World Backup · v1.0.0

Documentation shipped with this application release.

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User guide update — October 5, 2026

What changed

The website now has a User Guide page at /user-guide, accessible before or after companion pairing. A visible User Guide link is in the home-page header, and How to install and connect links to the full guide.

The guide has 18 sections covering quick start, requirements, companion installation and updates, choosing folders, pairing, workspace controls, backups, archive preservation, restores and recovery copies, retention, deletion, original MCS imports, companion lifecycle, troubleshooting, privacy, common questions, and support. Instructions use the current application's button names and behavior.

The page includes a linked contents panel, mobile layouts, Back to workspace, and Back to top. Download offline guide saves a standalone HTML file with its styling included and no external assets. Print / Save PDF uses the browser's print dialog with a white background and hides navigation/buttons.

The guide explicitly explains that restores replace the entire selected folder, folder pickers and confirmations appear on the companion PC, retention protects only the newest archive during cleanup, recovery folders require manual management, and completed archives stay local. It describes the current app's scope without adding scheduled backups, cloud storage, or world-format conversion.

Files changed

Three existing source files receive small edits:

Seven files are added:

This patch does not edit web.config, project files, publish profiles, Program.cs, publisher contact settings, companion runtime code, or backup/restore logic. It is intended to preserve the hosting/startup fixes already applied to your project. It does not independently fix an outstanding startup error.

Apply in Visual Studio 2022

  1. Save your work and close Visual Studio so unsaved editor buffers do not overwrite patched files.
  2. Extract the patch ZIP into a folder outside your solution. Do not copy it over a published server folder.
  3. Double-click Apply-Patch.cmd and paste the full path to the solution folder that contains src\Mcs.Web\Mcs.Web.csproj.
  4. The script checks all source matches and new-file hashes before writing. If a source fragment differs from this project version, it stops rather than replacing your customized code. Review SOURCE-CHANGES.patch for a manual merge in that case; new files are under payload.
  5. Successful application prints the backup folder. Reapplying the same patch is supported and changes nothing.
  6. Reopen the solution in Visual Studio 2022 and build Mcs.Web in Release. The existing .NET framework target and hosting model stay as configured.
  7. Publish Mcs.Web using your existing working profile. The guide does not require rebuilding or reinstalling the companion.

The application needs no Python to build, publish, or display the guide. Generated source files are already included.

Deploy and verify

Deploy the rebuilt web application's publish output to the existing site. Retain your working app-pool assignment and production configuration. Keep the existing companion ZIP in App_Data\Downloads; avoid a deployment option that deletes unrelated server files. Confirm your actual support contact is still present in the published appsettings.json.

Upload the compiled web output as well as wwwroot\user-guide.css and wwwroot\guides\world-backup-user-guide.html. Uploading a .razor file directly to the host does not add a compiled page.

After deployment:

  1. Open the home page and select User Guide before pairing. Confirm the CoHo logo and contents panel appear.
  2. Select Restore a backup in the contents. Confirm you remain on /user-guide and land at the correct section.
  3. Download the offline guide, save it, and open it locally. Its contents, styling, and section links should work without the website.
  4. Select Print / Save PDF and inspect preview. Text should be dark on white, with no contents panel or action buttons printed.
  5. Use Back to workspace in the same tab. If its pairing remains valid, the home page can reuse it. If the web host restarted, generate and approve a fresh code.
  6. Confirm the existing companion download still works and the usual workspace controls are present.

Validation performed

The browser verification used rendered static HTML from the Razor page and the actual CSS/content. It does not prove that an ASP.NET Core build or live IIS deployment succeeds. This environment has no .NET SDK or Windows PowerShell; perform the Release build and normal site checks in Visual Studio 2022 before deployment.

Edit the guide later

Edit docs/USER-GUIDE.md. If needed, edit src/Mcs.Web/wwwroot/user-guide.css. With Python 3.10 or newer available, run this command from the solution folder:

python scripts/Update-UserGuide.py

This regenerates UserGuideContent.razor, Pages/UserGuide.razor, and the standalone HTML. The utility uses the Python standard library only. Keep the supported simple Markdown structure described in its header. Commit all generated files together so the website and offline guide remain consistent, then rebuild/publish Mcs.Web. No Python is required on the server.

Roll back

The patch backs up changed existing files to a timestamped folder beside your solution under CoHo-Appz-World-Backup-User-Guide-Backups. Restore those originals and remove only the new files listed in that backup's ADDED-FILES.txt, then rebuild and republish Mcs.Web. Keep any later edits you need before rolling back.