DorkNet/launcher

DorkNet Launcher

Single-download desktop launcher for self-hosting / joining DorkNet servers. Native WPF — no embedded browser, no WebView2 dependency. .NET 9 single-file self-contained build.

This README is for developers of the launcher. End-users see the main README and download a prebuilt .exe from Releases.

What it does

• Host mode: fetches the matching server binary from GitHub Releases for the user's picked Rec Room version, runs it as a subprocess and exposes it through a Localtunnel HTTPS URL (or binds on the LAN if the user picked that mode), patches the user's Rec Room install, hands the user a shareable join code.
• Join mode: parses the join code, fetches the matching client patcher from GitHub Releases, patches the user's Rec Room install to point at the host.

Layout

launcher/
├── DorkNet.Launcher.csproj    .NET 9 WPF, single-file self-contained
├── App.xaml + App.xaml.cs     WPF Application bootstrap, dark-theme palette
├── MainWindow.xaml            All views (first-run / host / join / settings)
├── MainWindow.xaml.cs         Code-behind: event handlers → Backend/* calls
├── app.manifest               Windows DPI-awareness manifest
└── Backend/                   Orchestration — UI-framework-agnostic
    ├── AppPaths.cs            %APPDATA%\DorkNet layout
    ├── AppState.cs            Persisted user choices (mode, paths, Photon AppId)
    ├── VersionsManifest.cs    Fetches versions.json from main
    ├── ReleaseDownloader.cs   GitHub Releases API + artifact unpack
    ├── ServerProcess.cs       Spawns the downloaded server binary
    ├── ClientPatcher.cs       Invokes install-plugin.ps1 from the unpacked patcher
    ├── LocaltunnelInstaller.cs Downloads the Localtunnel .NET client
    ├── LocaltunnelTunnel.cs    Spawns the tunnel + parses the *.loca.lt URL
    ├── RecRoomPicker.cs       Microsoft.Win32.OpenFolderDialog
    └── JoinCode.cs            base64url-encoded {host, version, photonAppId, …}

MainWindow.xaml holds all four views (first-run wizard, host, join, settings) as sibling panels; code-behind toggles Visibility to switch between them. No MVVM framework — direct event handlers in the code-behind read/write Backend/* services.

Build + run

cd launcher
dotnet run

Window opens immediately on the first-run wizard.

Publish a self-contained .exe

dotnet publish -c Release
# Output: bin\Release\net9.0-windows\win-x64\publish\dorknet.exe (~70 MB)

The published exe is what ships in GitHub Releases on main (use the launcher release workflow once it exists).

Dependencies on per-version branches

The launcher fetches release artifacts from GitHub Releases tagged on the per-version branches. See RELEASES.md for the exact naming convention each branch must follow.

Adding a new feature

1. New backend logic → add to (or create) a Backend/*.cs class.
2. New UI controls → add XAML in MainWindow.xaml.
3. New event handlers → method in MainWindow.xaml.cs calling the backend service.

Keep code-behind handlers small: they marshal between WPF dispatcher thread + the backend services. Long work goes in Backend/*.