Add new setting for storing user data inside app folder for windows #7513

PikachuEXE · 2025-06-04T01:28:33Z

Pull Request Type

Bugfix
Feature Implementation
Documentation
Other

Related issue

Description

It's common for a portable app to store user data (settings and other data files)

https://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app#definition

A portable app is a computer program that doesn't need to be installed into Windows like traditional apps so you can carry it with you on a portable device or synced cloud folder and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, or other portable device is plugged in or your cloud drive is synced, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.

Screenshots

Testing

** Backup data before testing **
Suggest to test with non dev version to be accurate (I have never tested this with dev on windows)
Custom build: https://github.com/PikachuEXE/FreeTube/actions/runs/15481269896

A1. Windows - 7z/zip version

Open app
Ensure all data like subscribed channels/profiles, sub cache, playlist, settings, etc. are still present
Ensure new setting DOES appear and disabled
Turn OFF Replace HTTP Cache (for later special setting sync test)
Close app
Create folder userData under the app folder (if you want to test auto folder creation you can do that later)
e.g. if executable is at C:\FreeTube\Freetube.exe, create C:\FreeTube\userData
Create empty file experiment-replace-http-cache inside that folder (which should be absent when Replace HTTP Cache disabled)
Open app, turn ON new setting
Ensure all data like subscribed channels/profiles, sub cache, playlist, settings, etc. are still present
Ensure Replace HTTP Cache still OFF (and empty file experiment-replace-http-cache is gone)
Ensure data files (*.db) now present in new userData folder in app folder
Turn ON Replace HTTP Cache
Ensure no empty file experiment-replace-http-cache present in default user data folder
Optionally do some updates and ensure only files in app folder updated not those in default folder
DELETE data files in default user data folder
Turn OFF new setting
Ensure all data like subscribed channels/profiles, sub cache, playlist, settings, etc. are still present
Ensure Replace HTTP Cache still ON
Ensure data files now present in default userData folder (%APPDATA%\FreeTube, see https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/app#appgetpathname)

A2. Windows - portable version (single executable)
Similar to A1 but userData folder and new flag file are both in the same folder as the portable executable file

A3. Windows - NSIS installer version

Install to a new folder
Ensure all data like subscribed channels/profiles, sub cache, playlist, settings, etc. are still present
Ensure new setting does NOT appear

B. Non windows (macOS/Linux)

Open app
Ensure all data like subscribed channels/profiles, sub cache, playlist, settings, etc. are still present
Ensure new setting does NOT appear

Desktop

OS:
OS Version:
FreeTube version:

Additional context

absidue

This setting is available in all Windows builds, not just the zip and 7zip ones, which is highly problematic for the following reasons:

It is not uncommon for people using installers to place the install in an admin protected folder such as Program Files, so if someone tried to turn on this setting which such an install it wouldn't work, thankfully it would just error with permission errors but not lose any data.
The installer overwrites everything in the install folder when it runs, as it doesn't keep track of which files were installed by the previous installer run and makes the decent assumption that nobody would place anything else in that folder. Previously that wasn't a big deal as only a few users made the mistake of selecting the user data folder as the install location, so we could just tell them to not do that. However by adding this setting and allowing people to use it with the installer builds, we are adding support for people to lose their data when updating FreeTube and it will be our fault when the data is deleted and no it being in the experimental settings with a "use at your own risk" message is not enough, the setting has to hidden and inactive in installer builds.

I rarely do a blocking review on a pull request but this really should not be merged until that major issue is fixed, we should not be making losing your data when updating FreeTube thanks to a FreeTube setting a supported use case.

PikachuEXE · 2025-06-04T08:17:45Z

Ya also this doesn't work with portable version
I admit I have never thought about those 2 versions coz I have never used/tried them (as a user)
Marking as WIP

PikachuEXE · 2025-06-05T03:24:23Z

Updated for portable version and NSIS installer version, custom build updated

absidue · 2025-06-05T22:15:09Z

Not sure patching the installer is the right approach. I think if we add this, it should only be available in the portable version/zip files, as it doesn't make much sense to show and allow it with the installer version, as the installer is inherently not portable and the entire point of this is to make FreeTube more portable.

PikachuEXE · 2025-06-06T03:09:24Z

Updated installer version (by detecting the existence of uninstaller executable) to have new setting hidden and disabled (even with flag file created)

github-actions · 2025-06-21T02:09:07Z