With the desktop app you use Huismus as an ordinary app on your Mac or Windows PC, without a server. Your records then live on your own computer. The app works on macOS 14 or newer with an Apple chip, and on Windows 10 or newer.
Opening it the first time
Mac. Apple hasn't signed the app, so macOS won't open it the first time. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
Windows. The installer isn't signed either. The first time, Windows says "Windows protected your PC". Choose More info and then Run anyway. You don't need administrator rights to install Huismus.
On Windows, Huismus needs Microsoft Edge WebView2 for its window. Windows 11 and an up-to-date Windows 10 already have it. If it's missing, Huismus asks whether you want to download it from Microsoft now. Install it and open Huismus again.
Want to look around first? On the empty overview, choose Try with sample data. Huismus fills itself with examples. Clear sample data removes them again.
Opening and closing
When it opens, the window briefly says "Huismus is starting…". After that, Huismus runs only on your own computer. Nobody can reach it from outside. When you close the window, Huismus stops completely.
Huismus can only be open once at a time. If you open it again, the window that's already open comes to the front.
If Huismus can't start, the window says so. You then see an error code and the buttons Try again and Save log file. If you ask someone for help, send the log file along.
Setting a password
Huismus opens without a password, unless you set one under Settings → Password. From then on the app asks for it every time you open it.
To change the password or turn it off, Huismus first asks for the current one. The password is part of every backup. If you forget it, Huismus can't get it back.
If you restore a backup from a server, such as a Raspberry Pi, the app from then on asks for that server's password.
Backups
Under Settings → Backups you choose a folder once. After that Huismus
makes a backup every day, as long as the app is open. Huismus suggests the
iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox folders it finds on your
computer. If Google Drive on Windows isn't on G:, choose it with Other
folder…. There's more in Backups.
Updating to a new version
When it opens and then once a day, Huismus checks whether there's a new version. That's the only thing Huismus asks the internet for by itself: the public list of versions, nothing else. If you don't want that, turn it off under Settings → Updates.
When there's a new version, you see a notice on the overview. Choose Update to … and confirm. Huismus downloads the new version, checks it, makes a backup, closes and opens again by itself in the new version. The overview then says "Updated to …".
If updating doesn't work, the window says so, with the buttons Restore backup and Save log file. Then install the previous version again.
Where everything is
| What | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Your records | ~/Library/Application Support/Huismus |
%APPDATA%\Huismus |
| Log file | ~/Library/Logs/Huismus/huismus.log |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Huismus\huismus.log |
| Backups from before restoring, when no folder is chosen | ~/Library/Application Support/Huismus back-ups |
%APPDATA%\Huismus back-ups |
| The app itself | wherever you put Huismus.app |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Huismus |
Removing Huismus
On a Mac, drag Huismus.app to the Bin. On Windows, remove Huismus through
Settings → Apps. Your records stay where they are. If you want those gone
too, first make a backup if you might still need it, then delete the folder
from the table above yourself.