PACKAGED_APP_VALIDATION.md

Packaged App Validation

Build Date

• April 12, 2026

Packaged Artifact Tested

• source build artifact: C:\Users\LJ\Documents\PDF TO ESX AGENT\dist\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent.exe
• copied release folder used for clean-machine-like validation: C:\Users\LJ\AppData\Local\Temp\PDF TO ESX AGENT Clean Release Validation\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent

Test Steps Performed

1. Built the release with .\scripts\Build-Windows-Exe.ps1.
2. Verified the build script removed transient build\pyinstaller\ output after success.
3. Verified the packaged release folder no longer contained *.dist-info or __pycache__ directories.
4. Copied the full dist\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent\ folder to a temp path outside the repo, including spaces in the path name.
5. Launched the copied packaged executable as a GUI smoke test.
6. Checked for newly created conhost.exe processes during packaged GUI startup.
7. Ran a real headless packaged conversion from the copied release folder using an explicit temp output directory.
8. Verified the packaged run wrote *.esx, *.esx.xml, and *.canonical.json.
9. Verified packaged logging under %LOCALAPPDATA%\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent\logs\pdf_to_esx_agent.log.
10. Ran a second real packaged conversion from the copied release folder without --output-dir.
11. Verified the default packaged output path resolved to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\PDF TO ESX AGENT\generated\.

Test Results

Build Hygiene

• .\scripts\Build-Windows-Exe.ps1 completed successfully.
• build\pyinstaller\ was removed after the build.
• the release folder did not contain *.dist-info or __pycache__ directories after cleanup.

GUI Launch

• the copied packaged executable launched successfully from a temp path outside the repo.
• the process remained alive during startup smoke testing.
• no new conhost.exe process was observed during packaged GUI launch.
• result: no evidence of a console flash on normal packaged launch.

Real Conversion With Explicit Output Directory

Input fixture used:

• Packaged Validation Statefarm estimate.pdf

Output directory used:

• %TEMP%\pdf-to-esx-agent-packaged-clean-output

Generated files:

• Packaged Validation Statefarm estimate.esx
• Packaged Validation Statefarm estimate.esx.xml
• Packaged Validation Statefarm estimate.canonical.json

Result:

• conversion succeeded
• XML and .esx package validation succeeded
• packaged logging recorded the full parse/merge/export sequence

Real Conversion With Default Packaged Output Path

Input fixture used:

• Default Path Validation Statefarm estimate.pdf

Default packaged output path observed:

• C:\Users\LJ\Documents\PDF TO ESX AGENT\generated\

Generated files:

• Default Path Validation Statefarm estimate.esx
• Default Path Validation Statefarm estimate.esx.xml
• Default Path Validation Statefarm estimate.canonical.json

Result:

• conversion succeeded
• packaged default output path is user-friendly and user-writable
• the validation artifacts created during this check were removed afterward to keep the environment tidy

Logging

Observed packaged log file:

• C:\Users\LJ\AppData\Local\PDF-TO-ESX-Agent\logs\pdf_to_esx_agent.log

Result:

• packaged runs wrote logs to the expected LocalAppData location
• the log captured validation, parsing, merge, export, and completion messages
• frozen-mode logging stayed file-based rather than relying on a console stream

What Still Needs Improvement Before Broad Public Distribution

• add an installer or a clearer end-user release zip process around the onedir folder
• add code signing for better Windows trust and download experience
• optionally add version metadata and app icon polish to the executable
• validate the packaged build on a second Windows machine outside the current development environment
• continue broadening parser regression coverage before making stronger compatibility claims
• continue documenting ESX compatibility conservatively until more external import evidence exists