Installation

Reading the step by step instructions below is highly recommended.
CS:DM requires an accessible PostgreSQL database to work properly.

You can watch the following videos to see the installation steps:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Step 1: The database

A PostgreSQL database version 17 or later is required to use CS Demo Manager, the application will show the following screen until a connection has been established:

tip

If you want to run the database in a Docker container please read this documentation.

Windows

1. Download the last PostgreSQL installer and launch it.
2. Click on Next until you reach the Select Components step:
   
3. The mandatory components are PostgreSQL Server and Command Line Tools, the others are optional.
4. Click on Next until you reach the Password step:
   
5. Choose a password for the postgres user and remember it. You will need it later.
6. Click on Next until you reach the Port step:
   
7. It's recommended to use the default port 5432 but you can change it if you want.
8. Click on Next and when the installation is finished, click on Finish.

macOS

1. Download the last PostgreSQL installer and launch it.
2. Click on Next until you reach the Select Components step:
   
3. The mandatory components are PostgreSQL Server and Command Line Tools, the others are optional.
   pgAdmin is a GUI tool to manage the database, you may find it useful.
4. Click on Next until you reach the Password step:
   
5. Choose a password for the postgres user and remember it. You will need it later.
6. Click on Next until you reach the Port step:
   
7. It's recommended to use the default port 5432 but you can change it if you want.
8. Click on Next and when the installation is finished, click on Finish.

Linux

Instructions depends on your Linux distribution, please refer to the official documentation.
Once PostgreSQL is installed (run psql --version to make sure it's installed), you have to change the postgres user password:

1. sudo -u postgres psql
2. ALTER USER postgres PASSWORD 'mypassword';
3. \q to quit psql

Step 2: Setup psql

The psql program is the PostgreSQL command-line interface used by CS Demo Manager to create the database automatically.
This step explains how to add psql to your PATH environment variable so that the application can find it and invoke it.

Windows

1. Make sure you installed the Command Line Tools component during the PostgreSQL installation.
2. Press Windows+X to open the the Power User Task Menu.
3. Click on System.
4. Click on Advanced system settings.
5. Click on Environment Variables...
6. Select the Path variable from the User variables panel at the top and click on Edit
7. Click on Browse and select the folder C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\bin.
   caution

   If you changed the default PostgreSQL installation path (C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\VERSION\bin), you have to select the correct folder.

8. Click on OK
9. Restart the application. Make sure to quit it entirely from the tray icon.

macOS

1. Make sure you installed the Command Line Tools component during the PostgreSQL installation.
2. Open the macOS Terminal application, type psql --version and press Enter.
   If the output is something like psql (PostgreSQL) XX.XX, you can skip this step, otherwise continue.
3. Still from the Terminal application, type the following command and press Enter:

   echo '\nexport PATH="/Library/PostgreSQL/17/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
   caution

   • If you changed the default PostgreSQL installation path (/Library/PostgreSQL/VERSION/bin), you have to adjust the above command accordingly.
   • The above command assumes that the you are using the default macOS shell zsh (since Catalina).
     If you are using another shell, you have to replace ~/.zshrc with the correct configuration file.
4. Quit completely the Terminal application.
5. Repeat the first step, this time the output should be something like psql (PostgreSQL) XX.XX.
6. Restart the application. Make sure to quit it entirely from the status bar menu.

Linux

It's automatically done during the PostgreSQL installation.

Step 3: The application

Windows

1. Download the last CS Demo Manager installer from GitHub and install it.
2. Type the password you chose during the PostgreSQL installation and click on "Connect".

macOS

1. Download the last CS Demo Manager installer from GitHub and install it.
2. Type the password you chose during the PostgreSQL installation and click on "Connect".

Linux

1. For RedHat Linux distributions only, enable the Gnome tray extension:
   1. sudo dnf install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator
   2. sudo dnf install gnome-extensions-app
   3. Reboot
   4. Open the Extensions application and enable AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support.
2. Download the last CS Demo Manager installer from GitHub and install it.
3. Type the password you chose during the PostgreSQL installation and click on "Connect".

Troubleshooting

Can I use a remote database?

Yes, see the documentation.

PSQL binary not found

If you have the error message "PSQL binary not found" it means that the PostgreSQL psql program is not in your PATH environment variable.
Please follow the Step 2: Setup psql instructions to fix this issue.

ECONNREFUSED error

This error means the PostgreSQL server is not running or is not reachable.
You should:

1. Make sure the postgresql service is running. On Windows you can do this by doing the following:
   1. Search for services from the Windows search bar and open the Services application.
   2. Find the service postgresql-x64 and ensure it's running. If it's missing, it means PostgreSQL is not installed.
2. Make sure the port is correct. The default port is 5432, but you may have changed it during installation.
   1. Open a terminal (cmd.exe on Windows)
   2. Type psql -h 127.0.0.1 -U postgres -p 5432 and press enter. If you have the same error, chances are the port is incorrect.
3. Re-install PostgreSQL and make sure to set the port to 5432 during the installation.

note

If you are using a remote database, ensure the server is running, and the IP and port are correct.

The app tray icon is missing

On RedHat-based Linux distributions the system tray is not enabled by default.
You have to install the "Gnome extensions app" and enable it to see the tray icon as mentioned in the installation instructions.