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CapFrameX Portable Mode

Overview

CapFrameX now supports a portable mode that allows the application to run entirely from a single folder without writing to system directories. This is useful for running from USB drives, network shares, or keeping multiple isolated installations.

How It Works

Portable mode is activated by placing a portable.json file in the same directory as the CapFrameX executable. When the application starts, it checks for this file and redirects all data storage to paths relative to the application directory.

Key Features

  • Self-contained: All configuration, captures, screenshots, and logs are stored relative to the application folder
  • No registry modifications: The application doesn't write to the Windows registry in portable mode
  • No system folder usage: Bypasses %AppData% and Documents folders entirely
  • Configurable paths: All storage paths can be customized via portable.json

portable.json Configuration

Create a portable.json file in the CapFrameX application directory with the following structure:

{
  "portable": true,
  "paths": {
    "config": "./Portable/Config",
    "captures": "./Portable/Captures",
    "screenshots": "./Portable/Screenshots",
    "logs": "./Portable/Logs",
    "cloud": "./Portable/Captures/Cloud"
  }
}

Configuration Options

Property Description Default
portable Enables portable mode when true true
paths.config Configuration files (AppSettings.json, overlay configs, sensor config, UI state) ./Portable/Config
paths.captures Capture recordings ./Portable/Captures
paths.screenshots Screenshot storage ./Portable/Screenshots
paths.logs Log files ./Portable/Logs
paths.cloud Cloud download directory ./Portable/Captures/Cloud

All paths are relative to the application directory. You can use ./ or .\ prefix, or just the folder name.

Requirements

When running in portable mode, the following dependencies must be installed on the system:

  • .NET 9.0 Desktop Runtime (x64) - Download
  • Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x64) - Download

The application will check for these dependencies on startup and display a message if any are missing.

Creating a Portable Distribution

  1. Copy the CapFrameX application files to a folder
  2. Create a portable.json file with the configuration above
  3. (Optional) Pre-create the Portable subdirectory with: Config, Captures, Screenshots, Logs
  4. The application is now portable and can be moved to any location

Behavior Differences

Feature Installed Mode Portable Mode
Config storage %AppData%\CapFrameX\Configuration ./Portable/Config
Captures storage Documents\CapFrameX\Captures ./Portable/Captures
Screenshots Documents\CapFrameX\Screenshots ./Portable/Screenshots
Logs %AppData%\CapFrameX\Logs ./Portable/Logs
UI state (window size, column widths) %LocalAppData%\Jot ./Portable/Config
Window title "CapFrameX" "CapFrameX Portable"
Config migration Migrates old settings Skipped
Start with Windows Available Disabled

Notes

  • Settings configured in portable mode are stored in the portable config folder and won't affect or be affected by an installed version
  • The portable.json file must be valid JSON; if parsing fails, the application falls back to installed mode
  • Directories are automatically created if they don't exist