Caller's Compendium

Installation

This guide helps you download Caller's Compendium and get it running on your computer, tablet, or phone — including the one-time security prompt you'll see the first time you open a beta build, and how to get the next beta when it's ready.

Finding your way around these words. On-screen buttons and screens are written in bold — like Settings, Assets, and Open. File names and anything you type appear in monospace. The first time a dance term appears it links to the Glossary, so you can get a plain-language definition without losing your place.

Before you start

Caller's Compendium is local-first: there's no account to create and nothing to sign in to. Installing is just downloading the right file for your device and opening it — the same as any other app.

This is a pre-release beta. It may be a little rough in places, and that's the point: you're among the first callers to use it for real, and what you run into shapes the finished 1.0. Two things worth knowing before you begin:

  • Signing varies by platform. The macOS build is now signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized, so it opens normally. Windows and Linux builds aren't code-signed yet, so those operating systems show a caution the first time you open the app — the builds are fine, and signing is a step planned for a later release. The steps below show you exactly how to get past that prompt where it appears.
  • Keep a backup habit. Since your work lives on your own device, it's worth exporting a backup now and then — especially during a beta. You can do this any time from Settings › General; see Backup & portability.

Find the download

All downloads live on the project's Releases page:

https://github.com/ibanner56/CallersCompendium/releases

  1. Open the Releases page.
  2. Choose the latest release at the top. During the beta it's marked Pre-release — that's expected.
  3. Expand its Assets list to see the downloadable files.

Each file is named CallersCompendium-<version>-<platform>-<arch> so you can tell at a glance which one is for you — for example, a name ending in -windows-x64.exe is the Windows installer. Pick the file that matches your device from the sections below.

Alongside the app downloads you'll also see a SHA256SUMS file. It's optional — see Verify your download if you'd like to double-check a file — and a couple of files the app itself uses that you can ignore.

Install on Linux

There are two downloads for Linux (x64); either works.

  • AppImage (...-linux-x64.AppImage) — a single self-contained file.
    1. Download the AppImage.
    2. Mark it as runnable. In your file manager, open the file's Properties, find the permissions, and allow it to run as a program. If you're comfortable with a terminal, chmod +x on the file does the same thing.
    3. Open the AppImage to launch the app.
  • Archive (...-linux-x64.tar.gz) — if you'd rather not deal with permissions.
    1. Extract the archive to a folder you like.
    2. Open the app binary inside that folder.

Install on macOS

macOS has one universal download that runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

  • Disk image (...-macos-universal.dmg) — the usual way.
    1. Open the downloaded .dmg.
    2. Drag the Caller's Compendium app onto your Applications folder.
    3. Open the app from Applications. Because the macOS build is signed and notarized, it opens normally — you may just see a single confirmation the first time.
  • Archive (...-macos-universal.zip) — unzip it and move the app wherever you keep your applications, then open it the same way.

Install on Windows

There are two downloads for Windows (x64).

  • Installer (...-windows-x64.exe) — a normal setup program.
    1. Open the downloaded .exe.
    2. If you see a blue Windows protected your PC prompt, follow The first-time security warning below.
    3. Follow the installer, then open Caller's Compendium from your Start menu.
  • Portable copy (...-windows-x64.zip) — no installer needed.
    1. Unzip the folder somewhere convenient.
    2. Open the app inside that folder to run it.

Install on Android

Android has one download that works on all supported phones and tablets: ...-android-universal.apk. Caller's Compendium isn't on the Google Play Store yet, so you install this file directly (sometimes called sideloading).

  1. Download the .apk to your device.
  2. Open it. Android may say it needs permission to install unknown apps for whatever you opened it with — your browser or file manager. This is expected for an app installed outside the Play Store.
  3. Allow installing from that app, then continue.
  4. Finish the install and open Caller's Compendium.

Upgrading from the very first beta (v0.1.0-beta.1)? That early Android build used a different internal app identifier, so a newer build installs alongside it rather than over the top, and your data does not carry over on its own. Before you switch: open the old app, export a backup (Settings ▸ General ▸ Export a backup), uninstall the old app, install the new .apk, then restore from that backup. This one-time step only affects testers coming from beta.1.

On iPhone and iPad

The iOS/iPadOS build is delivered through TestFlight, Apple's app for beta testing — not from the Releases page above. Because it's an early beta, it goes out to invited testers rather than the public App Store.

  1. Ask to join the beta (see Feedback & beta, or reach out through the project's contact links). If you're added, you'll get a TestFlight invitation by email or a link.
  2. Install TestFlight from the App Store if you don't have it.
  3. Open the invitation, accept it in TestFlight, and install Caller's Compendium from there. TestFlight handles updates for you when a new beta lands.

It runs on both iPhone and iPad.

The first-time security warning, explained

The Windows and Linux builds aren't code-signed yet, so the first time you open the app your operating system may show a caution. Nothing is wrong with the download — signing is a step planned for a later release. (The macOS build is signed and notarized, so it opens normally, and iOS comes through TestFlight, which needs no workaround.) Here's how to get past the prompt where it appears.

  • Windows (SmartScreen). On the blue Windows protected your PC prompt, choose More info, then choose Run anyway.
  • Linux. There's no signing prompt to bypass. Just make sure the AppImage is marked as runnable (see Install on Linux), or use the tar.gz archive instead.

Verify your download (optional)

This step is for readers who like to double-check a download, and it's entirely optional — most callers can skip it.

The SHA256SUMS file in the release Assets lists an expected checksum (a long unique fingerprint) for each download. If you want, you can calculate the checksum of the file you downloaded and compare it to the matching line in SHA256SUMS. If they match, your download arrived intact.

Keeping the app up to date

Caller's Compendium can tell you when a newer version is out, and nothing ever updates behind your back — you're always the one who chooses. You'll find the controls in Settings › Updates; the Settings guide explains them in full.

During the beta, a couple of things are worth knowing:

  • Automatic checks and the Beta channel switch are off by default, and the in-app checker may not catch every new beta yet.
  • So the reliable way to get the next beta is to watch the Releases page. When a new one appears, download it the same way you did the first time.

When the app does find an update: on desktop it can download it, verify it hasn't been tampered with, and hand it to your system's installer to finish. On phones and tablets it links you to the release so you can download it the usual way for your device.

Where to go next

You're ready to open the app and start calling.