Sunrise-Sunset BI Utility -- Where to Install EXE File

Alaska Country

Getting comfortable
Jun 10, 2021
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Added BI to the system on Monday. Would like to try the Dahua Sunset/Sunrise BI Utility for a HFW-5849 Dahua camera.

Where should the (DahuaSunriseSunset) exe file be placed?

1) On the SSD in its own folder. C > Sunrise_Set_Utility > exe file
2) In C > Program Files > Blue Iris 5 > exe file
3) In C > Program Files > Blue Iris 5 > Sunrise_Set_Utility > exe file
4) Some other location?

For a time offset can .5 and -.5 be used to achieve a time offset of + and - 30 minutes? One comment indicated that these units would default to +- 5 hours.
 
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I dont think it matters where you have the executable located as it doesnt refrence anything with relative paths that im aware of. I have it sat at C:\Dahua Sunrise-Sunset Util

I have been using 0.5 in my config and havent noticed any issues

<sunriseOffsetHours>0.5</sunriseOffsetHours> <sunsetOffsetHours>-0.5</sunsetOffsetHours>
 
I keep all my camera information files and utility programs on an SSD drive, D:\ in my case. Sunrise/Sunset has been there since I started using it.
 
As noted, there is no right or wrong place for it. I personally add an appropriately named file folder to the appropriate "Program Files" location (depending on if it is a 32bit or 64bit program) on the C: drive and place the exe file in the folder. Programs that have a proper "installer" are handled like this and I find it easier to keep these "non-installed" programs the same way. No need to have a bunch of these non-installed programs floating around on your computer in random places IMHO.

Where ever you place it, you should create a desktop shortcut or "pin" it to the start menu so that it is easy to access. I actually think the file has to be placed in the "Program Files" portion of the C: Drive in order to pin it to the start menu, so that is another benefit to handling it this way.
 
I placed my EXE in a C:\files\ folder which I had created.
 
For (my) clarity.. I thought OP was asking where the EXEcutable (the actual program, not the installer) needs to be located in order to be used by the system. But it seems like some of the responses refer to where folks keep their EXE installers for later (re)installations.

Clearly I have not implemented the sun rise/set utility yet. Is it a simple single file program that can live anywhere, and you point BI to the path of its existence?
 
For (my) clarity.. I thought OP was asking where the EXEcutable (the actual program, not the installer) needs to be located in order to be used by the system. But it seems like some of the responses refer to where folks keep their EXE installers for later (re)installations.

Clearly I have not implemented the sun rise/set utility yet. Is it a simple single file program that can live anywhere, and you point BI to the path of its existence?
Note the utility has no interaction with BI and is not related to BI in any way. Does not need BI to run therefore it can literally be placed anywhere.
 
For (my) clarity.. I thought OP was asking where the EXEcutable (the actual program, not the installer) needs to be located in order to be used by the system. But it seems like some of the responses refer to where folks keep their EXE installers for later (re)installations.

Clearly I have not implemented the sun rise/set utility yet. Is it a simple single file program that can live anywhere, and you point BI to the path of its existence?
There is no "installation" or installer for this program. The entire program exists as a single exe file. The question is where people keep this single exe file so that they can use to program when needed.

You also don't tie this program into BI at all. The two are completely independent. BI does not need to know "where" the exe file is.
 
Thank you all for your fine input. Now have sufficient information to move forward. As a side note, it would have been nice of the Utility readme file would have provided some guidance.

Will install and see how it performs on BI as this will replace the Hubitat HTTP URL GET statement that is now being used with the Dahua NVR.