pgsql-jellyfin/docs/PR_DESCRIPTION.md

Pull Request: PostgreSQL Integration, Windows Installer, and Documentation Overhaul

🎯 Overview

This PR completes the PostgreSQL integration for Jellyfin with comprehensive Windows installer support, centralized build output, OS-specific configuration, and a complete documentation overhaul.

🚀 What's New

1. Complete Documentation Overhaul 📚

• Rewrote README.md to highlight PostgreSQL features, Windows installer, and migration guides
• Moved all markdown files to docs/ folder for better organization (30+ files organized)
• Created comprehensive documentation index with quick start and detailed guides
• Added README_GENERATION.md and DOCUMENTATION_ORGANIZATION.md for maintenance
• Preserved original README as README.original.md
• Clear platform-specific instructions (Windows/Linux/macOS)

2. Professional Windows Installer 💿

• Inno Setup script (jellyfin-setup.iss) with full wizard support
• PowerShell build automation (build-installer.ps1) for easy installer creation
• Features:
  • Windows Service installation
  • Firewall rules configuration
  • PostgreSQL connection wizard
  • .NET runtime verification
  • Clean uninstaller
• Comprehensive documentation:
  • INSTALLER_QUICK_START.md - 5-minute guide
  • INSTALLER_GUIDE.md - Complete reference with WiX, MSIX options
  • BUILD_INSTALLER_FIXED.md - Build script usage

3. Centralized Build Output 🔨

• All DLLs now output to lib\[Configuration]\[TargetFramework]\ at repository root
• Configured via Directory.Build.props
• Benefits:
  • Single location for all build artifacts
  • Easier deployment and packaging
  • No duplicate dependencies
  • Faster builds
• Documentation: CENTRALIZED_LIB_FOLDER.md

4. OS-Specific Startup Configuration ⚙️

• Auto-generates startup.json with OS-appropriate defaults on first run
• Platform defaults:
  • Windows: C:/ProgramData/jellyfin
  • Linux: /var/lib/jellyfin, /etc/jellyfin
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/jellyfin
• Removes null/example config - immediately usable
• Configuration priority: CLI args → Environment vars → startup.json → Built-in defaults
• Documentation:
  • OS_SPECIFIC_STARTUP_CONFIG.md
  • STARTUP_JSON_VERIFICATION.md
  • STARTUP_JSON_FIX.md

5. PostgreSQL Migration Improvements 🗄️

• Assign all tables to correct PostgreSQL schemas in EF Core migrations
• Fix identifier quoting (SQL Server brackets → PostgreSQL double quotes)
• Use InsertData for placeholder BaseItems row (no raw SQL)
• Auto-recovery: Handles 42P07 errors (table exists)
• Added RecordMigrationAsAppliedAsync for manual migration history
• Improved migration logging and error handling
• Documentation:
  • POSTGRESQL_MIGRATION_COMPLETE.md
  • MIGRATION_RECOVERY_FIX.md
  • SQLITE_MIGRATION_FILTERING_FIX.md
• Idempotent, production-ready SQL migration scripts
• PowerShell script for automated migration verification

6. Platform Configuration Templates 📋

• Added Linux/Windows startup config templates in Resources/Configuration/
• FHS-compliant default paths
• Platform-specific README with usage instructions
• Improved portability and cross-platform consistency

7. Build and Deployment Improvements 🚢

• Enhanced publish profiles with platform targeting
• Clean deploy: deletes existing files before publish
• Updated .gitignore:
  • Excludes lib/ (build output)
  • Excludes installer-output/
  • Excludes all PublishProfiles/ folders (machine-specific)
  • Cleaned up tracked publish profile XMLs
• Switched to relative paths for improved portability

---

📊 Changes Summary

Files Added/Created

• build-installer.ps1 - PowerShell installer build script
• jellyfin-setup.iss - Inno Setup installer script
• jellyfin.ico - Application icon
• docs/INSTALLER_QUICK_START.md - 5-minute installer guide
• docs/INSTALLER_GUIDE.md - Complete installer documentation
• docs/BUILD_INSTALLER_FIXED.md - Build script usage
• docs/CENTRALIZED_LIB_FOLDER.md - Build output documentation
• docs/OS_SPECIFIC_STARTUP_CONFIG.md - OS configuration guide
• docs/STARTUP_JSON_VERIFICATION.md - Configuration loading details
• docs/STARTUP_JSON_FIX.md - Fixing null value issues
• docs/GITIGNORE_PUBLISHPROFILES.md - GitIgnore documentation
• docs/DOCUMENTATION_ORGANIZATION.md - Doc organization summary
• docs/README_GENERATION.md - README generation process
• Jellyfin.Server/Resources/Configuration/startup.*.json - Platform templates

Files Modified

• README.md - Complete rewrite with PostgreSQL focus
• Directory.Build.props - Centralized build output configuration
• .gitignore - Updated exclusions for lib, installer-output, PublishProfiles
• Jellyfin.Server/Helpers/StartupHelpers.cs - OS-specific config generation
• EF Core migrations - PostgreSQL schema and quoting fixes
• Publish profiles - Platform targeting and clean deploy

Files Moved

• 30+ documentation files → docs/ folder
• All README links updated to point to docs/

Files Removed

• Old Jellyfin.Server/startup.json (now generated at runtime)
• Obsolete Windows publish profiles
• Tracked PublishProfiles XML files

---

🎯 Migration Guide

From SQLite to PostgreSQL

# 1. Backup SQLite database
cp jellyfin.db jellyfin-backup.db

# 2. Install PostgreSQL 12+
winget install PostgreSQL.PostgreSQL

# 3. Create database
psql -U postgres
CREATE USER jellyfin WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';
CREATE DATABASE jellyfin OWNER jellyfin;
\q

# 4. Update startup.json
{
  "DatabaseProvider": "Postgres",
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Host=localhost;Database=jellyfin;Username=jellyfin;Password=your_password"
  }
}

# 5. Run migration
dotnet run --project Jellyfin.Server -- --migrate-database

See docs/POSTGRESQL_MIGRATION_COMPLETE.md for details.

---

🔨 Building and Installation

Quick Build

git clone https://gitea.wpjones.com/wjones/pgsql-jellyfin.git
cd pgsql-jellyfin
dotnet build --configuration Release
cd lib/Release/net11.0
dotnet jellyfin.dll

Create Windows Installer

# Install Inno Setup
winget install JRSoftware.InnoSetup

# Build installer
.\build-installer.ps1

# Result: installer-output\JellyfinSetup-PostgreSQL-11.0.0.exe

---

🧪 Testing

Tested Scenarios

• ✅ Fresh install on Windows
• ✅ Migration from SQLite to PostgreSQL
• ✅ OS-specific configuration generation
• ✅ Windows Service installation
• ✅ Firewall rules creation
• ✅ Build output to lib folder
• ✅ Documentation links and navigation

Tested Platforms

• ✅ Windows 10/11
• ✅ Linux (Ubuntu 22.04)
• ✅ PostgreSQL 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

---

📝 Documentation

All documentation is now in the docs/ folder with a complete index in README.md:

Configuration

• OS_SPECIFIC_STARTUP_CONFIG.md
• STARTUP_JSON_VERIFICATION.md
• STARTUP_JSON_FIX.md

PostgreSQL

• QUICKSTART_POSTGRESQL.md
• POSTGRESQL_MIGRATION_COMPLETE.md
• POSTGRESQL_TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Installation

• INSTALLER_QUICK_START.md
• INSTALLER_GUIDE.md
• CENTRALIZED_LIB_FOLDER.md
• BUILD_INSTALLER_FIXED.md

Backup & Recovery

• POSTGRES_BACKUP_IMPLEMENTATION.md
• POSTGRESQL_BACKUP_ANALYSIS.md

Project Status

• PROJECT_COMPLETION.md
• POC_SUMMARY_REPORT.md

View All Documentation →

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⚠️ Breaking Changes

None! All changes are backward compatible:

• Existing startup.json files are preserved
• SQLite users can continue using SQLite
• Migration to PostgreSQL is optional
• Default behavior unchanged for existing installations

---

🎉 Benefits

For Users

• ✅ Professional Windows installer with wizard
• ✅ Automatic OS-specific configuration
• ✅ Better performance with large media libraries
• ✅ Enterprise-grade database backend
• ✅ Easy migration from SQLite

For Developers

• ✅ Centralized build output (lib folder)
• ✅ Comprehensive documentation
• ✅ Easy installer creation (5 minutes)
• ✅ Clean repository structure
• ✅ Better cross-platform support

For System Admins

• ✅ FHS-compliant paths on Linux
• ✅ Windows Service support
• ✅ Professional backup solutions
• ✅ Database replication and clustering support

---

🔄 Commits Included

1. Docs: overhaul README, centralize docs, update .gitignore - Documentation reorganization
2. Add Windows installer scripts, docs, and startup.json fixes - Installer infrastructure
3. Centralize build output and generate OS-specific startup.json - Build improvements
4. Platform config templates & Postgres migration recovery - Configuration and migration
5. PostgreSQL migration: schema fixes, docs, and tooling - Database migrations
6. Update publish profiles and .gitignore for Windows build - Build configuration
7. Update publish profile and web dir config for portability - Path improvements

---

📞 Support

• 📚 Documentation
• 🐛 Report Bug
• 💡 Request Feature

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✅ Checklist

• Code compiles without errors
• All tests pass
• Documentation updated and comprehensive
• README.md reflects all changes
• .gitignore updated appropriately
• Migration scripts tested
• Windows installer tested
• Cross-platform compatibility verified
• No breaking changes introduced

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🎯 Ready to Merge

This PR represents a major milestone for the PostgreSQL-enabled Jellyfin fork:

• Complete documentation overhaul with 30+ organized files
• Professional Windows installer with service support
• Centralized build output for easier deployment
• OS-specific configuration that "just works"
• Robust PostgreSQL migration with auto-recovery
• Production-ready, tested, and documented

Recommended for merge into main branch.

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Pull Request Type: Feature + Documentation + Build Improvement
Target Branch: main
Source Branch: pgsql_testing_branch
Reviewer: @maintainers
Priority: High