CodeFrog
Windows Setup Guide
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Windows Setup Guide

This guide walks you through the Windows system settings and configuration required for CodeFrog to work properly with local projects and SSH connections.

Overview

CodeFrog on Windows requires several system configurations for full functionality:

  1. Windows Store Installation - Installing CodeFrog from the Microsoft Store
  2. System Requirements - Ensuring your Windows version meets requirements
  3. File Access Permissions - Understanding Windows file system permissions
  4. SSH Setup - Configuring OpenSSH for localhost connections
  5. Long Path Support - Enabling support for paths longer than 260 characters
  6. Terminal Integration - Configuring Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or CMD
  7. Security Considerations - Windows Defender and firewall settings

Windows Store Installation

If you’re installing CodeFrog from the Microsoft Store:

  1. Open Microsoft Store
    • Click the Start menu
    • Search for “Microsoft Store” and open it
  2. Search for CodeFrog
    • Type “CodeFrog” in the search bar
    • Select CodeFrog from the results
  3. Install the App
    • Click the “Get” or “Install” button
    • Wait for the installation to complete
  4. Launch CodeFrog
    • Click “Launch” from the Store, or
    • Find CodeFrog in your Start menu and launch it

Post-Installation

After installation, CodeFrog will:

System Requirements

CodeFrog requires:

Checking Your Windows Version

  1. Press Win + R to open Run dialog
  2. Type winver and press Enter
  3. Check the version number displayed

File Access Permissions

Windows uses User Account Control (UAC) and file system permissions to protect your files.

Understanding Windows Permissions

Granting Folder Access

When CodeFrog needs to access a folder:

  1. Select Folder Dialog
    • CodeFrog will show a folder picker dialog
    • Navigate to and select your project folder
    • Click “Select Folder”
  2. UAC Prompts
    • If Windows shows a UAC prompt, click “Yes” to allow access
    • This is normal and required for file operations
  3. Permission Issues
    • If you see “Access Denied” errors, check folder permissions
    • Right-click the folder → Properties → Security tab
    • Ensure your user account has “Full control” or “Modify” permissions

Long Path Support

Windows has a default 260-character path limit. CodeFrog may need to access files in deep directory structures, so enabling long path support is recommended.

Enabling Long Path Support

Option 1: Using PowerShell Script (Recommended)

  1. Run PowerShell as Administrator
    • Right-click PowerShell in Start menu
    • Select “Run as Administrator”
  2. Navigate to CodeFrog Directory 
    cd C:\path\to\codefrog\project
  3. Run the Enable Script 
    .\enable_long_paths.ps1
  4. Restart Your Computer
    • The change requires a restart to take effect
    • The script will offer to restart automatically

Option 2: Manual Registry Edit

  1. Open Registry Editor
    • Press Win + R
    • Type regedit and press Enter
    • Click “Yes” on UAC prompt
  2. Navigate to File System Key
    • Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
  3. Create or Modify LongPathsEnabled
    • Find or create DWORD: LongPathsEnabled
    • Set value to: 1
    • Click OK
  4. Restart Your Computer

Option 3: PowerShell Command

Run this in PowerShell as Administrator:

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "LongPathsEnabled" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

Then restart your computer.

Verifying Long Path Support

After restarting, verify it’s enabled:

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "LongPathsEnabled"

Should return: LongPathsEnabled : 1

SSH Setup

CodeFrog uses SSH for terminal access and local project features. Windows 10 and 11 include OpenSSH Client by default.

Checking OpenSSH Installation

  1. Open PowerShell
    • Press Win + X
    • Select “Windows PowerShell” or “Terminal”
  2. Check SSH Version 
    ssh -V
    • Should display version information if OpenSSH is installed

Installing OpenSSH (If Not Installed)

  1. Open Settings
    • Press Win + I
    • Go to Apps → Optional Features
  2. Add OpenSSH Client
    • Click “Add a feature”
    • Search for “OpenSSH Client”
    • Select it and click “Install”
  3. Alternative: Using PowerShell (as Administrator) 
    Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0

Configuring SSH for Localhost

For local projects, CodeFrog connects to localhost via SSH:

  1. SSH Service Status
    • OpenSSH Server may need to be installed for localhost connections
    • Check if SSH server is running: 
      Get-Service sshd
  2. Installing OpenSSH Server (If Needed) 
    Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0
Start-Service sshd
Set-Service -Name sshd -StartupType 'Automatic'
  3. Firewall Configuration
    • Windows Firewall should automatically allow SSH
    • If connection fails, check Windows Firewall settings
    • Ensure “OpenSSH SSH Server” is allowed

SSH Key Management

SSH keys are stored in:

CodeFrog will use your default SSH keys for authentication.

Terminal Integration

CodeFrog integrates with Windows terminal environments:

Windows Terminal provides the best experience:

  1. Install Windows Terminal (if not already installed)
    • Available from Microsoft Store
    • Or download from: https://aka.ms/terminal
  2. Configure as Default
    • Windows Terminal is usually set as default on Windows 11
    • On Windows 10, set it in Windows Terminal settings

PowerShell

PowerShell is the default terminal on modern Windows:

Command Prompt (CMD)

CMD is available but less feature-rich:

PATH Configuration

Ensure your PATH environment variable includes necessary tools:

  1. Open Environment Variables
    • Press Win + X → System → Advanced system settings
    • Click “Environment Variables”
  2. Edit PATH
    • Under “User variables”, select “Path”
    • Click “Edit”
    • Add any custom tool paths if needed

Security Considerations

Windows Defender

Windows Defender may need to allow CodeFrog:

  1. Add Exclusion (If Needed)
    • Open Windows Security
    • Go to Virus & threat protection
    • Click “Manage settings”
    • Add CodeFrog folder to exclusions if false positives occur

Firewall Settings

Windows Firewall should automatically allow CodeFrog:

  1. Check Firewall Status
    • Open Windows Security
    • Go to Firewall & network protection
    • Ensure firewall is enabled
  2. Allow Through Firewall (If Prompted)
    • If Windows asks to allow CodeFrog through firewall, click “Allow”
    • This is required for network features

UAC Prompts

User Account Control may prompt for certain operations:

Always verify the prompt is from CodeFrog before allowing.

File Path Handling

Windows file paths have some unique characteristics:

Path Formats

Case Sensitivity

Special Characters

Avoid these characters in file/folder names:

Verification

After completing setup, verify everything is working:

Test File Access

  1. Create a Test Project
    • Open CodeFrog
    • Create a new local project
    • Select a folder on your system
  2. Verify File Browser
    • Navigate to the project in CodeFrog
    • File browser should show your files
    • Try opening a file in the editor

Test Terminal

  1. Open Terminal in CodeFrog
    • Open your project
    • Click the Terminal tab
    • Terminal should open and be functional
  2. Test Commands
    • Try basic commands: dir, cd, pwd
    • Verify you can navigate the file system

Test SSH Connection

  1. Check SSH Service 
    Get-Service sshd
    • Should show “Running” status
  2. Test Local Connection 
    ssh localhost
    • Should connect (may require password or key)

Common Issues

“Path too long” Errors

Solution: Enable long path support (see Long Path Support section above)

“Access Denied” Errors

Solutions:

SSH Connection Failures

Solutions:

Terminal Not Starting

Solutions:

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues after setup:

For more detailed troubleshooting, see the Windows Troubleshooting Guide.

Next Steps