NeXroll v1.0.0 — Initial Windows Installer Release

Release date: 2025-09-17

This is the first stable release of NeXroll packaged for Windows with a single installer, self-contained executables, an optional Windows Service, and a lightweight system tray app.

Highlights

• Single Windows installer (NSIS) with branded icon
• Self-contained executables (PyInstaller) — no Python required on user machines
• Optional Windows Service (NeXrollService) for background/headless operation
• New System Tray app (NeXrollTray) with quick actions: Open, About, GitHub, Exit
• Plex Stable Token setup tool (setup_plex_token.exe) with Registry and Preferences.xml detection plus manual fallback
• FFmpeg integration for thumbnail generation (offered via installer component using winget)
• Modern web UI served from the packaged backend (FastAPI + bundled frontend)
• Preroll management: upload, tags, categories, thumbnails, size/duration
• Scheduling engine with holiday presets and category-to-Plex syncing (multi-preroll)
• Consistent NeXroll icon across EXEs, tray, Start Menu shortcuts, and installer

System Requirements

• Windows 10/11 x64
• Network access to your Plex server
• FFmpeg for thumbnails (installer can install it for you via winget)
• No Python required

Assets (attach to GitHub Release)

Primary distribution:

• NeXroll_Installer.exe

Optional portable executables (if you want to provide them separately):

• NeXroll.exe
• NeXrollService.exe
• NeXrollTray.exe
• setup_plex_token.exe

Checksums (recommended):

• Generate SHA256 for each asset:
  • certutil -hashfile NeXroll_Installer.exe SHA256

Install

1. Download NeXroll_Installer.exe from the release page.
2. Run the installer (administrator recommended).
3. Choose:
   • Install location (default: C:\Program Files\NeXroll)
   • Preroll storage directory (any drive)
4. Optional components:
   • Install as Windows Service (NeXrollService)
   • Run Plex Stable Token setup
   • Start with Windows (adds NeXrollTray to Startup)
   • Install FFmpeg via winget
5. Finish; use the Start Menu shortcut or open http://localhost:9393

PowerShell one‑liner (download + launch installer):

$release = Invoke-RestMethod https://api.github.com/repos/JFLXCLOUD/NeXroll/releases/latest
$asset = $release.assets | Where-Object { $_.name -eq 'NeXroll_Installer.exe' } | Select-Object -First 1
$dest = Join-Path $env:TEMP $asset.name
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $asset.browser_download_url -OutFile $dest
Start-Process -FilePath $dest

Silent install (defaults):

& "$env:TEMP\NeXroll_Installer.exe" /S

Defaults: InstallDir=C:\Program Files\NeXroll; default Preroll path under Documents. Use interactive mode to customize.

Post‑Install Verification

• Start Menu → NeXroll (launches app)
• Start Menu → NeXroll Tray (shows tray icon with menu)
• Visit http://localhost:9393 and ensure:
  • Dashboard loads
  • Scheduler status visible
  • Plex status panel accessible

Optional service check:

• Open Services.msc and locate “NeXrollService”
• Start/Stop as needed
• Or use CLI from InstallDir:
  • NeXrollService.exe start
  • NeXrollService.exe stop

First‑Time Plex Setup

• If you already have a Plex token, enter your Plex URL and token in the Plex tab.
• Otherwise run setup_plex_token.exe (installed with NeXroll) and follow prompts:
  • Windows Registry lookup (preferred)
  • Preferences.xml lookup from common locations
  • Manual token entry fallback
• In the app, use “Connect with Stable Token” to connect automatically.

Features in v1.0.0

• Preroll uploads (single/multiple) with duration and thumbnail generation
• Tagging, categories, and descriptions
• Holiday presets and flexible schedules (monthly/yearly/custom/holiday)
• Category-to-Plex syncing, including multi-preroll concatenation
• Built-in backup/restore endpoints for data and files
• Stable Token workflow and status endpoints
• Static serving of uploaded thumbnails and packaged frontend
• Robust Windows distribution:
  • Self-contained EXEs via PyInstaller
  • NSIS installer with branded icon and components
  • Windows Service wrapper (pywin32)
  • System Tray app (pystray + Pillow) with NeXroll icon

Known Issues & Workarounds

• Service may report “did not respond in time” if port 9393 is in use
  • Ensure no other NeXroll instance is running, then start the service again.
• Thumbnails require FFmpeg
  • Use the installer option to install FFmpeg via winget, or install manually.
• SmartScreen warnings (unsigned binaries)
  • Click “More info” → “Run anyway” or code‑sign the binaries for production environments.
• Plex token fetch fails
  • Make sure Plex Media Server is running and you are signed in; rerun setup_plex_token.exe; try manual entry.

Uninstall

• Start Menu → Uninstall NeXroll, or remove from Apps & Features
• The Preroll storage directory you selected is not removed

Support

If NeXroll is helpful, consider supporting development:

• Ko‑fi: https://ko-fi.com/j_b__

Acknowledgements

• FastAPI, Uvicorn, SQLAlchemy, Pydantic
• Requests, ffmpeg-python
• pywin32 (Windows Service)
• pystray + Pillow (tray app)
• NSIS (installer)
• PyInstaller (packaging)

SHA256 Examples

certutil -hashfile NeXroll_Installer.exe SHA256
certutil -hashfile NeXroll.exe SHA256
certutil -hashfile NeXrollService.exe SHA256
certutil -hashfile NeXrollTray.exe SHA256
certutil -hashfile setup_plex_token.exe SHA256

Changelog Summary

• Initial Windows installer distribution with icon branding
• Self‑contained EXEs (app, service, tray, token tool)
• Optional Windows Service and tray app
• Stable Token workflow and Plex integration
• FFmpeg thumbnailing support (optional winget install)
• UI, scheduling, category sync, and backup/restore