BUILD_PREPARATION_CHECKLIST.md

ARCHive Build Preparation Checklist

1. Required Development Programs

Visual Studio Community 2026

Purpose:

• C# and WPF development;
• compilation and debugging;
• unit/integration testing;
• Windows SDK tools.

Install:

• Visual Studio Community 2026, version 18.0 or later;
• .NET desktop development workload;
• latest .NET 10 SDK;
• Windows SDK;
• C# and WPF tools;
• .NET test tools.

Community is appropriate for an individual developer. Review the license again if development later moves into a larger organization.

The development PC must run a supported 64-bit Windows 11 edition. Visual Studio 2026 does not support ordinary Windows 10 development hosts.

Official source:

https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/

.NET 10 SDK

Purpose:

• build and publish the self-contained WPF application;
• run dotnet restore, build, and test commands.

Visual Studio can install it. Verify that the x64 SDK is available rather than installing a second unnecessary copy.

Official source:

https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0

Git for Windows

Purpose:

• source control;
• reversible development history;
• release tags;
• comparison and rollback.

Install the maintained x64 release and use a private repository until the license, branding, and third-party notices are ready.

Official source:

https://git-scm.com/install/windows.html

Official 7-Zip components

Purpose:

• 7z and ZIP creation;
• archive testing;
• extraction;
• optional password-safe library integration.

Preparation:

• pin one stable version for the project;
• obtain the official Extra/source package needed for 7z.dll and any console component;
• verify downloaded hashes/signatures when available;
• store binaries under third_party/7zip/<version>/;
• store the corresponding license and attribution;
• document the official source location;
• never depend on a random 7-Zip already installed on the user's PC.

Current planning baseline: 7-Zip 26.02. Reconfirm the stable version before the first public release.

Official source:

https://www.7-zip.org/download.html

Inno Setup

Purpose:

• produce one Windows installer;
• install/uninstall ARCHive;
• add Start menu shortcuts;
• package third-party notices;
• support Authenticode signing.

Current planning baseline: Inno Setup 6.7.3. Reconfirm the stable version before release. Commercial users are requested by the publisher to purchase a commercial license.

Official source:

https://jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

2. Built-in Windows Components

These require no separate download:

• Robocopy;
• File Explorer;
• Windows PowerShell;
• standard Windows file/folder dialogs;
• Windows Event Log APIs, if later needed for diagnostics.

ARCHive must locate the trusted Windows Robocopy executable through the Windows system directory rather than relying on a user-controlled working directory.

3. Required Release Item, Not Needed for Early Development

Authenticode code-signing certificate

Purpose:

• identify the publisher;
• reduce untrusted-publisher warnings;
• detect modified executables and installers.

Preparation:

• choose the legal publisher name;
• acquire a certificate from an appropriate public certificate authority;
• keep the private key outside the repository;
• restrict signing access;
• sign and SHA-256 timestamp the application and installer;
• verify signatures in the release pipeline.

The Windows SDK supplies SignTool. A certificate is not required to begin coding, but it should be obtained before public distribution.

Microsoft SignTool documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/seccrypto/signtool

4. Optional Testing Programs and Equipment

Windows Sandbox

Useful for disposable installer smoke tests when the development PC runs a supported Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition. It is not available on Windows Home.

Official guidance:

https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/security/application-security/application-isolation/windows-sandbox/

Clean test machines or virtual machines

Prepare:

• current supported Windows 11 x64 releases;
• a standard non-administrator test account;
• a machine with no separate .NET runtime to prove the self-contained build;
• a machine without 7-Zip installed to prove the bundled dependency works.

Test storage

Prepare noncritical media and folders for destructive fault simulation:

• NTFS USB drive;
• FAT32 test drive or partition;
• low-space test volume;
• SMB share that can be disconnected safely;
• folders with read-only and denied permissions;
• a deliberately locked test file.

Never use the only copy of real user data for fault testing.

5. Product Decisions Required Before Coding

Confirm and record:

• product name: ARCHive;
• executable name;
• publisher name;
• application identifier/GUID;
• initial version: suggested 0.1.0;
• minimum supported Windows 11 release, checked against the current .NET 10 support matrix;
• x64-only Version 1;
• per-user or all-user installation;
• default installation folder;
• local settings/history/log locations;
• application license;
• public or private source repository;
• support/contact link;
• final icon and visual palette.

Recommended Version 1 security decisions:

• run asInvoker, not automatically as administrator;
• no background service;
• no scheduled task;
• no telemetry;
• no automatic update network call;
• no stored passwords;
• no shell context-menu extension;
• no destructive copy mode.

6. Repository Preparation

Create:

ARCHive.sln
src/
  ARCHive.App/
  ARCHive.Core/
  ARCHive.Copy/
  ARCHive.Archive/
  ARCHive.Infrastructure/
tests/
  ARCHive.UnitTests/
  ARCHive.IntegrationTests/
  ARCHive.SmokeTests/
fixtures/
installer/
third_party/
  7zip/
docs/
artifacts/

Repository rules:

• initialize Git before implementation;
• create .gitignore for Visual Studio, .NET, test outputs, logs, packages, temporary archives, and installer output;
• never commit certificates, signing tokens, passwords, or personal test data;
• commit third-party licenses and attribution;
• keep generated releases out of source folders;
• tag approved releases;
• keep fixture data synthetic.

7. Dependency and License Preparation

Before packaging:

• choose the ARCHive application license;
• confirm 7-Zip component license obligations;
• include the 7-Zip LGPL notice and official source link;
• record the pinned 7-Zip version;
• review any native interop or NuGet package license;
• avoid an abandoned third-party 7-Zip wrapper unless its maintenance, security, architecture, and license are acceptable;
• review Inno Setup terms for the intended commercial/noncommercial use;
• create THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt;
• create an About-page attribution section.

No new runtime dependency should be added merely for a minor convenience.

8. Technical Spikes Before Full UI Development

Complete these small proofs first:

Robocopy spike

• enumerate source totals;
• test /MT:8;
• test localized output;
• test progress parsing;
• test cancellation;
• test exit codes 0 through 8+ scenarios;
• test /XJ;
• test long and UNC paths;
• decide whether restartable mode and multithreaded progress work together;
• lock the final arguments only after evidence.

7-Zip spike

• create and test 7z;
• create and test ZIP;
• extract both;
• capture progress;
• cancel safely;
• test Unicode and long paths;
• test corrupt archives;
• test malicious traversal entries;
• determine the password-safe library interface;
• defer password support if it would require insecure process arguments.

WPF responsiveness spike

• run a fake high-frequency worker;
• throttle updates to approximately 250 milliseconds;
• confirm the window remains responsive;
• confirm cancellation and close-window behavior;
• test display scaling and keyboard focus.

9. Test Fixture Preparation

Create a synthetic fixture containing:

• nested folders;
• empty folders;
• zero-byte files;
• Unicode filenames;
• spaces and special characters;
• many small files;
• one large generated file;
• duplicate content;
• hidden/read-only files;
• a controlled junction and hard link;
• long paths;
• known SHA-256 hashes.

Create archive-security fixtures containing:

• .. traversal entries;
• absolute paths;
• drive-qualified paths;
• mixed separators;
• Unicode normalization edge cases;
• a corrupt archive;
• an incorrect-password case when password support exists.

Fixtures must contain no private documents or credentials.

10. Build and Release Preparation

Development configuration:

• Debug x64;
• local structured logs;
• deterministic fixture paths;
• warnings treated seriously;
• nullable reference types enabled;
• analyzers enabled.

Release configuration:

• Release x64;
• self-contained .NET publish;
• no console window;
• pinned dependencies;
• reproducible version metadata;
• license and attribution files;
• application and installer signing;
• SHA-256 release hashes;
• clean-machine installation test;
• uninstall test;
• automated smoke suite;
• manual nontechnical user test.

11. Environment Verification

Before Phase 0, verify:

dotnet --info
git --version
robocopy /?

Also verify:

• Visual Studio opens a .NET 10 WPF solution;
• the Windows SDK and SignTool are discoverable;
• Inno Setup Compiler is installed;
• the pinned 7-Zip files and license are present;
• the development drive has sufficient free space;
• test destinations contain no irreplaceable data.

Record versions in docs/DEVELOPMENT_ENVIRONMENT.md.

12. Preparation Completion Gate

Coding begins when:

• final product scope is approved;
• required programs are installed and version-checked;
• repository and solution layout are created;
• product/publisher identifiers are decided;
• 7-Zip files and notices are staged;
• synthetic test storage is available;
• Phase 0 spike acceptance criteria are recorded;
• no real user data is needed for testing.

Public release begins only when:

• clean Windows tests pass;
• license obligations are complete;
• automated and manual acceptance tests pass;
• binaries and installer are signed;
• hashes and release notes are produced.