Kiwy-Signage/windows/README_WINDOWS_BUILD.md

# Kiwy Signage Player - Windows Edition

Build and run the Kiwy digital signage player on Windows as a standalone `.exe`.

## 📋 Requirements Analysis

The original app was built for **Raspberry Pi (Linux)**, using these technologies:

| Component | Original (RPi/Linux) | Windows Equivalent |
|-----------|---------------------|-------------------|
| **GUI** | Kivy 2.3+ | Kivy 2.3+ (works cross-platform) |
| **Video** | ffpyplayer | ffpyplayer (needs FFmpeg DLLs) |
| **Card Reader** | evdev (Linux input) | **Not available** — gracefully disabled |
| **Screen Keep-Awake** | xset, xdotool, Wayland | `SetThreadExecutionState` (Win32 API) |
| **Weblink** | chromium-browser (kiosk) | Chrome/Edge (--kiosk mode) |
| **Audio** | ALSA/PulseAudio | DirectSound |
| **Window Backend** | SDL2 (Wayland/X11) | SDL2 (Windows native) |
| **OpenGL** | Desktop GL | ANGLE (DirectX wrapper) |

### What works on Windows
- ✅ Media playback (images, videos via ffpyplayer)
- ✅ Playlist sync from DigiServer (HTTP/HTTPS)
- ✅ Touch & mouse controls
- ✅ Settings popup
- ✅ Image editing/annotation
- ✅ Password-protected exit
- ✅ Web links (opens in Chrome/Edge kiosk)
- ✅ Network monitoring
- ✅ Auto-update playlist

### What is disabled on Windows
- ❌ Card reader (evdev is Linux-only; `EVDEV_AVAILABLE = False`)
- ❌ HDMI power management (tvservice is RPi-specific)
- ❌ WiFi restart (uses Linux `nmcli`)

## 🚀 Quick Start (Development)

### Prerequisites
1. **Python 3.12+** (64-bit) — [python.org](https://python.org)
   - ⚠️ **Python 3.13+ is NOT supported** — Kivy 2.3.1 does not have pre-built wheels for it
   - ⚠️ **Python 3.14 is NOT supported** — no Kivy wheels available
   - ✅ **Python 3.12.9** is the recommended version (confirmed working)
2. **FFmpeg** — for video codec support
   - Download from [ffmpeg.org](https://ffmpeg.org/download.html)
   - Add `bin\` folder to your PATH
3. **Visual C++ Redistributable** — [latest](https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe)

### Install & Run
```batch
cd windows

REM Create virtual environment with Python 3.12
py -3.12 -m venv venv
:: OR specify full path:
:: "C:\Users\Dell-PC\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\python.exe" -m venv venv

venv\Scripts\activate

REM Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements_win.txt

REM Run in development mode
python run_win.py
```

## 📦 Building the .exe

### One-Command Build
```batch
cd windows
build_win.bat
```

### Manual Build
```batch
cd windows
venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements_win.txt
pyinstaller build.spec --clean --noconfirm
```

### Output
```
windows\dist\KiwySignagePlayer\
    ├── KiwySignagePlayer.exe     # Main executable
    ├── config/                    # Config files (auto-copied)
    ├── resources/                 # Icons, intro video
    └── ... (supporting DLLs)
```

For a **single-file .exe**, edit `build.spec` — uncomment the `exe_onefile` section and comment out the `coll = COLLECT(...)` section.

## ⚙️ Configuration

1. On first run, config files are created in the **same folder as the executable** (not in `%APPDATA%`)
   - The .exe creates: `config/`, `media/`, `playlists/`, `logs/` directories locally
   - This allows you to copy the entire `dist\KiwySignagePlayer\` folder anywhere and it works
2. Edit `config\app_config.json` (next to the .exe) to set your server:

```json
{
  "server_ip": "192.168.0.109",
  "port": "8080",
  "screen_name": "Birou_IT",
  "quickconnect_key": "8887779",
  "orientation": "Landscape",
  "touch": "True",
  "max_resolution": "1920x1080",
  "edit_feature_enabled": true,
  "use_https": false,
  "verify_ssl": false
}
```

## 🧪 Testing

```batch
cd windows
venv\Scripts\activate
python run_win.py
```

## 🔧 Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| **"ffpyplayer not found"** | Install: `pip install ffpyplayer` |
| **"No video" / black screen** | Install FFmpeg and add to PATH. Try `KIVY_GL_BACKEND=angle_sdl2` or `KIVY_GL_BACKEND=gl` |
| **Kivy window doesn't open** | Run from command prompt to see error messages. Ensure GPU drivers are up to date. |
| **Weblinks not opening** | Install Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge |
| **Can't connect to server** | Check firewall. Try `use_https: false` and `verify_ssl: false` for testing |
| **Antivirus flags .exe** | Add the output folder to antivirus exclusions. This is a false positive common with PyInstaller. |

## 📁 Project Structure (Build)

```
Kiwy-Signage/
├── windows/
│   ├── run_win.py              # Windows entry point (patches platform differences)
│   ├── build.spec              # PyInstaller configuration
│   ├── build_win.bat           # One-click build script
│   ├── pyi_runtime_hook.py     # PyInstaller runtime hook
│   ├── requirements_win.txt    # Windows Python dependencies
│   └── README_WINDOWS_BUILD.md # This file
├── src/
│   ├── main.py                 # Main application (original)
│   ├── get_playlists_v2.py     # Playlist sync
│   ├── player_auth.py          # Authentication
│   ├── ssl_utils.py            # SSL/HTTPS
│   ├── keyboard_widget.py      # On-screen keyboard
│   ├── network_monitor.py      # Network monitoring
│   ├── edit_popup.py           # Image editing
│   └── signage_player.kv       # Kivy UI layout
├── config/
│   ├── app_config.json         # Player configuration
│   └── resources/              # Icons, images, intro video
├── media/                      # Downloaded media (created at runtime)
├── playlists/                  # Playlist files (created at runtime)
└── logs/                       # Log files (created at runtime)
```