/Games).
This dialog will show expected download and install sizes in addition to selectable install directories (if configured). Did you forget to select an addon when first installing? No worries! Under the game's context menu use the "Modify" option to display this dialog again. You can even move the game to another defined location if so desired.
## File Validation
A new tool for validating files has been added to the game context menu. This will compare the game files on your local install to contents of the game's archive on the server. Individual files can be selected for restore. File validation on install has now been improved to increase download speed in the case valid existing files are found on disk. This is fairly basic at the moment, but should hopefully help to fix some broken game installs.
The main authentication form has been redesigned to allow for OAuth/OIDC authentication providers defined by the server. As is customary with these sorts of implementations, you will first have to put in your server address (or select from beaconing servers) and then you will be presented with all login options.
Offline mode has been revamped and should work more consistently. The launcher will actively monitor its connection to the server and automatically turn on offline mode if the connection is lost.
## Importing
Speed improvements and optimizations have been made to importing to drastically reduce the time to do a full import. Hovering over the import icon will also display an import status progress popup. Individual game information is cached server-side, so subsequent imports by other users should be faster.
## Save Management
A new dialog for save management is now accessible under the game's context menu. This can be used to download or delete specific saves from the server, or upload the current machine's save files to the server.

## Fixes and Minor Improvements
- Updated to .NET 9
- Redistributable installs will now show download progress
- Linux/macOS builds should now load assets correctly (non-Windows builds are still experimental)
- Game process tracking will now track the entire process tree
- Play Session recording has been fixed
- Download / install size is now displayed in the game's status bar
- Filtering, sorting, and grouping should be more reliable
- Progress will now be shown for in-progress installs of mods and expansions
- Game status should now be reflected properly in the main action button
- Server-defined actions should now display properly
- Total play session status displayed per game will now only show the authenticated user's total
- Loading game info on library list click should now be much faster
- Library image assets should now download from server's optimized image files, reducing download time and overall size
- A search field has been added to the library list and filter
- Library items can now be sorted
- Errors when searching for lobbies will now gracefully fail
- Fatal errors will no longer completely hang the UI
# Infrastructure
## Nightlies
Nightly builds are now available over at [GitHub](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/actions/workflows/LANCommander.Nightly.yml). Docker images are also available via [GitHub Packages](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pkgs/container/lancommander).
## Docker Multi-Architecture Support
The Docker images pushed to Docker Hub now support Linux/ARM64! That's it!
## WinGet
An effort is being made to make the server and launcher available as WinGet packages with the names `LANCommander.Server` and `LANCommander.Launcher`. These packages are generated on the fly as part of the CI/CD pipeline, so the latest version should always be available.
# On Deck
There's a few large features being worked on / designed that will possibly make it into future builds as we kick off 2025:
- Docker support for game servers
- Game server config templates / structured forms (human-friendly UI for server configs!)
- VPN integrations
- P2P / distributed file transfers
- Script templates
- Friend list / chat
- Game overlay
- Rebuilt autoupdater
## Downloads
<ReleaseDownloads release="v1.1.0" />
# Community
Lastly, I'd like to shout out the community. This was LANCommander's biggest year of growth in users and features. We saw the introduction of a new launcher, the deprecation of the Playnite extension, and tons of features added along the way. Many of these came as suggestions from our community, and seeing all of your LAN parties has really shown that there's something to this little project.
There's one part of the community I'd like to give a shoutout to. A group of Aussies have banded together to establish a support network for men called **DadLAN**. They've been able to grow substantially over the past couple of years and have been making headlines down under. I really feel like they represent what LAN parties are all about and why they're so important to gaming culture. For more information, check out their site over at https://dadlan.au/!
I'd also like to take this moment to shill a bit and ask for any contribution you can spare. Whether it's contributing on [GitHub](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander), helping out in the [Discord](https://discord.gg/vDEEWVt8EM), or, if you're able, subscribing to one of the paid [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/c/LANCommander) tiers. Any amount of effort goes a long way towards bringing you this excellent piece of software!
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
## Server
- Fixed an issue where the IPX relay would cause high CPU usage if started/stopped multiple times (#200)
- Fixed the autostart of the IPX relay (#188)
- Fixed save uploading (#190)
- Settings / Scripts are now saved properly (#194)
- Game servers will now be more responsive when using the start/stop control buttons (#198)
- Fixed importing of companies when importing metadata from IGDB (#201)
- Fixed importing of games from local files (#203)
- Fixed first time setup creation of administrator user (#206)
- Added graceful error handling for Depot (#210)
- Added additional paths to first time setup
- Fixed error when adding media (#216)
- Fixed update of tables on various entities (#218, #224)
- Updated Dockerfile to be based off Microsoft's official .NET base Docker images
- Administrator step is skipped on first time setup if one already exists
- Fixed user custom fields not being shown when editing a user
- Moved the "Restrict Games By Collection" switch to Settings / Library
- Users datatable is now searchable
- Fixed logging on IPX relay if enabled
- Fixed some areas where the Created By and Created On fields were not getting populated
- Added API menu item to Settings for OpenAPI/Scalar integration
- Reworked downloading of launcher artifacts from GitHub (note, this is still iffy. It's hard to test this until releases are actually posted. Downloading launchers for nightlies is still a WIP)
- Times are now rendered as local time based on the user's browser locale.
## Launcher
- New: The server address field will now also try other possible valid URLs if the address input is invalid or incomplete. See [#208](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/208#issuecomment-2712374078) for more details
- Fixed: The "Manage Saves" dialog no longer crashes when opened (#207)
- The library list will now display a button to clear the filter instead of the "Browse Depot" button (#193)
- Fixed "Register" button (#214)
- Rebuilt save packing to be more reliable
## Nightlies
Nightly builds of both the launcher and server are now being hosted on GitHub under [action runs](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/actions/workflows/LANCommander.Nightly.yml). Docker builds are also being pushed to [GitHub Packages](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pkgs/container/lancommander). As all nightlies go, these are unstable builds and may not work as expected.
## Breaking Changes
The mounting paths for the Docker container have changed in v1.1.5. Directories that were in `/config` now live at `/app/config`. Please update your bindings accordingly.
## WinGet Packages
LANCommander is now available to install via WinGet! These packages are included in our CI, so releases will get automatically pushed to the public Microsoft source.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.0-rc1 Release Notes
LANCommander 2.0.0 is up there as one of the largest updates in the project's history. This release represents over nine months of development, with more individual contributors than previous versions. The jump from 1.x to 2.x reflects substantial architectural changes, new features, and significant improvements in the server, launcher, and SDK.
Additionally, documentation has now been moved to Docusaurus and is being hosted on GitHub Pages. Documentation can now live in the same repository as the rest of the application, ensuring that documentation is versioned and up to date.
## Breaking Changes
### Settings
Settings have previously been implemented with custom code parsing the `Settings.yml` file. They are now implemented using standard .NET configuration practices.
A migration has been put in place to adapt to the new format, but as with any migration some settings may not carry over from previous installs.
### Import/Export
Importing and exporting has been rebuilt from the ground up. An effort to allow the import of legacy LCX files has been made, but this may vary based on the age of the export file.
### User Data Paths
In previous versions of LANCommander, user data files/directories such as the database, settings, media, and uploads were thrown into the same directory as the main executable (for both server and launcher). In 2.0.0 a new directory called "Data" will be created and used for all user data. This change should make it easier to create backups and map Docker volumes.
A migration has been written to assist with this change, but as always make sure you backup your data before upgrading. **For Docker users**: Before updating to 2.0.0, make sure you map `/app/Data` _with_ your volumes from previous versions. The migration will do its best attempt at discovering if this directory is mapped before moving any data.
### Logging
Previous versions have relied on Serilog to provide logging for both the server and launcher. An effort is being made to update this to more modern practices by integrating OpenTelemetry. As of right now, logging support for Seq and ElasticSearch is non-functional.
### SDK Changes
The SDK has been refactored to utilize dependency injection instead of relying on a monolithic singleton client. I'm not aware of any other projects using the SDK, but it's worth noting at this time.
## Major Changes / features
### Import/Export
As mentioned, importing and exporting has been rebuilt from the ground up, and as such the manifest format for LCX files has gone through some significant changes. Ultimately, this change reflects a closer parity between export files and the database schema, which should allow for extensibility in the future.
The core concept that drove this rewrite is **selective importing/exporting**. Now when you go to export or import a game, server, or redistributable you may choose which data you want to import or export. This includes metadata, archives, media, and user data such as save games or play sessions. This should make it easier to share only the data you want or to selectively migrate from one system to another.
### Launcher Authentication/Stability
A large effort was put into 2.0.0 to make the launcher more stable. A core issue has always been the authentication flow. While this still can be improved upon, the core changes put in should reduce the amount of soft-locking that could previously happen within the launcher.
### Chat
A bare-bones chat system has been added to the platform. As of right now this probably isn't entirely useful, but there's a good base for improvements in future versions.
### Packaging Scripts
Games now support a new script type called **Package**. These scripts are designed to run on the server to package up a game automatically. Package scripts are run on a recurring schedule, so they can be used to keep games up to date. Refer to the scripting documentation for more details.
### SteamCMD
The server now supports a basic integration with SteamCMD. Currently, you can authenticate to multiple Steam profiles. This pairs great with packaging scripts to keep your games up to date!
### Docker
The Docker image has been updated to support the new user data pathing. In addition, scripts have been added to allow the installation of both SteamCMD and WINE. These may be useful for writing packaging scripts or hosting dedicated servers in Docker-hosted environments.
For Docker Compose users, refer to the [sample docker-compose.yml](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/blob/v2.0.0-rc1/LANCommander.Server/docker-compose.yml) file in the repository.
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
As if there weren't already enough changes in this release, here's a list of notable bug fixes that have been made in 2.0.0:
- Game process tracking is now more reliable and less prone to memory leaks
- Downloads now buffer correctly and file writes should happen asynchronously
- Metadata and libraries are now caching more effectively, resulting in faster response times
- API requests are now being prioritized over downloads. Users should see an increase in responsiveness while other users are downloading from the server.
- Game saves should now be more reliable on both upload and download
- Launcher authentication state should now be more reliable
- An unresponsive server should no longer cause fatal errors when trying to launch games
- The discovery beacon has been rebuilt from the ground up and should no longer cause hard crashes
- Thumbnail sizes can now be customized in settings
- IGDB metadata importing should now be more consistent
- Taxonomy metadata such as genre or tags is no longer being lost when updating other game information
## Downloads
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.0.0-rc1" />
## Contributors
As mentioned previously, this update had the most outside contributions over any other version. A big thanks to the following contributors and their pull requests:
[aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell)
- [#390](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/390) Skipping nightly CI if it's not the lancommander main repo
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.0-rc2 Release Notes
This page only covers updates/fixes included in v2.0.0-rc2. For more information on other v2.0.0 changes, head over to the [v2.0.0-rc1 release notes](/Releases/2.0.0-rc1).
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
- Launcher now starts properly on fresh installs
- Exporting a game no longer redirects you to a 404 page
- Added a better not found page for the admin UI
- Fixed scrolling in depot
- Fixed scrolling in library list / selected game details
- Fixed log viewer installation in admin UI
- Moved IGDB and SteamGridDB credential settings under "Integrations" in admin UI
- Fixed width of game details in depot
- Fixed "Add to Library" button in depot
- Fixed opening of chat window
- Display logo instead of authentication form when starting launcher
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.0-rc5 Release Notes
This page only covers updates/fixes included in v2.0.0-rc5. For more information on other v2.0.0 changes, head over to previous releases:
- [v2.0.0-rc1](/Releases/2.0.0-rc1)
- [v2.0.0-rc2](/Releases/2.0.0-rc2)
- [v2.0.0-rc3](/Releases/2.0.0-rc3)
- [v2.0.0-rc4](/Releases/2.0.0-rc4)
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
- Reworked Steam cmdlets, review the [documentation](/Scripting/Cmdlets) for a list of available cmdlets.
- Added better logging for PowerShell scripts
- Fixed the save editor so it no longer throws an error if there are no archives available for a game.
- Fixed first time login on launcher being stuck at loading screen.
- Fix chat window opening with library view instead of chat.
## Game Servers
An effort is being made to create Docker images to assist in hosting dedicated servers for various games. A list of these containers can be found under [Game Servers](/GameServers).
These servers should still be considered a work in progress. They will eventually get better integration into the platform. The aim is to provide a set of base containers and remove as much work as possible for each individual game. The current aim is to implement:
- OverlayFS to allow multiple servers to share the same base files
- A built in HTTP server (via nginx) for FastDL support
- Documentation for each image, including useful configuration of the game server itself
## Documentation
This documentation site now resides under our [LANCommander.Documentation](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander.Documentation) GitHub repository, with the actual contents being fed from the organization's other repositories. Any contribution to the documentation can be submitted to the child repositories. They will automatically be published to the documentation repo on merge.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.0-rc6 Release Notes
This page only covers updates/fixes included in v2.0.0-rc6. For more information on other v2.0.0 changes, head over to previous releases:
- [v2.0.0-rc1](/Releases/2.0.0-rc1)
- [v2.0.0-rc2](/Releases/2.0.0-rc2)
- [v2.0.0-rc3](/Releases/2.0.0-rc3)
- [v2.0.0-rc4](/Releases/2.0.0-rc4)
- [v2.0.0-rc5](/Releases/2.0.0-rc5)
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
- Fixed the archive editor in redistributables
- Fixed console/HTTP path editing in servers
- Removed old export methods from servers, redistributables
- Fixed export initialization for servers and redistributables
- Fixed alignment of action buttons in list pages
- Fixed logo being shown on launcher settings page, blocking certain controls
- Fixed missing auth provider templates crashing the server in some cases
- Increased buffer size for downloads and avoid throttling large responses. This should result in some faster download speeds across the board.
## Tools
LANCommander now supports the ability to manage tools that may be useful for games. This feature is intended to allow admins to upload applications such as map editors, save editors, trainers, alternate configuration tools, etc. Tools can be tied to games and will be available to select upon install of the game in the launcher. This feature is still very new and experimental.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.0 Release Notes
LANCommander 2.0.0 is up there as one of the largest updates in the project's history. This release represents over ten months of development, with more individual contributors than previous versions. The jump from 1.x to 2.x reflects substantial architectural changes, new features, and significant improvements in the server, launcher, and SDK.
Additionally, documentation has now been moved to Docusaurus and is being hosted on GitHub Pages. Documentation can now live in the same repository as the rest of the application, ensuring that documentation is versioned and up to date.
## Breaking Changes
### Settings
Settings have previously been implemented with custom code parsing the `Settings.yml` file. They are now implemented using standard .NET configuration practices.
A migration has been put in place to adapt to the new format, but as with any migration some settings may not carry over from previous installs.
### Import/Export
Importing and exporting has been rebuilt from the ground up. An effort to allow the import of legacy LCX files has been made, but this may vary based on the age of the export file.
### User Data Paths
In previous versions of LANCommander, user data files/directories such as the database, settings, media, and uploads were thrown into the same directory as the main executable (for both server and launcher). In 2.0.0 a new directory called "Data" will be created and used for all user data. This change should make it easier to create backups and map Docker volumes.
A migration has been written to assist with this change, but as always make sure you backup your data before upgrading. **For Docker users**: Before updating to 2.0.0, make sure you map `/app/Data` _with_ your volumes from previous versions. The migration will do its best attempt at discovering if this directory is mapped before moving any data.
### Logging
Previous versions have relied on Serilog to provide logging for both the server and launcher. An effort is being made to update this to more modern practices by integrating OpenTelemetry. As of right now, logging support for Seq and ElasticSearch is non-functional.
### SDK Changes
The SDK has been refactored to utilize dependency injection instead of relying on a monolithic singleton client. I'm not aware of any other projects using the SDK, but it's worth noting at this time.
## Major Changes / features
### Import/Export
As mentioned, importing and exporting has been rebuilt from the ground up, and as such the manifest format for LCX files has gone through some significant changes. Ultimately, this change reflects a closer parity between export files and the database schema, which should allow for extensibility in the future.
The core concept that drove this rewrite is **selective importing/exporting**. Now when you go to export or import a game, server, or redistributable you may choose which data you want to import or export. This includes metadata, archives, media, and user data such as save games or play sessions. This should make it easier to share only the data you want or to selectively migrate from one system to another.
### Launcher Authentication/Stability
A large effort was put into 2.0.0 to make the launcher more stable. A core issue has always been the authentication flow. While this still can be improved upon, the core changes put in should reduce the amount of soft-locking that could previously happen within the launcher.
### Chat
A bare-bones chat system has been added to the platform. As of right now this probably isn't entirely useful, but there's a good base for improvements in future versions.
### Packaging Scripts
Games and redistributables now support a new script type called **Package**. These scripts are designed to run on the server to package up a game/redistributable automatically. Package scripts are run on a recurring schedule, so they can be used to keep things up to date. Refer to the scripting documentation for more details.
### SteamCMD
The server now supports a basic integration with SteamCMD. Currently, you can authenticate to multiple Steam profiles. This pairs great with packaging scripts to keep your games up to date!
### Docker
The Docker image has been updated to support the new user data pathing. In addition, scripts have been added to allow the installation of both SteamCMD and WINE. These may be useful for writing packaging scripts or hosting dedicated servers in Docker-hosted environments.
For Docker Compose users, refer to the [sample docker-compose.yml](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/blob/v2.0.0-rc1/LANCommander.Server/docker-compose.yml) file in the repository.
### Metadata Retrieval
In previous versions, metadata retrieval was only possible through IGDB and you had to accept whatever it gave you. This has been retooled and you now have the option of importing metadata from either IGDB or PCGamingWiki. Once you select the correct game, you are also able to select which data you would like to pull. This is built on the back of the new import functionality, so it should be more stable as well! The framework has also been laid out where it should be easier to integrate other metadata sources in the future.
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
As if there weren't already enough changes in this release, here's a list of notable bug fixes that have been made in 2.0.0:
- Game process tracking is now more reliable and less prone to memory leaks
- Downloads now buffer correctly and file writes should happen asynchronously. This should increase download speeds while preventing long load times in the web UI.
- Metadata and libraries are now caching more effectively, resulting in faster response times
- API requests are now being prioritized over downloads. Users should see an increase in responsiveness while other users are downloading from the server.
- Game saves should now be more reliable on both upload and download
- Launcher authentication state should now be more reliable
- An unresponsive server should no longer cause fatal errors when trying to launch games
- The discovery beacon has been rebuilt from the ground up and should no longer cause hard crashes
- Thumbnail sizes can now be customized in settings
- IGDB metadata importing should now be more consistent
- Taxonomy metadata such as genre or tags is no longer being lost when updating other game information
## Downloads
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.0.0" />
## Contributors
As mentioned previously, this update had the most outside contributions over any other version. A big thanks to the following contributors and their pull requests:
[aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell)
- [#390](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/390) Skipping nightly CI if it's not the lancommander main repo
- [#282](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/282) Fix packaging and uploading save games by Launcher
- [#281](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/281) Fix storing several entities (such as Gamesaves) properly
- [#277](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/277) Fix importing tags on Lookup from IGDB
- [#272](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/272) Standalone mods/expansions as Base Game
- [#271](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/271) Fix changing base game of a game
- [#269](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/269) Option to delete selected Media entries
- [#268](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/268) Expiring Archives cache after recalculating/updating archives
- [#260](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/260) Utilizing MadMilkman.INI for ini parsing
- [#257](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/257) Fix "Name Change Script" from context menu nulling username in game files
More contributions are always welcome! If you would like to know how to help and have any of these skills, please reach out via Discord!
- Documentation maintenance
- ASP.NET Blazor development
- Discord moderation
- Docker image maintenance (we need more game servers!)
- Localization translation
- Avalonia development
And as always with a shameless plug, donations are welcome. Currently the best way to support the project is to [sign up over at Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/LANCommander). There's currently no special tiers for higher members other than getting a special "Bawler" role in the Discord and any locked posts are still accessible via the free tier.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
# LANCommander 2.0.1 Release Notes
## New Features
### Remote Server Engine
A new "Remote" server engine has been added as a way to link multiple LANCommander servers together. This can be configured from Settings -> Servers. Once configured / authenticated, servers defined in one instance can reference a server in the other. For example, if your main instance is hosted on a Linux host, you can add servers from another LANCommander instance running on a Windows host. All of the standard autostart / launcher integration features apply as well!
## Bug Fixes / Misc Improvements
- Script saving has been fixed across the board
- Media thumbnails should be loaded after new media is added via the media editor
- Imported addons will now be linked to their base game upon import, if the base game already exists
- The launcher's play button should now report correct state when games are starting/running
- Games should now take less time to start
- Avatar downloading in the launcher has been fixed
- The dropdown for changing default role now correctly shows the selected value
- Games larger than 10GB will now extract properly
- UI stutter during game extraction should be reduced
- The time to import games on the launcher should now be substantially reduced
- Admin scripts written to disk now follow the standard PowerShell RunAsAdministrator directive
- Admin scripts now execute properly and can be debugged in the launcher
- An issue causing scripts not to save properly upon download has been fixed
- Lobby actions for games have had their functionality restored in the launcher
- Server variables (`{ServerHost}`, `{ServerPort}`) should now be populated correctly when starting an action
LANCommander has been upgraded from .NET 8 to .NET 10. This should be a seamless transition as all LANCommander binaries are self-contained and include the appropriate .NET runtime. However, if you are running an older version of Windows that does not support .NET 10, you may encounter issues running this version of LANCommander. The minimum supported Windows version is now Windows 10 version 1809.
## Launching Into the Future
To kick things off, LANCommander 2.1.0 introduces a new launcher. As a recap, the previous launcher was built using .NET Blazor and wrapped into a Webview2 chrome using the open source project [Photino](https://www.tryphotino.io/). This decision was originally made in an effort to maintain a somewhat shared codebase with the server web UI.
Unfortunately, over time limitations of the platform made it apparent that a change had to be made. Community member [aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell) stepped up and built out a proof of concept for a launcher using Avalonia, an open-source native cross-platform UI framework for .NET. The potential was immediately clear and the decision was made to jump in head first. The following months saw the project refocus on build a new launcher with a major emphasis on performance, reliability, design, and feature parity.
The result is, well, a project that went off a little off the rails in the best possible fashion:
<ScreenshotCarousel screenshots={[
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Launcher.jpg').default, alt: 'Launcher', label: 'Launcher', caption: 'The brand new Avalonia-based launcher' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Shelf.jpg').default, alt: 'Shelf View', label: 'Shelf View', caption: 'Browse your library in the new shelf layout' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Depot.jpg').default, alt: 'Depot', label: 'Depot', caption: 'The redesigned depot with categorization carousels' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Screenshot.jpg').default, alt: 'Game Details', label: 'Game Details', caption: 'Screenshots and videos displayed right in the detail view' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Downloads.png').default, alt: 'Download Queue', label: 'Download Queue', caption: 'Track every step of the installation process' },
]} />
I think the screenshots speak for themselves. Okay, not quite, there's a lot of fun stuff in this build so let's dive right in!
### User Library
Previous versions of the launcher attempted to bring the art of a game to the forefront. These views are where most players spend their time interacting with the application. However, everyone's tastes are different. As such the library now contains three main views; cover grid, list, and shelf.

### Game Details
Browsing the user library is great and all, but the detail view is where a game really gets to shine. Metadata has shifted to the right-hand side, descriptions now support more complex formatting with Markdown rendering support, and _finally_ videos and screenshots are displayed in a carousel. A lightbox viewer lets you zoom in on screenshots, watch videos, and even read game manuals right from the detail view thanks to the new built-in PDF viewer.
This is really just the start of something new. Expect this part of the launcher to be built out more in the future with better publishing tools and metadata expansion.
### Depot
The depot has been overhauled too, probably more than any other part of the launcher. Previous iterations have been _fine_, but with large game sets it was hard to find just what you needed. The new depot puts a focus on categorization while maintaining granular filtering tools to get you exactly where you need to go.

As you can see, this section more than any other benefits from high quality metadata. We'll get into that later, but first let's talk about game installation.
### Download Queue
Game installation and downloading has been the hardest component to develop in the entire LANCommander platform. And rightly so! Without game installation, all you get is a fancy web UI and a pretty launcher that can't launch any games.
The LANCommander launcher is essentially a UI wrapper for the LANCommander SDK. The SDK is a .NET library that provides all of the useful bits of communicating with a LANCommander server install. Authentication, script execution, save management, game installation and so much more are provided through this library. In previous iterations, the SDK had a very strict execution plan for installing games. Often times this would lead to deadlocks and outright failures.
To resolve this in 2.1.0, the game install process has moved to a two-layer queuing system. The first layer of the queue manages what actually enters the download queue. This could be a game, redistributable, tool, or addon. The second layer handles any subprocessing step such as executing the different script types, save downloading, existing file verification, etc. The result is a system that is more transparent and reliable.
This queuing system has been exposed somewhat in the download queue:
Each entry in the download queue will now report each step of the process during a game installation. In addition to looking a bit less mystical, this should give users an idea of what _exactly_ is happening during a game installation.
### Discord Rich Presence
The launcher now integrates with Discord Rich Presence. When you're playing a game through LANCommander, your Discord status will update to show what you're playing. By default this will show as LANCommander with the game name as the status. If the game is mapped to the correct Discord ID (via external IDs in the server), then the game's official Discord assets will be used for a more polished presentation.
### Offline Mode
Previous attempts at an offline mode in the launcher were pretty clunky and unreliable. In 2.1.0, the launcher now has a proper offline mode that allows you to launch previously installed games even when the server is unreachable.
### Single Sign-On
SSO was supported in the previous launcher, but it was a bit of an afterthought and not super reliable. In the new launcher it's been given more attention and should work as expected.
### Chat
As with the last version, the chat functionality remains pretty barebones. This is an area that will get more attention in the future, but it _is_ currently available in the new launcher. It might even work a little better.
## Server Improvements
This release should also be pretty exciting for server admins. With a new launcher with shiny new features brings a set of tools to manage them.
### LANCommander HQ
A new metadata provider has been added: LANCommander HQ. This gives server admins another option for sourcing game metadata and media alongside IGDB and SteamGridDB. In addition, support for external IDs beyond IGDB has been introduced, making it easier to cross-reference games across multiple platforms and services. To get started with the HQ, link your Discord account under "Integrations / HQ" in the server settings. Existing metadata providers such as IGDB and SteamGridDB are still available as well, so no functionality has been lost from previous versions.
### Preview Tool
A new "Preview" editing view has been added to the server for managing game art. Inspired by the launcher's presentation, this tool gives admins a better sense of how their media will look in the launcher before publishing. Screenshots and videos can now be uploaded in bulk, and the media grabber supports selecting multiple assets at once. Animated covers are now supported as well, APNG images grabbed from SteamGridDB are automatically converted to video and should display in the new launcher.
The script editor has received a significant upgrade. Context-aware code completions now suggest built-in PowerShell cmdlets, LANCommander-specific variables, and generated type definitions. Validation has been improved, and script errors are now logged rather than silently swallowed. A new `Set-GameDetails` cmdlet has been added for specifying package details from within scripts.
### Redistributable Options
Redistributables now support configurable options. Options can be defined with a schema editor, given display names, and are preserved across import/export. Assigning redistributables to a game can now be accessed under the "Redistributables" section of the game editor. When selected, a redistributable with options will render as an easy-to-use form and per-game overrides can be defined.
A new **RunWrapper** script type has been added as well, giving admins more control over how redistributables and games are executed. This should enhance redistributables to cover more use cases such as emulators, launchers, and compatiblity shims like Proton or dgVoodoo.
### Key Management
Key allocation has been improved. The allocation method on keys is now nullable, and a new manual key assignment dialog has been added. The logic for choosing the next available key has also been reworked.
### Media & Tooling
Server settings now include checks for ffmpeg and yt-dlp availability, with automatic installation support in Docker environments. A new streaming endpoint for media has been added, improving video playback in the launcher. Automatic downloads for Steam screenshots have been added as well. YouTube video support has been added to the media grabber, and ffmpeg is now used for video processing tasks such as APNG conversion and thumbnail generation.
## LANCommander HQ
Last but far from least, this release coincides with the launch of [LANCommander HQ](https://hq.lancommander.com), a new metadata provider and community hub for LANCommander users. The HQ aims to provide a centralized platform for game metadata and media across multiple providers, while also normalizing and enhancing that data with a focus on the needs of LANCommander users. There's a bit to cover, so let's dive in!
### Metadata
LANCommander HQ aggregates metadata from multiple sources including IGDB, SteamGridDB, and user contributions. This data is then normalized and enhanced with a focus on the needs of LANCommander users. There are many metadata providers out there, and unfortunately they all have their own unique schemas and data quality issues. The HQ's goal is to provide a single source of truth for game metadata that can be consumed by LANCommander servers and launchers.
There are a lot of exciting features in the works for the HQ, but for this release the focus is on building out the core infrastructure and integrating with the new launcher. Expect to see more features and improvements in the future as the HQ continues to evolve.
### Community
The main features of the HQ are currently focused on metadata, but there is the potential to expand it into a broader community hub for LANCommander users. This could include an area to share game configurations, scripts, and other resources. Additionally, there are some content moderation tools in place that should allow the HQ to host user-generated content and provide the best possible experience for all users. If you have a knack for curation and want to help out, there will likely be opportunities to get involved in the future!
### Tiering / Subscriptions
The HQ operates on a tiered subscription model. Currently there are only two tiers: Basic (Free) and Premium ($5/month). The Basic tier provides access to the core metadata features of the HQ, while the Premium tier provides access to additional features such as enhanced metadata, relaxed rate limiting, and more. More information will be provided in the near future and will be provided on this site under the [LANCommander HQ](/hq) section. All paid subscriptions on the HQ are handled by Stripe, so every transaction is secure and your personal information is protected.
This subscription model is primarily in place to help cover the costs of running the HQ while also providing a sustainable path forward for continued development of LANCommander itself. This entire project is developed and maintained by essentially one person with some help from the community here and there. While this is a labor of love, there are real costs associated with running the infrastructure for the HQ and continued development of LANCommander. The subscription model is designed to be as accessible as possible while also providing a way for users to support the project if they find value in it.
As such, this will probably mean that the Patreon page will be going away in the near future. For existing patrons, it is recommended to switch over to the new subscription model on the HQ as it provides a more direct way to support the project and access the benefits of the HQ _today_.
## Contributions
This release includes contributions from the following community members:
A substantial 42-commit, 6,000-line PR that bootstrapped the cross-platform Avalonia launcher. Aaron built out the core application structure, service wiring, and async initialization, and then built out the UI with filtered depot browsing and grid layout, a download queue, install/uninstall flows, a settings page, PDF manual viewer, game action bars, and a full CI pipeline for Windows, Linux, and macOS builds. A lot of the foundation that the current launcher sits on came from this PR.
**@akifreak | PR [#398](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/398): Fix Game Archive Upload**
Discovered that archive uploads through the web UI were silently broken after upgrading to v2.0.2, traced the problem through the JavaScript bundle, and submitted 11 targeted fixes rather than a single bug report. The fixes covered ES module loading, null-guards on DOM elements, a FileMode.Append seek conflict, incorrect archive ID passing, and error propagation throughout the upload pipeline. The uploading process should feel much more stable now!
**@MasterMNB | PR [#400](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/400): Avalonia Launcher Back Button**
Improved the visibility and styling of the back button in the `GameDetailView`, which was previously hard to distinguish from the background. It's a small change, but it's a real usability improvement that makes navigation feel more intentional.
## Changelog
**Launcher**
- Added: Brand new launcher built on Avalonia
- Added: Screenshots and videos in game detail carousel with lightbox viewer
- Added: Redesigned depot with categorization carousels and advanced filtering
- Added: Tools support
- Added: Download transfer speed graph
- Added: OS notifications upon game installation completion
- Added: Discord Rich Presence integration
- Added: Offline mode for playing games without server connectivity
- Added: SSO/OIDC external authentication provider support
- Added: Built-in PDF viewer for game manuals
- Added: Splash screen on startup
- Added: Verify files option in game dropdown
- Added: Markdown rendering for game descriptions
- Changed: Refactored game/redistributable/tool install process to two-layer queue system
- Changed: Imports should be faster and execute in the background without causing major UI hiccups
- Changed: Improved memory management with proper disposal of HTTP clients, RPC clients, and cancellation tokens
- Fixed: Installing games that already have files on disk will show the verification process during install
- Fixed: Logging in and logging out should no longer cause a hung UI
- Fixed: Install-uninstall-reinstall cycle no longer locks the game
- Fixed: Authentication token race condition causing crashes after login
**Server**
- Added: LANCommander HQ metadata provider support
- Added: Support for external IDs beyond IGDB
- Added: New launcher-inspired "Preview" tool for managing art
- Added: Context-aware script editor with code completions, validation, and PowerShell type definitions
- Added: Redistributable options with schema editor and display names
- Added: RunWrapper script type
- Added: Package versioning for archives
- Added: Bulk upload for screenshots and videos
- Added: Multiple select support in media grabber
- Added: Animated cover support (APNG auto-conversion to video)
- Added: Steam screenshot downloads
- Added: YouTube video support in media grabber
- Added: Media streaming endpoint
- Added: ffmpeg/yt-dlp availability checks and auto-install in Docker
- Added: Manual key assignment dialog and reworked key allocation
- Added: `Set-GameDetails` cmdlet for package scripts
- Fixed: Media uploads should now behave as expected
- Fixed: Game archive uploads in web UI
- Fixed: Orphaned files tool
- Fixed: Redistributable archive downloads
- Fixed: Script working directory for games
- Fixed: SteamCMD login when SteamGuard is enabled
A new variable picker dialog has been added to the action editor and save path editor in the server UI. When editing action arguments, working directories, or save paths, a new button opens a dialog that lets you browse and insert LANCommander variables (`{InstallDir}`, `{DisplayWidth}`, etc.), environment variables (`%APPDATA%`, `%LOCALAPPDATA%`, etc.), and special folder paths (`%MyDocuments%`, `%Desktop%`, etc.) with a single click. No more needing to remember exact variable names or syntax.
## Redistributable Improvements
### File Tracking and Cleanup
Redistributable files installed into a game's directory are now tracked. When a game is uninstalled, any files that were extracted by redistributables are cleaned up alongside the game's own files. This prevents leftover redistributable artifacts from lingering in the install directory after uninstallation.
### Detect Install Script Behavior
The redistributable install detection logic has been updated. If a redistributable does not have a detect install script defined, the install script will now always run rather than being skipped. This ensures that redistributables without detection scripts are reliably installed every time, which is the expected behavior for most simple redistributable configurations.
## Package Script Filtering
Package scripts are now filtered out of API responses for games, redistributables, and tools. These scripts are used internally during the packaging process and should not be sent to clients. This filtering is applied at both the endpoint and AutoMapper levels, ensuring that package scripts never leak to launchers or other API consumers.
## Launcher CLI Improvements
### Full Command Line Verb Support
The Avalonia launcher now supports the full set of CLI verbs: `RunScript`, `Install`, `Uninstall`, `Run`, `Sync`, `Import`, `Export`, `Upload`, `Login`, `Logout`, and `ChangeAlias`. Previously only `RunScript` was supported in headless mode. The `--help` and `--version` flags are also now recognized. Console logging has been added for headless execution.
### CLI Project Removal
The standalone `LANCommander.Launcher.CLI` project has been removed. All CLI functionality is now handled directly by the Avalonia launcher's headless mode, consolidating the codebase and eliminating the need for a separate CLI binary.
## C++ SDK
A new C++ SDK (`LANCommander.SDK.Cpp`) has been introduced. Written in C++14, it provides maximum compatibility from Windows 95 through modern platforms. The SDK includes 16 API clients covering authentication, games, library, saves, media, tools, depot, and more. It ships with two HTTP backend implementations (WinINet for Windows and libcurl for cross-platform) and uses vendored cJSON for zero mandatory external dependencies. This SDK is the foundation that powers the legacy launcher.
## Legacy Launcher
:::note A Fun Detour
The legacy launcher is a fun side project and detour from the main development track. It should not be regarded as a primary concern or a supported production launcher. Think of it as an experiment in seeing just how far back LANCommander's reach can extend.
:::
The legacy launcher is a native Win32 application written in C++ that targets Windows 9x (Windows 95/98/ME) and beyond. Built on Allegro 4 for rendering and GDI+ for image decoding (JPEG cover art, backgrounds, etc.), it provides a surprisingly full-featured LANCommander experience on vintage hardware. GDI+ is a requirement and must be available on the target system. For Windows 9x systems, this means installing the [GDI+ redistributable](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=18909).
Features include:
- **Library and Depot browsing** with cover art grid
- **Game detail view** with metadata and screenshots
- **Download queue** with progress tracking
- **Login screen** with server authentication
- **Settings screen** with configurable server address
- **SQLite-backed local database** for offline game metadata
- **Custom window chrome** with a themed UI
- **Unicode support** for international character sets
<ScreenshotCarousel screenshots={[
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0-rc2 - Legacy Launcher - Login.png').default, alt: 'Legacy Launcher Login', label: 'Login', caption: 'The login screen running on Windows 98' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0-rc2 - Legacy Launcher - Library.png').default, alt: 'Legacy Launcher Library', label: 'Library', caption: 'Browsing the game library with cover art' },
The Avalonia launcher now supports automatic server discovery using the beacon system. When connecting to a server, the launcher can discover LANCommander servers on the local network without needing to manually enter an address. This feature was already present in the legacy Photino launcher and has now been brought forward to the new Avalonia-based launcher.
## Launcher Improvements
### List View Rework
The list view in the launcher library has been reworked for a cleaner presentation and better usability. It is essentially a reimagination of the library view in the previous launcher.
### Carousel Fixes
Cover art in carousels has received several visual fixes. The shadow overlay on covers now renders correctly, and covers are no longer cut off at the bottom when hovered. These are small polish items that improve the overall look and feel of the depot and library views.
### Play Button State
The play button now correctly reflects the current state of a running game, showing the appropriate playing/stop indicator when a game is actively running.
### Performance Optimizations
General launcher optimizations have been made to improve responsiveness and reduce resource usage.
## Bug Fixes
### Redistributable and Tool Importing
Fixed an issue where importing redistributables and tools from an LCX file was not working correctly.
### Linux Path Expansion
Path variable expansion now correctly preserves the Linux root (`/`) prefix. Previously, expanding variables like `{InstallDir}` on Linux could strip the leading slash, resulting in incorrect paths.
## Contributions
This release includes contributions from the following community members:
Back for another round of contributions, akifreak tracked down and fixed an issue where server discovery wasn't working reliably. In some cases the launcher was actually finding servers on the network but wasn't surfacing them in the UI. The fix spans the full discovery pipeline; making the probe socket more resilient to bad data, ensuring beacon responses actually reach the client, and refreshing the server list as soon as a new server is found.
## Changelog
**Launcher**
- Added: Automatic server discovery via beacon system
- Added: Play session sync on game import
- Added: Additional save handling logging
- Changed: Reworked list view layout
- Changed: Performance optimizations
- Changed: Increased cover art rendering quality
- Changed: Action bar layout and behavior adjustments
- Fixed: Shadow overlay on covers in carousels
- Fixed: Cover art clipping on hover in carousels
- Fixed: Play button now shows correct playing/stop state when a game is running
- Fixed: Linux path variable expansion now preserves root prefix
**Server**
- Fixed: Redistributable and tool importing
- Fixed: Media settings page failing to render
**SDK**
- Fixed: Discovery probe socket resilience against malformed data
- Fixed: Broadcast send reliability in DiscoveryProbe
- Fixed: Beacon responses now forwarded to BeaconClient event
- Fixed: Save client now checks for newer server saves before uploading
- Added: Logging in save packaging and upload pipeline
The Avalonia launcher now supports a big screen mode designed for use with TVs and handhelds. When enabled, the launcher switches to a fullscreen layout optimized for focused gaming. This pairs with the new gamepad navigation support to make LANCommander usable from the sofa or a handheld without a keyboard or mouse.
## Gamepad Navigation
Full gamepad support has been added to the Avalonia launcher. Controllers are detected and mapped using SDL2, and directional navigation has been implemented across the library views, carousels, game detail pages, and overlay dialogs. Focus management handles moving between UI elements naturally with a d-pad or analog stick, making it possible to browse, install, and launch games entirely with a controller. This feature is still a bit rough around the edges, but should improve in future releases.
## RunWrapper Scripts for Redistributables
RunWrapper scripts were previously defined as a script type but never actually executed. This release adds full execution support during game launch. RunWrapper scripts now run alongside the game process with proper state tracking, cancellation support, and child process cleanup when the game exits.
## Packaging Dialog
The "Package" button has been moved from individual game, redistributable, and tool edit pages to the archive editor. A new packaging dialog provides a consolidated view of the packaging process, making it easier to build and manage archives directly from the archive list.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed scrollbar being overlapped by the titlebar in the launcher
- Fixed HQ metadata lookups by updating the HQ SDK dependency
- Fixed media downloads failing during game import
- Fixed icon downloading
- Fixed server save check incorrectly determining newer saves were available
## Changelog
**Launcher**
- Added: Big screen mode for fullscreen TV/controller use
- Added: Gamepad navigation across library, carousels, detail views, and overlays
- Fixed: Scrollbar overlapped by titlebar
- Fixed: Media download on import
- Fixed: Icon downloading
**Server**
- Added: Packaging dialog on archive editor
- Added: RunWrapper script type available for redistributable scripts
- Changed: Moved "Package" button from edit pages to archive editor
- Changed: Updated PowerShell code snippets
- Fixed: HQ metadata lookups
**SDK**
- Added: RunWrapper script execution for redistributables with process lifecycle management
- Changed: Multi-target framework support
- Changed: Source-generated cmdlet registration via new `CmdletRegistrationGenerator`
- Fixed: Save client check for newer saves on server
A new standalone Avalonia application, LANCommander Packager, has been added for building LCX package files outside of the server. The packager works by monitoring the files and registry entries created by a game's installer. You can then choose which files / registry keys are bundled into the final LCX file.
## Background Uploading
Archive uploads now continue in the background, allowing you to navigate away from the upload page without losing progress. An upload indicator in the sidebar tracks active uploads so you can continue working in other areas of the server while files transfer. This also applies to the import upload dialog.
## HQ Login in First Time Setup
The first time setup wizard now includes a step to log in to LANCommander HQ directly during initial configuration. This streamlines connecting to HQ for metadata and media lookups without needing to visit the settings page after setup is complete.
## File Manager Improvements
The server file manager has received several usability improvements including faster enumeration of large directories, toggleable columns, new Created and Type columns, fixed breadcrumb navigation, and a properly built directory tree with support for cross-platform roots and special folders.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed standalone expansions and mods appearing in nested game lists (#284)
- Fixed missing nested game data
- Fixed save path matching failing on Windows due to backslash normalization (#266)
- Fixed log viewer not working under Settings / Logs (#393)
- Fixed user approval menu item not functioning (#405)
- Fixed archive processing when using "Use Local File"
- Fixed "Use Local File" button being incorrectly disabled
## Changelog
**Server**
- Added: Background uploading with sidebar progress indicator
- Added: HQ login step in first time setup wizard
- Added: Button to download current log file
- Changed: Improved file manager with faster directory enumeration, toggleable columns, and cross-platform directory tree
- Fixed: Log viewer under Settings / Logs (#393)
- Fixed: User approval menu item (#405)
- Fixed: Archive processing for "Use Local File"
- Fixed: "Use Local File" disabled button
- Fixed: Standalone expansions/mods shown in nested game lists (#284)
- Fixed: Missing nested game data
**Packager**
- Added: New standalone application for building LCX package files
- Added: CI workflow for building and releasing the packager
- Added: Documentation for packager usage and LCX format
**SDK**
- Fixed: Save path normalization to use forward slashes before regex matching (#266)
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ScreenshotCarousel from '@site/src/components/ScreenshotCarousel';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.0 Release Notes
:::tip Latest Version
This page covers the full LANCommander 2.1 series. The latest patch is **2.1.9** — see [Patch Updates](#patch-updates) below for what's changed since the initial release.
:::
LANCommander 2.1.0 is a landmark release that touches virtually every part of the platform. A brand new launcher built on Avalonia, a standalone packager application, a C++ SDK powering a legacy Win32 launcher, major server improvements, and the launch of LANCommander HQ all come together in what has been the most ambitious update cycle to date.
## Breaking Changes
### .NET 10
LANCommander has been upgraded from .NET 8 to .NET 10. This should be a seamless transition as all LANCommander binaries are self-contained and include the appropriate .NET runtime. However, if you are running an older version of Windows that does not support .NET 10, you may encounter issues running this version of LANCommander. The minimum supported Windows version is now Windows 10 version 1809.
## Launching Into the Future
To kick things off, LANCommander 2.1.0 introduces a new launcher. As a recap, the previous launcher was built using .NET Blazor and wrapped into a Webview2 chrome using the open source project [Photino](https://www.tryphotino.io/). This decision was originally made in an effort to maintain a somewhat shared codebase with the server web UI.
Unfortunately, over time limitations of the platform made it apparent that a change had to be made. Community member [aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell) stepped up and built out a proof of concept for a launcher using Avalonia, an open-source native cross-platform UI framework for .NET. The potential was immediately clear and the decision was made to jump in head first. The following months saw the project refocus on building a new launcher with a major emphasis on performance, reliability, design, and feature parity.
The result is, well, a project that went off a little off the rails in the best possible fashion:
<ScreenshotCarousel screenshots={[
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Launcher.jpg').default, alt: 'Launcher', label: 'Launcher', caption: 'The brand new Avalonia-based launcher' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Shelf.jpg').default, alt: 'Shelf View', label: 'Shelf View', caption: 'Browse your library in the new shelf layout' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Depot.jpg').default, alt: 'Depot', label: 'Depot', caption: 'The redesigned depot with categorization carousels' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Screenshot.jpg').default, alt: 'Game Details', label: 'Game Details', caption: 'Screenshots and videos displayed right in the detail view' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Downloads.png').default, alt: 'Download Queue', label: 'Download Queue', caption: 'Track every step of the installation process' },
]} />
I think the screenshots speak for themselves. Okay, not quite, there's a lot of fun stuff in this build so let's dive right in!
### User Library
Previous versions of the launcher attempted to bring the art of a game to the forefront. These views are where most players spend their time interacting with the application. However, everyone's tastes are different. As such the library now contains three main views; cover grid, list, and shelf.

### Game Details
Browsing the user library is great and all, but the detail view is where a game really gets to shine. Metadata has shifted to the right-hand side, descriptions now support more complex formatting with Markdown rendering support, and _finally_ videos and screenshots are displayed in a carousel. A lightbox viewer lets you zoom in on screenshots, watch videos, and even read game manuals right from the detail view thanks to the new built-in PDF viewer.
This is really just the start of something new. Expect this part of the launcher to be built out more in the future with better publishing tools and metadata expansion.
### Depot
The depot has been overhauled too, probably more than any other part of the launcher. Previous iterations have been _fine_, but with large game sets it was hard to find just what you needed. The new depot puts a focus on categorization while maintaining granular filtering tools to get you exactly where you need to go.

As you can see, this section more than any other benefits from high quality metadata. We'll get into that later, but first let's talk about game installation.
### Download Queue
Game installation and downloading has been the hardest component to develop in the entire LANCommander platform. And rightly so! Without game installation, all you get is a fancy web UI and a pretty launcher that can't launch any games.
The LANCommander launcher is essentially a UI wrapper for the LANCommander SDK. The SDK is a .NET library that provides all of the useful bits of communicating with a LANCommander server install. Authentication, script execution, save management, game installation and so much more are provided through this library. In previous iterations, the SDK had a very strict execution plan for installing games. Often times this would lead to deadlocks and outright failures.
To resolve this in 2.1.0, the game install process has moved to a two-layer queuing system. The first layer of the queue manages what actually enters the download queue. This could be a game, redistributable, tool, or addon. The second layer handles any subprocessing step such as executing the different script types, save downloading, existing file verification, etc. The result is a system that is more transparent and reliable.
This queuing system has been exposed somewhat in the download queue:
Each entry in the download queue will now report each step of the process during a game installation. In addition to looking a bit less mystical, this should give users an idea of what _exactly_ is happening during a game installation.
### Big Screen Mode & Gamepad Navigation
The launcher now supports a big screen mode designed for use with TVs and handhelds. When enabled, the launcher switches to a fullscreen layout optimized for focused gaming. Gamepad support has been added as well. Controllers are detected and mapped using SDL2, and directional navigation has been implemented across the library views, carousels, game detail pages, and overlay dialogs. Focus management handles moving between UI elements naturally with a d-pad or analog stick, making it possible to browse, install, and launch games with a controller. This feature is pretty barebones for now, but adds a foundation for deeper integration in the future.
### Discord Rich Presence
The launcher now integrates with Discord Rich Presence. When you're playing a game through LANCommander, your Discord status will update to show what you're playing. By default this will show as LANCommander with the game name as the status. If the game is mapped to the correct Discord ID (via external IDs in the server), then the game's official Discord assets will be used for a more polished presentation.
### Offline Mode
Previous attempts at an offline mode in the launcher were pretty clunky and unreliable. In 2.1.0, the launcher now has a proper offline mode that allows you to launch previously installed games even when the server is unreachable.
### Command Line Interface
The Avalonia launcher now handles all CLI functionality directly, replacing the previous standalone CLI project. The full set of CLI verbs is supported: `RunScript`, `Install`, `Uninstall`, `Run`, `Sync`, `Import`, `Export`, `Upload`, `Login`, `Logout`, and `ChangeAlias`. The `--help` and `--version` flags are also recognized, and console logging has been added for headless execution.
### Single Sign-On
SSO was supported in the previous launcher, but it was a bit of an afterthought and not super reliable. In the new launcher it's been given more attention and should work as expected.
### Chat
As with the last version, the chat functionality remains pretty barebones. This is an area that will get more attention in the future, but it _is_ currently available in the new launcher. It might even work a little better.
## Server Improvements
This release should also be pretty exciting for server admins. With a new launcher and shiny new features brings a set of tools to manage them.
### LANCommander HQ
A new metadata provider has been added: LANCommander HQ. This gives server admins another option for sourcing game metadata and media alongside IGDB and SteamGridDB. In addition, support for external IDs beyond IGDB has been introduced, making it easier to cross-reference games across multiple platforms and services. To get started with the HQ, link your Discord account under "Integrations / HQ" in the server settings. The first time setup wizard now includes a step to log in to HQ directly during initial configuration, streamlining the onboarding experience. Existing metadata providers such as IGDB and SteamGridDB are still available as well, so no functionality has been lost from previous versions. We'll cover more about HQ later on in these notes.
### Preview Tool
A new "Preview" editing view has been added to the server for managing game art. Inspired by the launcher's presentation, this tool gives admins a better sense of how their media will look in the launcher before publishing. Screenshots and videos can now be uploaded in bulk, and the media grabber supports selecting multiple assets at once. Animated covers are now supported as well, APNG images grabbed from SteamGridDB are automatically converted to video and should display in the new launcher.
The script editor has received a significant upgrade. Context-aware code completions now suggest built-in PowerShell cmdlets, LANCommander-specific variables, and generated type definitions. Validation has been improved, and script errors are now logged rather than silently swallowed. A new `Set-GameDetails` cmdlet has been added for specifying package details from within scripts.
### Variable Picker Dialog
A new variable picker dialog has been added to the action editor and save path editor. When editing action arguments, working directories, or save paths, a new button opens a dialog that lets you browse and insert LANCommander variables (`{InstallDir}`, `{DisplayWidth}`, etc.), environment variables (`%APPDATA%`, `%LOCALAPPDATA%`, etc.), and special folder paths (`%MyDocuments%`, `%Desktop%`, etc.) with a single click.
### Redistributable Options
Redistributables now support configurable options. Options can be defined with a schema editor, given display names, and are preserved across import/export. Assigning redistributables to a game can now be accessed under the "Redistributables" section of the game editor. When selected, a redistributable with options will render as an easy-to-use form and per-game overrides can be defined.
A new **RunWrapper** script type has been added as well, giving admins more control over how redistributables and games are executed. RunWrapper scripts now run alongside the game process with proper state tracking, cancellation support, and child process cleanup when the game exits. This should enhance redistributables to cover more use cases such as emulators, launchers, and compatibility shims like Proton or dgVoodoo.
### Packaging Dialog
The "Package" button has been moved from individual game, redistributable, and tool edit pages to the archive editor. A new packaging dialog provides a consolidated view of the packaging process, making it easier to build and manage archives directly from the archive list.
### Background Uploading
Archive uploads now continue in the background, allowing you to navigate away from the upload page without losing progress. An upload indicator in the sidebar tracks active uploads so you can continue working in other areas of the server while files transfer. This also applies to the import upload dialog.
### File Manager Improvements
The server file manager has received several usability improvements including faster enumeration of large directories, toggleable columns, new Created and Type columns, fixed breadcrumb navigation, and a properly built directory tree with support for cross-platform roots and special folders.
### Key Management
Key allocation has been improved. The allocation method on keys is now nullable, and a new manual key assignment dialog has been added. The logic for choosing the next available key has also been reworked.
### Media & Tooling
Server settings now include checks for ffmpeg and yt-dlp availability, with automatic installation support in Docker environments. A new streaming endpoint for media has been added, improving video playback in the launcher. Automatic downloads for Steam screenshots have been added as well. YouTube video support has been added to the media grabber, and ffmpeg is now used for video processing tasks such as APNG conversion and thumbnail generation.
## LANCommander Packager
A new standalone Avalonia application, LANCommander Packager, has been added for building LCX package files outside of the server. The packager works by monitoring the files and registry entries created by a game's installer. You can then choose which files and registry keys are bundled into the final LCX file. If the tool is authenticated to a LANCommander server instance, the game can be directly uploaded to the server as well.
<ScreenshotCarousel screenshots={[
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Monitor.png').default, alt: 'Packager Monitor', label: 'Monitor', caption: 'The Packager application will monitor the files and registry entries created during installation' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Select Files.png').default, alt: 'Packager Select Files', label: 'Select Files', caption: 'Files can be individually selected to include in the final import file' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Registry.png').default, alt: 'Packager Registry Entries', label: 'Registry Entries', caption: 'Registry entries can be individually selected and will be included in install/uninstall scripts' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Metadata.png').default, alt: 'Packager Metadata', label: 'Metadata', caption: 'Basic metadata can be defined before packaging' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Metadata Lookup.png').default, alt: 'Packager Metadata Lookup', label: 'Metadata Lookup', caption: 'Metadata can also be pulled in from metadata providers' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Select Executable.png').default, alt: 'Packager Select Executable', label: 'Select Executable', caption: 'The primary action can be defined before packaging' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0 - Packager - Generate Package.png').default, alt: 'Packager Generate Package', label: 'Generate Package', caption: 'The final package can be created as an .LCX file or uploaded directly to a server' },
]} />
## C++ SDK & Legacy Launcher
### C++ SDK
A new C++ SDK (`LANCommander.SDK.Cpp`) has been introduced. Written in C++14, it provides maximum compatibility from Windows 95 through modern platforms. The SDK includes 16 API clients covering authentication, games, library, saves, media, tools, depot, and more. It ships with two HTTP backend implementations (WinINet for Windows and libcurl for cross-platform) and uses vendored cJSON for zero mandatory external dependencies. This SDK is the foundation that powers the legacy launcher.
### Legacy Launcher
:::note A Fun Detour
The legacy launcher is a fun side project and detour from the main development track. It should not be regarded as a primary concern or a supported production launcher. Think of it as an experiment in seeing just how far back LANCommander's reach can extend.
:::
The legacy launcher is a native Win32 application written in C++ that targets Windows 9x (Windows 95/98/ME) and beyond. Built on Allegro 4 for rendering and GDI+ for image decoding (JPEG cover art, backgrounds, etc.), it provides a surprisingly full-featured LANCommander experience on vintage hardware. GDI+ is a requirement and must be available on the target system. For Windows 9x systems, this means installing the [GDI+ redistributable](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=18909).
Features include:
- **Library and Depot browsing** with cover art grid
- **Game detail view** with metadata and screenshots
- **Download queue** with progress tracking
- **Login screen** with server authentication
- **Settings screen** with configurable server address
- **SQLite-backed local database** for offline game metadata
- **Custom window chrome** with a themed UI
- **Unicode support** for international character sets
<ScreenshotCarousel screenshots={[
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0-rc2 - Legacy Launcher - Login.png').default, alt: 'Legacy Launcher Login', label: 'Login', caption: 'The login screen running on Windows 98' },
{ src: require('./_Assets/2.1.0-rc2 - Legacy Launcher - Library.png').default, alt: 'Legacy Launcher Library', label: 'Library', caption: 'Browsing the game library with cover art' },
Last but far from least, this release coincides with the launch of [LANCommander HQ](https://hq.lancommander.com), a new metadata provider and community hub for LANCommander users. The HQ aims to provide a centralized platform for game metadata and media across multiple providers, while also normalizing and enhancing that data with a focus on the needs of LANCommander users. There's a bit to cover, so let's dive in!
### Metadata
LANCommander HQ aggregates metadata from multiple sources including IGDB, SteamGridDB, and user contributions. This data is then normalized and enhanced with a focus on the needs of LANCommander users. There are many metadata providers out there, and unfortunately they all have their own unique schemas and data quality issues. The HQ's goal is to provide a single source of truth for game metadata that can be consumed by LANCommander servers and launchers.
There are a lot of exciting features in the works for the HQ, but for this release the focus is on building out the core infrastructure and integrating with the new launcher. Expect to see more features and improvements in the future as the HQ continues to evolve.
### Community
The main features of the HQ are currently focused on metadata, but there is the potential to expand it into a broader community hub for LANCommander users. This could include an area to share game configurations, scripts, and other resources. Additionally, there are some content moderation tools in place that should allow the HQ to host user-generated content and provide the best possible experience for all users. If you have a knack for curation and want to help out, there will likely be opportunities to get involved in the future!
### Tiering / Subscriptions
The HQ operates on a tiered subscription model. Currently there are only two tiers: Basic (Free) and Premium ($5/month). The Basic tier provides access to the core metadata features of the HQ, while the Premium tier provides access to additional features such as enhanced metadata, relaxed rate limiting, and more. More information will be provided in the near future and will be provided on this site under the [LANCommander HQ](/hq) section. All paid subscriptions on the HQ are handled by Stripe, so every transaction is secure and your personal information is protected.
This subscription model is primarily in place to help cover the costs of running the HQ while also providing a sustainable path forward for continued development of LANCommander itself. This entire project is developed and maintained by essentially one person with some help from the community here and there. While this is a labor of love, there are real costs associated with running the infrastructure for the HQ and continued development of LANCommander. The subscription model is designed to be as accessible as possible while also providing a way for users to support the project if they find value in it.
As such, this will probably mean that the Patreon page will be going away in the near future. For existing patrons, it is recommended to switch over to the new subscription model on the HQ as it provides a more direct way to support the project and access the benefits of the HQ _today_.
## Contributions
This release includes contributions from the following community members:
A substantial 42-commit, 6,000-line PR that bootstrapped the cross-platform Avalonia launcher. Aaron built out the core application structure, service wiring, and async initialization, and then built out the UI with filtered depot browsing and grid layout, a download queue, install/uninstall flows, a settings page, PDF manual viewer, game action bars, and a full CI pipeline for Windows, Linux, and macOS builds. A lot of the foundation that the current launcher sits on came from this PR.
**@akifreak | PR [#398](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/398): Fix Game Archive Upload**
Discovered that archive uploads through the web UI were silently broken after upgrading to v2.0.2, traced the problem through the JavaScript bundle, and submitted 11 targeted fixes rather than a single bug report. The fixes covered ES module loading, null-guards on DOM elements, a FileMode.Append seek conflict, incorrect archive ID passing, and error propagation throughout the upload pipeline. The uploading process should feel much more stable now!
Back for another round of contributions, akifreak tracked down and fixed an issue where server discovery wasn't working reliably. In some cases the launcher was actually finding servers on the network but wasn't surfacing them in the UI. The fix spans the full discovery pipeline; making the probe socket more resilient to bad data, ensuring beacon responses actually reach the client, and refreshing the server list as soon as a new server is found.
**@MasterMNB | PR [#400](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/pull/400): Avalonia Launcher Back Button**
Improved the visibility and styling of the back button in the `GameDetailView`, which was previously hard to distinguish from the background. It's a small change, but it's a real usability improvement that makes navigation feel more intentional.
## Changelog
**Launcher**
- Added: Brand new launcher built on Avalonia
- Added: Screenshots and videos in game detail carousel with lightbox viewer
- Added: Redesigned depot with categorization carousels and advanced filtering
- Added: Tools support
- Added: Download transfer speed graph
- Added: OS notifications upon game installation completion
- Added: Discord Rich Presence integration
- Added: SSO/OIDC external authentication provider support
- Added: Built-in PDF viewer for game manuals
- Added: Splash screen on startup
- Added: Verify files option in game dropdown
- Added: Markdown rendering for game descriptions
- Added: Big screen mode for fullscreen TV/controller use
- Added: Gamepad navigation across library, carousels, detail views, and overlays
- Added: Full set of CLI verbs (Install, Uninstall, Run, Sync, Import, Export, Upload, Login, Logout, ChangeAlias)
- Added: Console logging for headless CLI execution
- Changed: Refactored game/redistributable/tool install process to two-layer queue system
- Changed: Imports should be faster and execute in the background without causing major UI hiccups
- Changed: Improved memory management with proper disposal of HTTP clients, RPC clients, and cancellation tokens
- Changed: Redistributable files are now tracked and cleaned up on uninstall
- Changed: Redistributables without detect install scripts now always run the install script
- Fixed: Installing games that already have files on disk will show the verification process during install
- Fixed: Linux path variable expansion now preserves root prefix
- Fixed: Script writing for all script types
- Removed: Standalone CLI project (functionality merged into Avalonia launcher)
**Server**
- Added: LANCommander HQ metadata provider support
- Added: Support for external IDs beyond IGDB
- Added: New launcher-inspired "Preview" tool for managing art
- Added: Context-aware script editor with code completions, validation, and PowerShell type definitions
- Added: Redistributable options with schema editor and display names
- Added: RunWrapper script type with full execution support
- Added: Package versioning for archives
- Added: Bulk upload for screenshots and videos
- Added: Multiple select support in media grabber
- Added: Animated cover support (APNG auto-conversion to video)
- Added: Steam screenshot downloads
- Added: YouTube video support in media grabber
- Added: Media streaming endpoint
- Added: ffmpeg/yt-dlp availability checks and auto-install in Docker
- Added: Manual key assignment dialog and reworked key allocation
- Added: `Set-GameDetails` cmdlet for package scripts
- Added: Variable picker dialog for action editor and save path editor
- Added: Packaging dialog on archive editor
- Added: RunWrapper script type available for redistributable scripts
- Added: Background uploading with sidebar progress indicator
- Added: HQ login step in first time setup wizard
- Added: Button to download current log file
- Changed: Moved "Package" button from edit pages to archive editor
- Changed: Updated PowerShell code snippets
- Changed: Improved file manager with faster directory enumeration, toggleable columns, and cross-platform directory tree
- Fixed: Media uploads should now behave as expected
- Fixed: Game archive uploads in web UI
- Fixed: Orphaned files tool
- Fixed: Redistributable archive downloads
- Fixed: Script working directory for games
- Fixed: SteamCMD login when SteamGuard is enabled
- Fixed: Import file cleanup after completion
- Fixed: Package scripts are no longer exposed through API responses
- Fixed: Script helper now correctly maps Package and RunWrapper script filenames
- Fixed: Redistributable and tool importing
- Fixed: Media settings page failing to render
- Fixed: HQ metadata lookups
- Fixed: Log viewer under Settings / Logs (#393)
- Fixed: User approval menu item (#405)
- Fixed: Archive processing for "Use Local File"
- Fixed: "Use Local File" disabled button
- Fixed: Standalone expansions/mods shown in nested game lists (#284)
- Fixed: Missing nested game data
**Packager**
- Added: New standalone application for building LCX package files
- Added: CI workflow for building and releasing the packager
**Legacy Launcher**
- Added: Complete native Win32 launcher targeting Windows 9x
- Added: Library and depot browsing with cover art grid
- Added: Game detail view with metadata display
- Added: Download queue with SQLite-backed local database
- Added: Settings screen with YAML configuration
- Added: Custom themed window chrome
- Added: Unicode support for Win9x targets
- Added: CI workflow for automated builds
**SDK**
- Added: C++ SDK (LANCommander.SDK.Cpp) with C++14 compatibility
- Added: WinINet and libcurl HTTP backend implementations
- Added: 16 API clients covering full LANCommander API surface
- Added: RunWrapper script execution for redistributables with process lifecycle management
- Added: Logging in save packaging and upload pipeline
- Changed: Game list filtering now shows only standalone mods/expansions and main games
- Changed: Multi-target framework support
- Changed: Source-generated cmdlet registration via new `CmdletRegistrationGenerator`
- Fixed: Discovery probe socket resilience against malformed data
- Fixed: Broadcast send reliability in DiscoveryProbe
- Fixed: Beacon responses now forwarded to BeaconClient event
- Fixed: Save client now checks for newer server saves before uploading
- Fixed: Save path normalization to use forward slashes before regex matching (#266)
**Infrastructure**
- Upgraded to .NET 10
- Added ARM64 build support
- Removed legacy Photino launcher from CI
- Added nightly builds for Avalonia launcher
## Patch Updates
### 2.1.1
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.1 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### User Registration in Launcher
User registration has been added back into the launcher's login screen. This was a feature from the old launcher that was missed in the port to Avalonia.
##### Game Update Support
The Avalonia launcher's update functionality was only partially-implemented. This has been completed and moved over to the new installation workflow system. Additionally, updates for games can be ignored by clicking the dropdown next to the "Update" button and selecting "Play without updating".
#### Improvements
- Game titles are now dimmed in the library when not installed, making it easier to see what's ready to play at a glance
- The games list view and depot now display a helpful message when there are no items, instead of showing a blank screen
- The launcher now downloads media on demand if it doesn't exist locally, and gracefully falls back if LibVLC fails to load
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed bundling of LibVLC on macOS and Windows
- Fixed the display of the empty library view
- Fixed game updating
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.1" />
</details>
### 2.1.2
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.2 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### Redistributable Update Checking
The launcher now checks if installed redistributables are up to date and will re-run them when updates are available on the server. This ensures games always have the correct runtime dependencies.
##### Drag and Drop File Import in Script Editor
The script editor now supports drag and drop for `.ps1`, `.reg`, `.ini`, and other text files. PowerShell scripts replace the editor contents, `.reg` files are automatically converted to PowerShell commands, and other text files are inserted as escaped strings.
##### Manifest and Script Refresh
When a game has no update available, the launcher will now refresh the manifest and scripts on disk. This ensures local files stay in sync with server-side changes that don't trigger a full update.
#### Improvements
- Entire row is now clickable in the compact library list view
- Items per page selection is now persisted in data tables
- Improved process termination handling with fallback for Windows and absolute pathing for `kill` on Linux/macOS
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed padding in the metadata lookup dialog
- Fixed HQ token retrieval on the first-time setup and integrations settings pages
- Fixed local server engine tracking (contributed by @Mavyre)
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.2" />
</details>
### 2.1.3
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.3 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### Allow Registration Setting
Servers now have an "Allow Registration" setting to control whether new users can register accounts. Resolves #408.
##### Server Autostop Delay
Server lifecycle management has been moved to a dedicated `ServerManager`, and servers can now be configured with an autostop delay so they shut down after a period of inactivity. Autostart/autostop for servers should be much more reliable now.
##### Close to System Tray
The launcher can now be closed to the system tray instead of exiting, keeping it running in the background.
##### Image Optimization Tool
A new server-side tool optimizes stored images to reduce disk usage and increase performance when displayed in the launcher.
##### Play Session Rework
Play session tracking has been reworked to be more reliable. Play sessions are now tracked in realtime with the launcher sending keepalives to the server. If a session is detected as stale (e.g. from a crash or improper shutdown), it will be automatically closed and the playtime will be calculated up to that point. This should result in more accurate playtime tracking and prevent issues with sessions that never end.
If, for some reason, a session is improperly created with a suspiciously long duration, a new server-side tool can be used to clean up these sessions and recalculate playtime under Settings > Tools > **Long Play Session**.
##### Working Directory from PCGamingWiki
Save paths pulled from PCGamingWiki will now attempt to set a working directory automatically.
Previous versions of LANCommander had major issues with MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL database engines that would end up softlocking the server when certain operations were performed. This was caused by connections to the database being disposed of prematurely, causing the data access layer to throw exceptions and fail to recover. This has largely been resolved and should result in a much more stable experience using these other database engines.
However, due to support for MySQL/PostgreSQL falling into neglect, many of the database migrations had become out of sync and would fail to apply correctly. To resolve this, all MySQL/PostgreSQL migrations have been regenerated. This will require deployments using MySQL/PostgreSQL to recreate the database. Normally this type of change would be reserved for a major release, but given the state of the MySQL/PostgreSQL support being completely broken, this change is necessary to provide a stable experience for users of these database engines. If you are using MySQL/PostgreSQL, please make sure to back up your data and be prepared to recreate your database when updating to this version.
#### Improvements
- Performance optimizations for game details were made in the launcher, fixing potentially high CPU usage and RAM allocation with games that have videos or screenshots in the media carousel.
- Video players in the media carousel now only play when in view and pause when scrolled out of view or when the window is inactive.
- Updated Notify.NET and fixed taskbar progress reporting
- Localized remaining time and install progress status
- Adjusted styling in the game description
- Removed dead code and fixed video/screenshot loading that could block the UI
- yt-dlp is now downloaded as a self-contained build removing the dependency on Python for Linux systems.
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed updating one-to-many relationships on the server. This should resolve various issues with redistributables, tags, genres, and platforms not saving correctly.
- Fixed an extra gap on the compact list scrollbar in the launcher
- Fixed the missing "Starting" text in the play button when a game is launching
- Fixed an exception when adding a game without a SteamGridDB API key configured
- Fixed an error thrown during first-time setup when no storage locations exist
- Regenerated MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL migrations
- Fixed an issue where the identity database context could be disposed of prematurely, causing various issues with user management and authentication when using other database engines
- Improved server process termination on Linux by directly calling `kill` via `libc`
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.3" />
</details>
### 2.1.4
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.4 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### External Auth Provider Enhancements
External authentication providers received a major overhaul. The provider editor now supports auto-discovery of scopes and claim mappings, and claims can be mapped to roles so users are automatically assigned the correct roles when logging in over external auth. Users logging in through an external provider are also auto-provisioned.
##### Auto Redirect to External Provider
A new "Auto Redirect to Provider" setting switches authentication challenges to redirect straight to your external auth provider instead of showing the password login form. If more than one external provider is configured, a minimal provider selection page is shown instead.
##### Repack Non-Streamable ZIP Archives
A new server-side tool in the archive editor can now be used to repack archives that were not created in a streamable format. More information about why this is an issue can be found under the [Archives](/Server/Archives) documentation page.
##### WebP Media Support
Media uploads now support the WebP image format.
##### Redistributable Uninstall Scripts
Redistributables can now define an uninstall script, allowing their runtime dependencies to be cleanly removed.
##### Single Instance Launcher
The launcher now ensures only a single instance can run at a time, preventing conflicts from accidentally opening multiple copies.
#### Improvements
- Local files selected for archive upload can now be moved instead of copied, saving disk space.
- Reworked tool installation and action resolution.
- Install notifications now only display once the entire install chain is complete.
- The "Last Played" text now updates every minute and has been localized.
- Added more logging to archive extraction and made the number of install retry attempts configurable.
- A message is now shown indicating the server needs to be restarted after changes are made to authentication providers.
- Game started/stopped server scripts now run as fire and forget and will not prevent servers from starting.
- Adjusted styling for buttons and dropdowns in the launcher.
- Updated SharpCompress to 0.49.1.
- macOS builds now generate a proper `.app` bundle, and Linux builds now produce an AppImage bundled into the normal workflows.
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed some situations where saves were not being uploaded/downloaded.
- Fixed an error in the launcher when tool actions were not defined.
- Fixed server game actions not loading correctly from the server.
- Fixed non-standalone addons appearing in the library compact list.
- HQ authentication errors are no longer swallowed.
- Fixed user promotion / role assignment.
- Fixed application icons.
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.4" />
</details>
### 2.1.5
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.5 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### Auto Redirect to External Provider in the Launcher
The launcher now honors the server's "Auto Redirect to Provider" setting. When enabled, the login screen redirects straight to your external authentication provider, and the standard authentication fields and buttons are hidden based on the server's authentication settings.
##### Exit Button in Profile Dropdown
An "Exit" button is now available under the profile dropdown, making it easier to fully quit the launcher.
#### Improvements
- Consolidated the game flyout into a unified context menu for more consistent actions across the library views.
- Tools that have no archive are now hidden from the install overlay.
- Automated testing for various aspects of the server UI (thanks [aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell)!)
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed removing games from user libraries using the launcher.
- Fixed tool installation.
- Fixed the clickability of games in the compact library list.
- Fixed updating of roles.
- Fixed saving of authentication settings.
- Fixed admin user creation in first time setup.
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.5" />
</details>
### 2.1.6
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.6 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### User and Role Limits
Roles and individual users can now be assigned limits for save storage, total user storage, and download speed. This gives admins finer control over resource usage on shared servers. Resolves [#85](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/85), [#84](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/84), and [#100](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/).
##### PowerShell Modules
A new "Scripting" section has been added to the server UI where PowerShell modules can be defined. These act as a library of reusable functions that can be called from any script. Modules are automatically synced to the launcher and imported when scripts are executed.
##### Per-Game Tool Tracking
Tools are now tracked on a per-game basis. Tools can be marked to "Always Install", and any tools installed for a game are automatically uninstalled when that game is uninstalled.
##### Admin User Creation Dialog
Admins can now create new users directly from the server with a new user creation dialog. Fixes [#419](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/419).
##### Database Connection Editor
The connection string input used in first-time setup and server settings has been refactored into a full database connection component, making it easier to configure database connections. Fixes [#256](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/256).
#### Improvements
- Added "Select All" and "Load More" buttons to the media grabber. Fixes [#417](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/417).
- Metadata lookups now preserve existing values instead of overwriting them. Fixes [#420](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/420).
- The Library navigation and library/depot switcher are now hidden in both the web UI and launcher when user libraries are disabled.
- Action `ServerHost` values now default to the LANCommander server address.
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed the display of UTC times.
- Fixed creation of entities with many-to-many relationships. Ref [#414](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/414).
- Fixed reconciliation of library games based on whether user libraries are enabled or disabled. Ref [#423](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/423).
- The profile cache is now invalidated when logging out. Fixes [#422](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/422).
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.6" />
</details>
### 2.1.7
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.7 patch notes</summary>
#### Improvements
- The launcher now loads your library from a new `/Library/Games` endpoint and displays it immediately, with images rendered directly from the server. The full import still runs in the background, so offline functionality is preserved while the library becomes usable much sooner.
- Depot images are now streamed from a remote image cache instead of being downloaded to disk, reducing UI jank. Fixes [#427](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/427).
- Game installs and uninstalls are now more reliable: installs run in a consistent order (base game, addons, tools, then redistributables), tools are removed before their game is uninstalled, and the game action bar refreshes after a tool is installed. Ref [#414](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/414).
- The modify menu now lists installed addons.
- Save upload failures are now logged instead of failing silently.
- A running game process is now terminated as a fallback when no spawned window is detected.
- View data is now loaded before transitioning, smoothing navigation.
#### Bug Fixes
- Save path changes on a game now take effect immediately instead of requiring a server restart. Games are correctly updated when a save path is added, updated, or deleted.
- Fixed installation of games and addons that have no dependent games.
- Fixed importing legacy LCX files that have no save paths defined. Fixes [#426](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/426).
- Fixed persisted page sizes in data tables.
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.7" />
</details>
### 2.1.8
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.8 patch notes</summary>
#### New Features
##### Runtime Platform Targeting
Actions, scripts, and save paths can now be scoped to a specific runtime platform (Windows, Linux, or macOS). This makes it possible to define platform-specific launch actions, install/uninstall scripts, and save paths on a single game without them conflicting across operating systems. A new `Get-Runtime` PowerShell cmdlet is also available for detecting the current platform from within scripts.
#### Improvements
- The offline mode button has been moved to the titlebar for easier access.
- The game description editor in the server UI is now a full Markdown editor.
- Page functionality has been improved with better menus for adding and deleting pages, and slugs are now generated in PascalCase.
- Client/server version mismatches are now detected and logged, making it easier to diagnose connection issues caused by version drift.
- Data table sort order is now persisted.
#### Bug Fixes
- Images now load from the local cache when the launcher is in offline mode.
- Fixed enumeration of script snippets.
- Fixed PowerShell module loading in the launcher. On Windows the execution policy is set to bypass, and module load failures are now trapped and reported as a warning per module instead of failing the entire script.
<ReleaseDownloads release="v2.1.8" />
</details>
### 2.1.9
<details>
<summary>View 2.1.9 patch notes</summary>
#### Improvements
- Path resolution has been unified across the server so that storage paths are resolved consistently everywhere. A migration aligns existing settings storage paths automatically on upgrade.
- Depot queries have been optimized for better performance.
- Server notifications now use a shorter timeout so a slow or unreachable server no longer holds up the launcher.
- Updated SharpCompress to the latest version. This should resolve most extraction issues for games with large archives.
#### Bug Fixes
- Fixed detection of the primary display's resolution on some Linux multi-display configurations.
- Fixed application path resolution on the server, correcting how saves, media, archives, and updates are located.
- Improved handling of the bypass execution policy for scripts.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.1 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### User Registration in Launcher
User registration has been added back into the launcher's login screen. This was a feature from the old launcher that was missed in the port to Avalonia.
### Game Update Support
The Avalonia launcher's update functionality was only partially-implemented. This has been completed and moved over to the new installation workflow system. Additionally, updates for games can be ignored by clicking the dropdown next to the "Update" button and selecting "Play without updating".
## Improvements
- Game titles are now dimmed in the library when not installed, making it easier to see what's ready to play at a glance
- The games list view and depot now display a helpful message when there are no items, instead of showing a blank screen
- The launcher now downloads media on demand if it doesn't exist locally, and gracefully falls back if LibVLC fails to load
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.2 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### Redistributable Update Checking
The launcher now checks if installed redistributables are up to date and will re-run them when updates are available on the server. This ensures games always have the correct runtime dependencies.
### Drag and Drop File Import in Script Editor
The script editor now supports drag and drop for `.ps1`, `.reg`, `.ini`, and other text files. PowerShell scripts replace the editor contents, `.reg` files are automatically converted to PowerShell commands, and other text files are inserted as escaped strings.
### Manifest and Script Refresh
When a game has no update available, the launcher will now refresh the manifest and scripts on disk. This ensures local files stay in sync with server-side changes that don't trigger a full update.
## Improvements
- Entire row is now clickable in the compact library list view
- Items per page selection is now persisted in data tables
- Improved process termination handling with fallback for Windows and absolute pathing for `kill` on Linux/macOS
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed padding in the metadata lookup dialog
- Fixed HQ token retrieval on the first-time setup and integrations settings pages
- Fixed local server engine tracking (contributed by @Mavyre)
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.3 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### Allow Registration Setting
Servers now have an "Allow Registration" setting to control whether new users can register accounts. Resolves #408.
### Server Autostop Delay
Server lifecycle management has been moved to a dedicated `ServerManager`, and servers can now be configured with an autostop delay so they shut down after a period of inactivity. Autostart/autostop for servers should be much more reliable now.
### Close to System Tray
The launcher can now be closed to the system tray instead of exiting, keeping it running in the background.
### Image Optimization Tool
A new server-side tool optimizes stored images to reduce disk usage and increase performance when displayed in the launcher.
### Play Session Rework
Play session tracking has been reworked to be more reliable. Play sessions are now tracked in realtime with the launcher sending keepalives to the server. If a session is detected as stale (e.g. from a crash or improper shutdown), it will be automatically closed and the playtime will be calculated up to that point. This should result in more accurate playtime tracking and prevent issues with sessions that never end.
If, for some reason, a session is improperly created with a suspiciously long duration, a new server-side tool can be used to clean up these sessions and recalculate playtime under Settings > Tools > **Long Play Session**.
### Working Directory from PCGamingWiki
Save paths pulled from PCGamingWiki will now attempt to set a working directory automatically.
Previous versions of LANCommander had major issues with MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL database engines that would end up softlocking the server when certain operations were performed. This was caused by connections to the database being disposed of prematurely, causing the data access layer to throw exceptions and fail to recover. This has largely been resolved and should result in a much more stable experience using these other database engines.
However, due to support for MySQL/PostgreSQL falling into neglect, many of the database migrations had become out of sync and would fail to apply correctly. To resolve this, all MySQL/PostgreSQL migrations have been regenerated. This will require deployments using MySQL/PostgreSQL to recreate the database. Normally this type of change would be reserved for a major release, but given the state of the MySQL/PostgreSQL support being completely broken, this change is necessary to provide a stable experience for users of these database engines. If you are using MySQL/PostgreSQL, please make sure to back up your data and be prepared to recreate your database when updating to this version.
## Improvements
- Performance optimizations for game details were made in the launcher, fixing potentially high CPU usage and RAM allocation with games that have videos or screenshots in the media carousel.
- Video players in the media carousel now only play when in view and pause when scrolled out of view or when the window is inactive.
- Updated Notify.NET and fixed taskbar progress reporting
- Localized remaining time and install progress status
- Adjusted styling in the game description
- Removed dead code and fixed video/screenshot loading that could block the UI
- yt-dlp is now downloaded as a self-contained build removing the dependency on Python for Linux systems.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed updating one-to-many relationships on the server. This should resolve various issues with redistributables, tags, genres, and platforms not saving correctly.
- Fixed an extra gap on the compact list scrollbar in the launcher
- Fixed the missing "Starting" text in the play button when a game is launching
- Fixed an exception when adding a game without a SteamGridDB API key configured
- Fixed an error thrown during first-time setup when no storage locations exist
- Regenerated MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL migrations
- Fixed an issue where the identity database context could be disposed of prematurely, causing various issues with user management and authentication when using other database engines
- Improved server process termination on Linux by directly calling `kill` via `libc`
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.4 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### External Auth Provider Enhancements
External authentication providers received a major overhaul. The provider editor now supports auto-discovery of scopes and claim mappings, and claims can be mapped to roles so users are automatically assigned the correct roles when logging in over external auth. Users logging in through an external provider are also auto-provisioned.
### Auto Redirect to External Provider
A new "Auto Redirect to Provider" setting switches authentication challenges to redirect straight to your external auth provider instead of showing the password login form. If more than one external provider is configured, a minimal provider selection page is shown instead.
### Repack Non-Streamable ZIP Archives
A new server-side tool in the archive editor can now be used to repack archives that were not created in a streamable format. More information about why this is an issue can be found under the [Archives](/Server/Archives) documentation page.
### WebP Media Support
Media uploads now support the WebP image format.
### Redistributable Uninstall Scripts
Redistributables can now define an uninstall script, allowing their runtime dependencies to be cleanly removed.
### Single Instance Launcher
The launcher now ensures only a single instance can run at a time, preventing conflicts from accidentally opening multiple copies.
## Improvements
- Local files selected for archive upload can now be moved instead of copied, saving disk space.
- Reworked tool installation and action resolution.
- Install notifications now only display once the entire install chain is complete.
- The "Last Played" text now updates every minute and has been localized.
- Added more logging to archive extraction and made the number of install retry attempts configurable.
- A message is now shown indicating the server needs to be restarted after changes are made to authentication providers.
- Game started/stopped server scripts now run as fire and forget and will not prevent servers from starting.
- Adjusted styling for buttons and dropdowns in the launcher.
- Updated SharpCompress to 0.49.1.
- macOS builds now generate a proper `.app` bundle, and Linux builds now produce an AppImage bundled into the normal workflows.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed some situations where saves were not being uploaded/downloaded.
- Fixed an error in the launcher when tool actions were not defined.
- Fixed server game actions not loading correctly from the server.
- Fixed non-standalone addons appearing in the library compact list.
- HQ authentication errors are no longer swallowed.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.5 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### Auto Redirect to External Provider in the Launcher
The launcher now honors the server's "Auto Redirect to Provider" setting. When enabled, the login screen redirects straight to your external authentication provider, and the standard authentication fields and buttons are hidden based on the server's authentication settings.
### Exit Button in Profile Dropdown
An "Exit" button is now available under the profile dropdown, making it easier to fully quit the launcher.
## Improvements
- Consolidated the game flyout into a unified context menu for more consistent actions across the library views.
- Tools that have no archive are now hidden from the install overlay.
- Automated testing for various aspects of the server UI (thanks [aaronpowell](https://github.com/aaronpowell)!)
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed removing games from user libraries using the launcher.
- Fixed tool installation.
- Fixed the clickability of games in the compact library list.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.6 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### User and Role Limits
Roles and individual users can now be assigned limits for save storage, total user storage, and download speed. This gives admins finer control over resource usage on shared servers. Resolves [#85](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/85), [#84](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/84), and [#100](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/).
### PowerShell Modules
A new "Scripting" section has been added to the server UI where PowerShell modules can be defined. These act as a library of reusable functions that can be called from any script. Modules are automatically synced to the launcher and imported when scripts are executed.
### Per-Game Tool Tracking
Tools are now tracked on a per-game basis. Tools can be marked to "Always Install", and any tools installed for a game are automatically uninstalled when that game is uninstalled.
### Admin User Creation Dialog
Admins can now create new users directly from the server with a new user creation dialog. Fixes [#419](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/419).
### Database Connection Editor
The connection string input used in first-time setup and server settings has been refactored into a full database connection component, making it easier to configure database connections. Fixes [#256](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/256).
## Improvements
- Added "Select All" and "Load More" buttons to the media grabber. Fixes [#417](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/417).
- Metadata lookups now preserve existing values instead of overwriting them. Fixes [#420](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/420).
- The Library navigation and library/depot switcher are now hidden in both the web UI and launcher when user libraries are disabled.
- Action `ServerHost` values now default to the LANCommander server address.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed the display of UTC times.
- Fixed creation of entities with many-to-many relationships. Ref [#414](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/414).
- Fixed reconciliation of library games based on whether user libraries are enabled or disabled. Ref [#423](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/423).
- The profile cache is now invalidated when logging out. Fixes [#422](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/422).
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.7 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## Improvements
- The launcher now loads your library from a new `/Library/Games` endpoint and displays it immediately, with images rendered directly from the server. The full import still runs in the background, so offline functionality is preserved while the library becomes usable much sooner.
- Depot images are now streamed from a remote image cache instead of being downloaded to disk, reducing UI jank. Fixes [#427](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/427).
- Game installs and uninstalls are now more reliable: installs run in a consistent order (base game, addons, tools, then redistributables), tools are removed before their game is uninstalled, and the game action bar refreshes after a tool is installed. Ref [#414](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/414).
- The modify menu now lists installed addons.
- Save upload failures are now logged instead of failing silently.
- A running game process is now terminated as a fallback when no spawned window is detected.
- View data is now loaded before transitioning, smoothing navigation.
## Bug Fixes
- Save path changes on a game now take effect immediately instead of requiring a server restart. Games are correctly updated when a save path is added, updated, or deleted.
- Fixed installation of games and addons that have no dependent games.
- Fixed importing legacy LCX files that have no save paths defined. Fixes [#426](https://github.com/LANCommander/LANCommander/issues/426).
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.8 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## New Features
### Runtime Platform Targeting
Actions, scripts, and save paths can now be scoped to a specific runtime platform (Windows, Linux, or macOS). This makes it possible to define platform-specific launch actions, install/uninstall scripts, and save paths on a single game without them conflicting across operating systems. A new `Get-Runtime` PowerShell cmdlet is also available for detecting the current platform from within scripts.
## Improvements
- The offline mode button has been moved to the titlebar for easier access.
- The game description editor in the server UI is now a full Markdown editor.
- Page functionality has been improved with better menus for adding and deleting pages, and slugs are now generated in PascalCase.
- Client/server version mismatches are now detected and logged, making it easier to diagnose connection issues caused by version drift.
- Data table sort order is now persisted.
## Bug Fixes
- Images now load from the local cache when the launcher is in offline mode.
- Fixed enumeration of script snippets.
- Fixed PowerShell module loading in the launcher. On Windows the execution policy is set to bypass, and module load failures are now trapped and reported as a warning per module instead of failing the entire script.
import ReleaseDownloads from '@site/src/components/ReleaseDownloads';
import ContributorGrid from '@site/src/components/ContributorGrid';
# LANCommander 2.1.9 Release Notes
:::info Full Release Notes
This is a patch release for the **2.1 series**. For the complete feature overview and all patch notes, visit the [LANCommander 2.1.0 release notes](./2.1.0).
:::
## Improvements
- Path resolution has been unified across the server so that storage paths are resolved consistently everywhere. A migration aligns existing settings storage paths automatically on upgrade.
- Depot queries have been optimized for better performance.
- Server notifications now use a shorter timeout so a slow or unreachable server no longer holds up the launcher.
- Updated SharpCompress to the latest version. This should resolve most extraction issues for games with large archives.
## Bug Fixes
- Fixed detection of the primary display's resolution on some Linux multi-display configurations.
- Fixed application path resolution on the server, correcting how saves, media, archives, and updates are located.
- Improved handling of the bypass execution policy for scripts.