JFLXCLOUD/NeXroll v1.0.1

NeXroll_v1.0.1

on GitHub

NeXroll v1.0.1 — Stability and UX Polish

Release date: 2025-09-17

This release focuses on improving Windows service robustness, adding diagnostics and update checks, and enhancing install/upgrade ergonomics.

Updated files:
⦁ NeXroll/windows_service.py
⦁ NeXroll/tray_app.py
⦁ NeXroll/backend/main.py
⦁ NeXroll/frontend/src/App.js
⦁ NeXroll/installer.nsi
⦁ NeXroll/PACKAGING.md
⦁ README.md and NeXroll/README.md

Highlights:
⦁ Windows Service now starts more reliably with readiness probing and retry.
⦁ Tray app gains a “Check for updates” action and ensures the backend is reachable at startup.
⦁ Backend exposes diagnostics endpoints and reports API version 1.0.1.
⦁ Frontend Settings surfaces version and FFmpeg availability, with a Re-check action and footer version display.
⦁ Installer writes Version to registry, adds version metadata, and offers an optional Windows Firewall rule for TCP 9393.
⦁ v1.1.0 scaffolding started (cron-like validation endpoint).

1. Windows Service robustness
   The service wrapper was enhanced to improve startup reliability and observability.
   ⦁ Readiness loop:
   ⦁ Keeps SCM state at START_PENDING while probing http://127.0.0.1:9393/health.
   ⦁ Falls back to a port-open check (TCP 9393) if the health endpoint is not yet available.
   ⦁ If the first attempt fails readiness within the wait window, the child is terminated and a second attempt is made.
   ⦁ SCM status transitions:
   ⦁ Reports START_PENDING during readiness checks and transitions to SERVICE_RUNNING afterward to prevent timeout.
   ⦁ Supervision:
   ⦁ If the backend child process exits unexpectedly while not stopping, the service attempts a restart.
   ⦁ Logging:
   ⦁ Writes to the Windows Event Log and to a rolling file at:
   ⦁ %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\service.log
   ⦁ Launch behavior:
   ⦁ Prefers the packaged NeXroll.exe; falls back to system Python or venv only for developer layouts.
   See implementation: NeXroll/windows_service.py

2. System tray improvements
   ⦁ Backend availability on start:
   ⦁ Attempts to start the Windows service and waits for readiness.
   ⦁ If unavailable (e.g., insufficient privileges), falls back to launching NeXroll.exe and waits until http://localhost:9393 is reachable.
   ⦁ Service controls:
   ⦁ Start Service, Stop Service, Restart Service, and Start App (portable) actions.
   ⦁ Update checks:
   ⦁ New “Check for updates” menu item queries GitHub Releases for the latest tag and compares with HKLM\Software\NeXroll\Version.
   ⦁ Opens the latest releases page when a newer version is available.
   See implementation: NeXroll/tray_app.py

3. Backend diagnostics and version
   ⦁ API version bumped to 1.0.1 via FastAPI initialization.
   ⦁ New endpoints:
   ⦁ GET /system/ffmpeg-info
   ⦁ Returns ffmpeg_present, ffmpeg_version, ffprobe_present, ffprobe_version.
   ⦁ GET /system/version
   ⦁ Returns api_version, registry_version (from HKLM\Software\NeXroll\Version), and install_dir.
   ⦁ v1.1.0 scaffolding:
   ⦁ POST /schedules/validate-cron (syntax-only validation; to be expanded in 1.1.0).
   See implementation: NeXroll/backend/main.py

4. Frontend updates
   ⦁ Settings page now includes “System Information”:
   ⦁ Shows API version and installed version (from registry).
   ⦁ Displays FFmpeg and FFprobe detection results and versions.
   ⦁ Adds “Re-check FFmpeg” button to refresh detection.
   ⦁ Footer:
   ⦁ Shows NeXroll version (registry version when installed, otherwise API version).
   See implementation: NeXroll/frontend/src/App.js

5. Installer changes
   ⦁ Upgrade-friendly defaults:
   ⦁ InstallDir is now initialized from HKLM\Software\NeXroll\InstallDir when present.
   ⦁ Versioning:
   ⦁ Writes HKLM\Software\NeXroll\Version = 1.0.1 on install.
   ⦁ Embeds version metadata in the installer binary.
   ⦁ Optional firewall rule:
   ⦁ New component “Windows Firewall Rule (Allow TCP 9393)” adds an inbound rule, and the uninstaller removes it.
   ⦁ Shortcuts:
   ⦁ Start Menu shortcuts for NeXroll, NeXroll Tray, and Uninstall are preserved.
   See script: NeXroll/installer.nsi

6. Packaging notes
   ⦁ No PyInstaller spec changes are required for these updates.
   ⦁ Ensure you rebuild all executables for 1.0.1:
   ⦁ NeXroll.exe
   ⦁ NeXrollService.exe
   ⦁ NeXrollTray.exe
   ⦁ setup_plex_token.exe
   ⦁ Then rebuild the installer:
   ⦁ NeXroll\NeXroll_Installer.exe
   See guide: NeXroll/PACKAGING.md

7. Upgrade instructions
   ⦁ Simply run the new NeXroll_Installer.exe over an existing installation.
   ⦁ Your configured Preroll storage path remains unchanged.
   ⦁ If you installed the service previously, it will be restarted; the readiness loop minimizes “service did not respond” errors.
   ⦁ If you selected the firewall component, verify the rule exists once; duplicates are not created by NSIS.

8. Troubleshooting

• Can’t reach http://localhost:9393:

• If you installed the firewall component, verify the inbound rule for TCP 9393 exists.

• Check that another process is not using port 9393.

• Review logs at %ProgramData%\NeXroll\logs\service.log when running as a service.

• FFmpeg not detected:

• Re-run the installer and select the “Install Dependencies (FFmpeg via winget)” component, or install FFmpeg manually and use “Re-check FFmpeg” in Settings.

• Tray cannot start the service:

• Use “Start App (portable)” from the tray menu; service control may require elevation.

1. Checksums and signing
   ⦁ For distribution, publish SHA256 checksums for NeXroll_Installer.exe.
   ⦁ Consider code signing the executables and installer to improve SmartScreen trust.

Thank you for using NeXroll and for your feedback.