TASEmulators / TASEmulators/BizHawk

User-unfriendly layout of files at the top level in published builds

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App: DiscoHawk Meta Request: Feature/Enhancement
Dominant language
C#
Stars
2.8k
Forks
468
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

There are several issues with the main folder of default BizHawk. On their own they are just minor nitpicks, but together these issues create unnecessary complications that could be easily avoided.

  • Main executable is not called BizHawk.exe, but instead EmuHawk.exe.
  • Barely any mention of the term "EmuHawk" anywhere, so people aren't sure if opening EmuHawk.exe is correct.
  • Multiple .exe files in the main folder. This causes even more confusion, because the tool is not installed with an installer but must be manually extracted.
  • .config files are not known by default on Windows, so this is really only minor, but Windows hides file extensions by default, so the folder will appear to have files: DiscoHawk, DiscoHawk.exe (the .config file), EmuHawk, and EmuHawk.exe (the .config file).

All these together cause uncertainty when users run into issues starting the tools. It also adds unnecessary troubleshooting steps for those trying to help.

The problems could be easily mitigated, for example, by renaming the main executable, moving DiscoHawk into a separate folder, and possibly renaming the .config file completely or at least remove the .exe from the config filename.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

No source files or tests are named. Start by locating the build or packaging entry point that produces the published top-level folder, then review the proposed executable and folder naming changes with their effect on manual extraction. Done means the published layout clearly identifies the main executable and avoids unnecessary confusion from additional executables or configuration files.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
release
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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