fix: use custom user data dir for updater WebView2 (#138)

deansheather · web-flow · commit 29943c8d5f78 · 2025-06-26T16:12:38.000+10:00
The default location was in the install directory, which is not writeable by regular users. We now store the WebView2 data directory in our AppData/Local folder. This is what it looked like when broken: ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f6d241d7-9341-4c70-9e7f-b8230dc5c9d4)
diff --git a/App/App.csproj b/App/App.csproj
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 <LangVersion>preview</LangVersion>
 <!-- We have our own implementation of main with exception handling -->
 <DefineConstants>DISABLE_XAML_GENERATED_MAIN;DISABLE_XAML_GENERATED_BREAK_ON_UNHANDLED_EXCEPTION</DefineConstants>
+ <!-- Default version for debug builds, overridden during releases -->
+ <Version>0.1.0.0</Version>
 
 <AssemblyName>Coder Desktop</AssemblyName>
 <AssemblyTitle>Coder Desktop</AssemblyTitle>
diff --git a/App/ViewModels/UpdaterUpdateAvailableViewModel.cs b/App/ViewModels/UpdaterUpdateAvailableViewModel.cs
@@ -4,10 +4,12 @@
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Coder.Desktop.App.Services;
 using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml;
 using Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;
+using Microsoft.Web.WebView2.Core;
 using NetSparkleUpdater;
 using NetSparkleUpdater.Enums;
 using NetSparkleUpdater.Events;
@@ -174,8 +176,18 @@ public async Task Changelog_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
 if (sender is not WebView2 webView)
 return;
 
- // Start the engine.
- await webView.EnsureCoreWebView2Async();
+ // Start the engine with a custom user data folder. The default for
+ // unpackaged WinUI 3 apps is to write to a subfolder in the app's
+ // install directory, which is Program Files by default and not
+ // writeable by the user.
+ var userDataFolder = Path.Join(SettingsManagerUtils.AppSettingsDirectory(), "WebView2");
+ _logger.LogDebug("Creating WebView2 user data folder at{UserDataFolder}", userDataFolder);
+ Directory.CreateDirectory(userDataFolder);
+ var env = await CoreWebView2Environment.CreateWithOptionsAsync(
+ null,
+ userDataFolder,
+ new CoreWebView2EnvironmentOptions());
+ await webView.EnsureCoreWebView2Async(env);
 
 // Disable unwanted features.
 var settings = webView.CoreWebView2.Settings;

-Original file line number
+Diff line change
 usingSystem.IO;
 usingSystem.Linq;
 usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
 +usingCoder.Desktop.App.Services;
 usingCommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
 usingMicrosoft.Extensions.Logging;
 usingMicrosoft.UI.Xaml;
 usingMicrosoft.UI.Xaml.Controls;
 +usingMicrosoft.Web.WebView2.Core;
 usingNetSparkleUpdater;
 usingNetSparkleUpdater.Enums;
 usingNetSparkleUpdater.Events;
 if(senderis not WebView2webView)
 return;
 -// Start the engine.
 -awaitwebView.EnsureCoreWebView2Async();
 +// Start the engine with a custom user data folder. The default for
 +// unpackaged WinUI 3 apps is to write to a subfolder in the app's
 +// install directory, which is Program Files by default and not
 +// writeable by the user.
 +varuserDataFolder=Path.Join(SettingsManagerUtils.AppSettingsDirectory(),"WebView2");
 +_logger.LogDebug("Creating WebView2 user data folder at{UserDataFolder}",userDataFolder);
 +Directory.CreateDirectory(userDataFolder);
 +varenv=awaitCoreWebView2Environment.CreateWithOptionsAsync(
 +null,
 +userDataFolder,
 +newCoreWebView2EnvironmentOptions());
 +awaitwebView.EnsureCoreWebView2Async(env);
 // Disable unwanted features.
 varsettings=webView.CoreWebView2.Settings;