Getting Started¶
This page covers installing and running the desktop version. To try the app without installing, use the Live Demo. On a phone or tablet, see Installing on Android.
Install & run¶
Collectary is a .NET 8 / Avalonia desktop app. To build and run from source:
dotnet build "src\Collectary.UI.Desktop\Collectary.UI.Desktop.csproj"
.\src\Collectary.UI.Desktop\bin\Debug\net8.0\Collectary.UI.Desktop.exe
Building requires the .NET SDK 10 (the desktop head targets net8.0, but the full solution builds with SDK 10). See Building for the full prerequisites.
Staying up to date¶
When you install Collectary from the Windows installer (Collectary-win-Setup.exe on the
releases page), it keeps itself up to date. On
each launch it quietly checks for a newer release in the background and downloads it; the update is
applied automatically the next time you start the app. There's nothing to click and no interruption —
you'll simply be on the latest version. You can always grab the newest installer manually from the
releases page too.
First launch¶
On first launch Collectary:
- Creates its data folder and an empty SQLite database, then runs migrations.
- Prompts you to create the first account (see Profiles).
- Opens the Home screen.
Where your data lives¶
| What | Location |
|---|---|
| Database | %APPDATA%\Collectary\collectary.db |
| Preferences | %APPDATA%\Collectary\preferences.json |
| Logs | %APPDATA%\Collectary\logs\ |
Images you attach to items are stored alongside the database.
The main screens¶
| Screen | For |
|---|---|
| Home | Browse, create, reorder, and open collections. |
| Collection | View the items in one collection. |
| Collection editor | Define a collection's fields and groups. |
| Item editor | Add or edit a single item. |
| Settings | Theme, language, and sync. |
| Shared Field Library | Field definitions reused across collections. |