ShiftScheduler/DOCKER_CONFIG.md

Configuration Persistence for Docker

ShiftScheduler now supports persisting configuration changes in external files, making it suitable for Docker deployments where configuration should survive container rebuilds.

How it Works

Configuration is automatically saved to and loaded from external JSON files in the config/ directory:

• config/shifts.json - Contains all shift definitions (name, icon, times)
• config/transport.json - Contains transport API settings and parameters

Behavior

1. Startup: Service reads from external files if they exist, otherwise uses appsettings.json defaults
2. Initial Creation: If external files don't exist, they're created with current configuration
3. Updates: Any configuration changes via the UI are automatically saved to external files
4. Persistence: External files persist across application restarts

Docker Usage

Docker Compose Example

version: '3.8'
services:
  shiftscheduler:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    volumes:
      - ./config:/app/config  # Mount config directory
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production

Folder Structure

project/
├── docker-compose.yml
├── config/                 # This directory will be created automatically
│   ├── shifts.json        # Persisted shift configurations
│   └── transport.json     # Persisted transport settings
└── ...

Benefits

• Persistence: Configuration survives container rebuilds
• Backup: Easy to backup/restore configuration by copying JSON files
• Version Control: Configuration files can be committed to source control
• Multiple Environments: Different config files for different deployments
• No Data Loss: UI changes are automatically preserved

Migration

No migration needed - existing installations will automatically:

1. Create the config/ directory on next startup
2. Export current configuration to external files
3. Continue using existing settings

File Format

Configuration files use standard JSON format and can be edited directly if needed. Changes take effect after application restart.

PDF Export with Emoji Support

The Docker image includes Noto Color Emoji fonts to ensure proper rendering of emoji characters (🚂, 🌅, 🌆) in PDF exports. This addresses issues where emojis appear as empty boxes or don't render at all in containerized environments.

Troubleshooting PDF Emoji Issues

If emojis still don't display correctly in PDFs:

1. Ensure the container has emoji fonts installed:

   docker exec <container-name> fc-list | grep -i emoji
   

2. The fallback text format includes both emoji and descriptive text:

   • 🌅 (Morning) 06:00-14:00
   • 🌆 (Afternoon) 14:00-22:00
   • 🚂 (Train) 07:30→08:15

3. For custom deployments, install emoji fonts manually:

   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y fonts-noto-color-emoji fontconfig \
       && fc-cache -fv