A lightweight, self-contained Windows checklist app for commissioning, controls verification, and field punchlists. Projects → Checklists → Sections → Items → Tags. All data stays local — no install, no account, no cloud.
Download the latest FieldCheck.exe from the Releases page and double-click
it — no installer, and no .NET runtime required. It is a single self-contained file; all your data
is stored locally as JSON in your user profile.
| Add an item | Light theme |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Section-grouped items with tag pills; an add/edit dialog with section reuse-chips and semicolon-separated tags; and light / dark / system themes.
Project
Checklist
Section
Item (text, notes, tags)
- Projects are first-class containers (e.g. a job or building). The sidebar groups checklists under their project, and each group can be expanded/collapsed.
- A Checklist belongs to one project and holds items.
- Each Item belongs to one Section (a structural group — items are shown under section headers). A blank section shows as General.
- Each item can carry zero or more Tags — non-exclusive metadata pills (e.g.
AHU-1,BAS). Sections organize; tags label.
- Projects: create, rename (double-click the name), delete (with confirmation), expand/collapse; create checklists inside a project.
- Checklists: create, rename inline, duplicate, delete (with confirmation), reset; drag-and-drop
reorder within a project; per-checklist progress badge (e.g.
8/10). - Sections: items are grouped under section headers with counts; grouping works in the Open, Completed, and All views; sections can be collapsed; drag-and-drop reordering of items within a section.
- Tags: add/edit as a semicolon-separated list (
AHU-1; BAS; High Priority); shown as subtle pills; whitespace trimmed, duplicates removed. - Open / Completed / All tabs: completing an item moves it to Completed; unchecking restores it to its original position in Open (order is preserved, never lost). All shows everything in order.
- Filter items (checklist toolbar) narrows the current checklist's visible items by text, notes, section, and tags, with a result count. Reordering is disabled while filtering so order can't be corrupted.
- Search all (header button or Ctrl+K) opens a command palette that searches across every project, checklist, section, and item; picking a result jumps you straight there.
- Autosave after every meaningful change (debounced while typing), with a subtle "Saved 10:56 AM" status, safe/atomic writes, and an automatic backup.
- Restore previous state on reopen — last checklist, last tab, theme, expand/collapse, and window size/position.
- Light / Dark / System theme — an explicit three-button control in the sidebar (one click each, no hidden cycle); the choice is remembered.
- CSV import / export, CSV template download, and print (grouped by section, with tags).
- Get
FieldCheck.exe(see Publishing below — output atpublish\win-x64\FieldCheck.exe). - Double-click it. No .NET install is required.
Optionally right-click FieldCheck.exe → Send to → Desktop (create shortcut) for a desktop icon.
Prerequisites: .NET SDK 8.0 on Windows.
dotnet build # build everything
dotnet test # run the unit tests (96)
dotnet run --project src/FieldCheck.App # launch in DebugFieldCheck/
FieldCheck.sln
src/
FieldCheck.Core/ # Pure logic (no WPF) — fully unit-tested
Models/ # AppState, AppSettings, Project, Checklist, ChecklistItem, ThemeMode
Services/ # FileStorage (+ v1->v2 migration), Project, Checklist, CsvImport, CsvExport, Template
Utilities/ # Csv (RFC-4180), IdGenerator, IClock, AppJson
FieldCheck.App/ # WPF UI (MVVM), references Core
ViewModels/ Views/ Services/ Behaviors/ Controls/ Converters/ Themes/ Assets/
FieldCheck.Tests/ # xUnit tests for Core
build/
publish-win-x64.ps1 # builds the self-contained single-file exe
make-icon.ps1 # regenerates the checkmark app icon
README.md
All hierarchy/ordering/CSV/persistence rules live in FieldCheck.Core so they can be tested without the UI. The WPF layer is a thin MVVM shell over those services.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File build\publish-win-x64.ps1Produces publish\win-x64\FieldCheck.exe (~63 MB, single file, self-contained). The end user does
not need .NET installed. WPF does not support IL trimming, so the file is large — the trade-off buys
a zero-dependency, double-click experience.
%APPDATA%\FieldCheck\data.json # your projects, checklists, items + settings
%APPDATA%\FieldCheck\data.backup.json # automatic backup of the last known-good file
%APPDATA%\FieldCheck\error.log # only written if an unexpected error occurs
(%APPDATA% is typically C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming.)
Saving is atomic: FieldCheck writes to a temp file, validates it, copies the current file to the
backup, then swaps the new file into place. On startup it loads data.json; if that file is missing
it starts fresh, and if it is unreadable it automatically restores data.backup.json and tells you.
Your data is never silently discarded.
Migration: older v1 files (which stored checklists at the root) are upgraded automatically — the existing checklists are moved into a default project named General, item tags initialized empty, and everything else (names, items, notes, sections, completion, order, timestamps) preserved.
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
item_text |
Yes | The item. Rows with a blank item_text are skipped and reported. |
project_name |
No | Blank → General. Existing projects (case-insensitive) are reused. |
checklist_name |
No | Blank → the CSV file name. Duplicate within a project → Name Copy. |
section |
No | Blank → General. |
notes |
No | Free text. |
tags |
No | Semicolon-separated, e.g. AHU-1; BAS; High Priority. |
Extra columns are ignored. Quoted fields, embedded commas, and ""-escaped quotes are handled.
One CSV may create multiple projects and checklists. The import summary reports projects
created/reused, checklists created, items imported, rows skipped, and any issues.
project_name,checklist_name,section,item_text,notes,tags
Commissioning Checklist,AHU_1,Fan,Verify supply fan command,Command fan from BAS and verify output changes.,AHU-1; BAS
Commissioning Checklist,AHU_1,Fan,Verify supply fan status,Confirm proof/status follows command.,AHU-1; BAS
Commissioning Checklist,AHU_1,Sensors,Verify SAT sensor,Compare BAS value to field reading.,AHU-1; Sensor
Commissioning Checklist,Graphics Review,Navigation,Verify AHU graphic links,Confirm graphic opens correct equipment view.,Graphics; AHU-1
Commissioning Checklist,Graphics Review,Alarms,Verify alarm console link,Confirm alarm console opens and filters correctly.,Graphics; AlarmsUse Download CSV template (welcome screen or sidebar) to save a starter file.
Exporting a checklist writes:
project_name, checklist_name, section, item_text, notes, tags, completed, completed_at, order
(tags semicolon-separated, order preserved, completed and open items included).
- Project & checklist names are edited in place: double-click (or the pencil) to edit. Enter commits, Esc reverts, Tab / clicking away commits. Names can't be blank.
- Items (text, section, tags, notes) are edited in a small dialog. Notes are multi-line.
FieldCheck has two distinct search tools — they don't overlap:
- Filter items — the box in the selected checklist's toolbar. It only narrows the current checklist, hiding items that don't match (by text, notes, section, or tags) in the current Open/Completed/All view. While the filter is active, drag-reordering is disabled so item order can't be corrupted. Clearing the box restores the full list.
- Search all — the Search all button in the top header, or Ctrl+K anywhere. This opens a
command-palette dialog that searches across every project, checklist, section, and item (names,
item text, notes, and tags). It is case-insensitive and matches partial terms, and results update
as you type.
- Keyboard: type to filter, ↑/↓ to move through results, Enter to open the highlighted result, Esc to close.
- Navigating to a result expands the project, selects the checklist, and switches to the right tab (Open for incomplete items, Completed for completed ones), then briefly highlights and scrolls to the matched item.
- Search and navigation are read-only — they never change item order, checklist order, or completion state.
Limitation: scrolling to and highlighting the exact item is best-effort — it works in the normal case, but in unusual layouts the highlight may fade before the row is fully scrolled into view.
- "FieldCheck restored your most recent backup." —
data.jsonwas unreadable and the backup was loaded; your previous work is intact. - "Save failed — check the disk" (top bar) — the app couldn't write to
%APPDATA%. Check free space and permissions; your in-memory work is still there. - Reordering is disabled while searching — clear the search box to drag items again.
- Something unexpected happened — details are appended to
%APPDATA%\FieldCheck\error.log. - Clean slate — close the app and delete the files in
%APPDATA%\FieldCheck.
- Reordering projects and moving checklists between projects are not yet supported (checklists reorder within their project; projects are ordered by creation).
- Cross-section item drag-and-drop is intentionally disabled (drops outside the item's section are ignored) to keep ordering reliable; reorder within a section, or edit the item to change its section.
- Section reordering is not implemented; sections appear in the order their first item appears.
- Items are edited via a dialog rather than fully inline.
- Print layout is intentionally plain/functional.
- Single user, single machine by design. Running two copies at once is unsupported (they would overwrite each other's saves).
dotnet test96 tests cover CSV import/export (projects, tags, quoting, multi-project, copy naming, skipped rows), project behavior (create/rename/delete/reorder/get-or-create), checklist behavior, section grouping (open/completed/all), tag parsing/dedup, persistence (save/reload/restore, recover from missing/corrupt via backup), and v1→v2 migration.
MIT © 2026 Jacob King.