packaging/
├── build-portable.ps1    builds + stages the portable folder, zips it
├── build-installer.ps1   stages, runs makensis, signs both artifacts
├── netdesk.nsi           NSIS (Modern UI 2) installer definition
├── README.md             this file
└── dist/                 (generated)
    ├── NetDesk-Portable/            staging folder (also fed to the installer)
    │   ├── NetDesk.exe              = target/release/netdesk-viewer.exe, renamed
    │   ├── libstdc++-6.dll          MinGW C++ runtime (required at runtime)
    │   ├── libgcc_s_seh-1.dll       MinGW GCC runtime
    │   ├── libwinpthread-1.dll      MinGW threading runtime
    │   └── README.txt
    ├── NetDesk-Portable-win64.zip   ← portable artifact
    └── NetDesk-Setup-win64.exe      ← installer artifact (needs makensis)

Prerequisites

Rust (windows-GNU toolchain) + the MinGW-w64 toolchain at C:\mingw-netdesk\mingw64\bin. The scripts prepend this and ~\.cargo\bin to PATH before calling cargo, matching the project's manual build step:
```
export PATH="/c/mingw-netdesk/mingw64/bin:$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
```
NSIS (for the installer only). If makensis is missing, build-installer.ps1 still produces the staging folder and prints the install command:
```
winget install --id NSIS.NSIS -e
# or download: https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Download
```

Produce the PORTABLE zip

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File packaging\build-portable.ps1

Builds cargo build --release -p netdesk-viewer, assembles dist\NetDesk-Portable\ (NetDesk.exe + the 3 DLLs + README.txt) and writes dist\NetDesk-Portable-win64.zip. Add -SkipBuild to reuse an existing target\release\netdesk-viewer.exe.

Produce the INSTALLER exe

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File packaging\build-installer.ps1

Runs the portable staging, then compiles netdesk.nsi with makensis into dist\NetDesk-Setup-win64.exe, and signs both NetDesk.exe and the setup exe. Useful flags: -SkipBuild, -NoSign, -Thumbprint <THUMB>.

Compile the installer by hand (after staging) with:

makensis /DSTAGEDIR=packaging\dist\NetDesk-Portable /DOUTFILE=packaging\dist\NetDesk-Setup-win64.exe packaging\netdesk.nsi

The installer installs into %ProgramFiles%\NetDesk, creates Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts, registers an uninstaller in Add/Remove Programs, and offers an optional, off-by-default per-user autostart (HKCU ...\Run).

Code signing

Signing is handled by the project helper ..\certs\sign-release.ps1 (Akronlogic cert, thumbprint YOUR_CODE_SIGNING_CERT_THUMBPRINT, Sectigo timestamp). build-installer.ps1:

invokes sign-release.ps1 against the release tree, then
signs the staged NetDesk.exe (a renamed copy) and the finished NetDesk-Setup-win64.exe with the same certificate + timestamp mechanism (that helper is hardcoded to the target\release paths, so the staged/setup files are signed with the identical cert here).

Public trust note: the bundled Akronlogic certificate is self-issued, so signatures are only trusted on machines that ran certs\trust-akronlogic.cmd. For signatures trusted on every Windows PC with no action by the user, a CA-issued code-signing certificate (Sectigo/DigiCert, chaining to a root in the Microsoft Trusted Root Program) is required — pass it to the helper with -Thumbprint <cert-in-store> or -PfxPath cert.pfx -PfxPassword .... Self-signed certificates never qualify for public trust.

Skip signing entirely with -NoSign (e.g. for a local test build).

Notes

The portable and installer editions ship the same NetDesk.exe plus the same three MinGW runtime DLLs. The viewer imports libstdc++-6.dll at runtime, so the DLLs must always sit beside the exe.
Deleting the portable folder fully removes it. The installer edition is removed from Add/Remove Programs (or uninstall.exe).

iOS (macOS only)

build-ios.sh (+ the ios/ CocoaPods templates) builds the signed iOS app on a Mac: it adds the Rust iOS targets, compiles netdesk-core for device + simulator, assembles NetDeskCore.xcframework, wires it into the Flutter ui/ios/ project, and runs flutter build ipa. It cannot run on Windows (Xcode is required). One command on the Mac:

packaging/build-ios.sh --team <APPLE_TEAM_ID>

Full walkthrough — Apple Developer Program, signing, the VideoToolbox decode path, every command — is in ../docs/build-ios.md.

packaging/ios/
├── netdesk_core.podspec   vendors NetDeskCore.xcframework + the VideoToolbox frameworks
└── Podfile                Flutter iOS Podfile template with the netdesk_core pod