Where settings live
After first launch, settings.ini appears beside Demo Wheel.exe. Theme ini files live under themes/. Background images live under images/. Keep those folders with the exe when you move a portable spin the wheel folder.
Wheel and pointer
Wheel size, background type, and line color live on the Wheel tab. README notes line color controls outlines for solid wheels and the pointer color. Multicolor wheels use the Wheel Colors list.
Titles and colors lists
You cannot edit list entries in place. Delete and add. The UI refuses to delete the last remaining entry to prevent crashes. Plan title changes for spin the wheel classrooms with that constraint in mind. Titles guide: /spin-the-wheel-custom-titles.
Themes workflow
Save Theme creates a uniquely named theme without special characters. Apply switches to the selected theme and overwrites current settings. Duplicate copies a theme and may duplicate its background image. Delete removes a theme without warning.
Sample themes in the zip
Tag v1.0 ships orange.ini and starfield.ini inside release_v1/themes/. Use them as baselines before you invent classroom brands. Releases: /spin-the-wheel-releases.
Performance
Disable shadow text on slow machines. Prefer modest background images. First run: /spin-the-wheel-first-run. Portable: /spin-the-wheel-portable-folder.
Ticket language you can reuse
Write one sentence: spin the wheel from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0 DemoWheel_release_v1.zip, extract all, run Demo Wheel.exe. That sentence beats vague download instructions that invite portal hopping. Add the folder path after the first successful spin so the next volunteer does not create a second copy in Downloads.
What to do when SmartScreen appears
Re-check that the browser address shows github.com/GradXL49/DemoWheel. Prefer the named zip over a mirror that promises a quieter install. Signing was UNVERIFIED on the research date, so honesty matters more than invented certificate claims. Download safety notes: /spin-the-wheel-download-safe. Safety overview: /is-spin-the-wheel-safe.
Classroom timing
Budget five minutes for download and extract on ordinary broadband, plus a few minutes to re-type titles. Theme art can wait until after the first SPIN works. First-hour checklist: /installed. Computer setup: /spin-the-wheel-for-this-computer.
Keeping adjacent tools separate
Wheel spinner, decision wheel, picker wheel, random picker, name picker, and raffle wheel searches belong on other doors. Mixing those installers into the same USB creates wrong-binary tickets. Keep this zip labeled for spin the wheel only.
After the room is calm
Bookmark Releases, retire Softonic shortcuts, and stop downloading alternate packs the same afternoon. Update later with a fresh zip when tags change: /update-uninstall-spin-the-wheel. Home pillar: /. GitHub overview: /spin-the-wheel-github. Releases map: /spin-the-wheel-releases.
Producer and streamer notes
If you spin live, rehearse once with the real title list before going on camera. Maximize the window and confirm text contrast on your capture card. Shadow text can hurt framerate on older laptops, so leave that option off during the show. Keep a browser picker tab as a cold backup only, labeled clearly so nobody “fixes” a blocked exe with a Softonic download mid-stream.
Family shared PCs
Write the Releases URL in the browser bookmark bar with a calm label. After vacation reimages, download DemoWheel_release_v1.zip again rather than restoring unknown Desktop shortcuts. Children should not need admin rights beyond the first extract for this portable spin the wheel path.
What success looks like
One documented folder, one proven SPIN, one Releases bookmark, zero mystery mirrors. That is enough for most desks. Anything else can wait until the next review date when assets change.
Extra install discipline for spin the wheel
Keep one Releases bookmark and one folder path. When a volunteer finds a faster mirror, compare the filename to DemoWheel_release_v1.zip before you allow it. If the mirror cannot show GitHub as the final hop, refuse it. That habit protects classrooms more than any slogan.
- One Releases URL on the ticket.
- One DemoWheel_release_v1.zip filename.
- One proven Demo Wheel.exe path.
Document soft parks explicitly on the ticket: macOS none, Linux none, winget none, brew none. Invented commands create false confidence and fail verification scripts. Upstream README already says Windows only for Demo Wheel.
When you teach spin the wheel, say the phrase people searched, then name Demo Wheel as the GPL-3.0 client that ships the zip. Phrase-first titles keep the head term ahead of the project name. Adjacent tools stay on other hosts so raffle and picker intents do not collide here.
After every successful event, resist downloading “better” packs the same night. Tomorrow is soon enough to evaluate a new tag. Until then, the reviewed zip remains the door. Related reading spans the releases page, the download-safe page, the GitHub overview, the installed checklist, and the home pillar for spin the wheel.
If antivirus quarantines Demo Wheel.exe, restore from the same official zip after you confirm the URL. Keep themes and images when you restore. Partial recoveries recreate missing-theme tickets. Portable copies should move the whole release_v1 tree, not a lone exe dragged to the Desktop.
Producers should store the title spreadsheet path beside the Releases URL. Re-typing titles is normal because the app has no CSV import on the reviewed build. Delete-and-add remains the Titles list workflow, and the last entry cannot be removed. Plan placeholders accordingly for spin the wheel shows.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit settings.ini by hand?
Avoid it. README says if a settings file is not present a default is created, and you should not modify that file directly. Prefer the Settings UI for spin the wheel.
What does Apply do to themes?
Apply copies the selected theme into current settings and overwrites without saving or warning. Save Theme first when you care about the previous look. Prefer DemoWheel_release_v1.zip from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0, extract Demo Wheel.exe, and keep Releases bookmarked for the next spin the wheel update on Windows.
How do I share a theme?
Copy the themes and images folders next to Demo Wheel.exe. Keep theme names unique or files may overwrite each other. Prefer DemoWheel_release_v1.zip from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0, extract Demo Wheel.exe, and keep Releases bookmarked for the next spin the wheel update on Windows.