ScaleLogger (Native Win32)

Latest release: Download ScaleLogger.exe

ScaleLogger is a Windows-only native C++20 desktop utility for reading serial scale output and injecting values into the currently focused window.

Tech stack

• C++20
• Win32 APIs (GUI, serial, SendInput)
• CMake
• MSVC / Visual Studio 2026 x64

Repository layout

• src/ native application code
• resources/ icon + version resource script
• tools/ release helper scripts

Build on Windows

See BUILD_WINDOWS.md.

Quick start:

cmake --preset windows-vs2026-x64
cmake --build --preset windows-release

Prerequisites:

• Visual Studio 2026 (MSVC x64 toolchain)
• CMake available in PATH

Release bundle generation

For a fresh-clone reproducible release package, run:

ScaleLogger_build_tagged_release.bat

Optional:

ScaleLogger_build_tagged_release.bat [build_tag] [keep]

Default behavior removes out\ after successful packaging. Add keep to preserve out\ and intermediate build artifacts.

The wrapper configures/builds in Release first, then produces:

• release\ScaleLogger_<buildtag>.exe
• release\SHA256SUMS.txt
• release\BUILD_MANIFEST_<version>.txt

Configuration overview

ScaleLogger reads and writes a JSON config file (ScaleLogger.config.json) with fields such as:

• config_folder, config_file_name
• logs_folder
• log_file_pattern
• log_mode (none, single_file, per_session)
• connect_on_startup
• dark_mode (main-window dark styling toggle; default is false)
• enable_startup_trace (controls early TRACE lines in fatal forensics; default true)
• enable_fatal_log_file (controls writing %TEMP%\\ScaleLogger_fatal.log; default true)
• show_crash_dialog (shows copy-friendly crash dialog on fatal crash; default true)
• include_trace_in_crash_dialog (includes recent fatal trace text in crash dialog; default true)
• optional serial dropdown option arrays: baud_rates, data_bits_options, parity_options, stop_bits_options

To keep schema consistency, config files also carry serial/parsing/output fields (including custom_sequence and eol) in the same single full-config file. The single configuration file is the runtime source of truth for app-level and serial/parsing/output behavior. When post_action is custom_sequence, the intended supported tokens are: enter, tab, up, down, left, right (optional: esc, space).

Path rule:

• config_folder and logs_folder are treated as runtime-resolved filesystem paths.
• Absolute paths are used as-is.
• Relative paths are resolved against the app data root (prefer %USERPROFILE%\ScaleLogger on Windows).
• If user config is missing, startup fallback default_config.json is resolved from the executable directory (not from the process working directory).

Logging modes

• No file logging (log_mode: "none"): UI log only.
• Single file (log_mode: "single_file"): appends to one log file.
• Per session (log_mode: "per_session"): creates a timestamped file using log_file_pattern.

Runtime file logging flushes each line and emits a one-time visible error if file writes fail.

Notes

If your USB-serial adapter is not detected (e.g. appears as “USB-Serial Controller” in Device Manager), you may need to install the appropriate driver (CH340 / Prolific / FTDI).

Logging and fatal diagnostics

ScaleLogger uses a dedicated early-startup and crash log:

• Before UI logging is initialized, startup traces are written to: %TEMP%\\ScaleLogger_fatal.log
• This file is also used for fatal crash diagnostics (via SetUnhandledExceptionFilter)
• Use this file first if the app exits or crashes before the in-app log appears

These diagnostic traces are separate from normal runtime/session logging.

On fatal crashes:

• A small native crash dialog is shown (Copy / Close)
• If dialog creation fails, a MessageBox fallback is used
• The report includes:
  • exception details (when available)
  • startup-crash indicator
  • path to %TEMP%\\ScaleLogger_fatal.log
  • optional recent trace lines

Configuration:

• enable_startup_trace → enables early startup tracing
• enable_fatal_log_file → controls writing the fatal log file
• show_crash_dialog → enables crash dialog
• include_trace_in_crash_dialog → embeds recent trace text in dialog

You can disable startup tracing with: enable_startup_trace=false

Portable default paths

default_config.json uses %USERPROFILE% placeholders for folder defaults.
At runtime these placeholders are expanded to the active user profile location so builds are portable across different Windows accounts.

Release outputs

Use ScaleLogger_build_tagged_release.bat to create a native release folder with:

• ScaleLogger_<buildtag>.exe
• SHA256SUMS.txt
• BUILD_MANIFEST_<version>.txt (version derived from CMakeLists.txt)

Release manifest includes runtime combo option arrays sourced from default_config.json:

• baud_rates
• data_bits_options
• parity_options
• stop_bits_options

License

MIT (LICENSE).