Add Windows installer

[MrPropre]

Hello,

It would be nice to be able to install Fontra on Windows so it appears effortlessly in the start menu. For now it seems that Fontra Pak is only a portable executable which is not very convenient.

Once we have the installer, Fontra Pak could also update the app files directly instead of just downloading an archive.

Thank you in advance.

[justvanrossum]

The Windows zip in Fontra Pak releases contains a Windows-only executable that people can move anywhere. I wouldn't call this a "portable executable", but then again, perhaps you mean something different. I'm not much of a Windows user, so I don't really know what an installer would add.

In other words, for this to happen, I need a community contribution that sets this up (in an automated way with GitHub actions).

Once we have the installer, Fontra Pak could also update the app files directly instead of just downloading an archive.

Similarly, I don't really have an idea what that means concretely.

Do you think you would be able to contribute such an installer?

[MrPropre]

On Windows, a .exe file inside a .zip is basically a portable app (from a user pov).
The app isn’t really “installed”: no Start Menu entry, no uninstall option, and users have to manage shortcuts and updates manually.

A Windows installer mainly adds system integration:

• installs the app in a standard location (Program Files folder usually)
• creates Start Menu/Desktop shortcuts
• adds a proper uninstall entry so you can remove the app from the Windows Settings or Start Menu

It doesn’t change the app itself, it’s just packaging around the existing executable.

I might not be able to help with the installer, but wanted to clarify what “installer” means on Windows first.