Here are some instructions on how to install DesiGen onto your machine.
DesiGen is a desktop application written in C# and targeting the .NET runtime. Because of the way it is built, there are installation prerequisites. The following sections details the prerequisites required for the application to function.
Windows
Prerequisites:
- .NET 6.0
- Microsoft Edge version 91.0.864.54 or later
- Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime 91.0.864.54 or later
- A precreated, empty SQL Server database to which you have sufficient permissions to create new objects
Please ensure that your machine meets these prerequisites before using the application.
You can download the latest setup application from this location: https://desigen-download.dotnotstandard.com/setup/windows/latest/DesiGen.Windows.Setup.msi
NOTE: For the moment, please do not install DesiGen in the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders. This may sometimes show as the default location recommended by the installer, but due to a limitation with Mobile Blazor Bindings and how it interacts with the WebView2 component, there will be a permissions error if you install into these folders, and the UI will fail to display, resulting in an empty screen.
I recommend installing to C:\DotNotStandard\DesiGen\ or similar until the product is upgraded to a newer version of .NET.
MacOS
DesiGen is not yet tested or released on MacOS. A feature request exists on the backlog to resolve this testing issue.
Database Permissions
DesiGen accesses its database in two separate modes: everyday and upgrade.
When the application first loads, you are asked to provide the credentials for everyday usage. The only security requirements for this mode is that you connect as a member of the UIRights database role that is created for you. There is no need for you to be able to create or modify the database schema in everyday operations, and to protect your database, we recommend that you connect using an account with the minimum set of permissions possible. The credentials for everyday usage are stored in the application configuration file, and as such are subject to disclosure to third parties if your machine is compromised.
Before the database is first used, the UIRights database role will not exist. Enter the credentials for the account you intend to use for everyday access, and allow the first batch of upgrades to complete. Then, add the everyday account you will be using as a member of the UIRights role that has been created. If you forget this step, DesiGen will not function correctly.
Each time it starts up, DesiGen checks whether there are any outstanding upgrades to be applied to the database. Should any upgrades be required, you will be asked for a second set of credentials, with which to perform those upgrades. These more highly-privileged credentials are used solely for this single upgrade operation, and are not stored. You will be asked for these credentials each time an upgrade is required. For the security of your database, we recommend that you have a separate, more highly-privileged account that has permissions to create and alter schemas, database roles, tables, stored procedures and views.
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
By installing DesiGen, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Release Details
Each significant release will be accompanied by a new blog in the 'Releases' category. The blog entry exists to detail the changes in that version, as well as listing any known issues of which you need to be aware. Please check the 'Blog' section of the site for those more detailed documents, which you can find at /Blog/Releases
Future Enhancements
In the future, we will move to ClickOnce for our deployment system. ClickOnce offers the ability to automatically download and install upgrades. At the moment however, ClickOnce is not supported for the solution type we have used, and so you will have to watch for, and install, upgrades manually.