Kiwix JS for Windows
[There is a browser-based deployment of this app here, but you will need a ZIM file for testing.]
This repository is for development of the Kiwix JS app for Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform. Latest development code is on the master-dev branch.
This is a port of the Kiwix Offline Wikipedia (and other Wiki) reader for UWP on Windows 10. It enables offline reading of a ZIM file downloaded from the Kiwix repository, including full Wikipedia versions with or without images in many different languages. It has only been tested fully on Wikimedia ZIM files to date, though many Stackexchange ZIMs also work.
This began as a simple port of Kiwix JS, the HTML5 web app provided on this git-hub repository, although significant development has been undertaken to add functionality and to make the app sit happily with the Universal Windows Platform. This port is primarily intended for Windows Mobile, but it should run as a UWP Store App on any Windows 10 platform: x86, x64, ARM, on Mobile, tablets, Xbox, Surface Hub, Holographic and PC. It has been tested on Lumia 950XL (Mobile), Tablet/PC x64 (Windows 10), and a Windows 10 Mobile VM.
The UWP app is currently installable from the Microsoft Store at:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/p/kiwix-js/9p8slz4j979j
However, if you would like to test a newer or different build, please see the instructions provided under the AppPackages directory.
You will need a ZIM file to work with this app. For testing, it comes packaged with the Ray Charles ZIM. You can download other ZIM archives from the setup page in the app (the download completes in the browser). Place the file in an accessible location on your device, and use the Rescan Storage button in the app to display buttons that let you pick the file or the file's folder.
Alternatively, you can download files from http://wiki.kiwix.org/wiki/Content_in_all_languages on a regular PC. The single non-indexed ZIM files work best. However, if you plan to store your ZIM file on an SD card formatted as FAT32, you will only be able to use the split files (.zimaa, .zimab, etc.) in the pre-indexed archives. If your SD card is formatted as exFAT or NTFS, you can use either, but single file is easiest.
You can also run the app in your browser if you prefer, either from the file:// protocol or from your own local server. There is a test deployment at: https://kiwix.github.io/kiwix-js-windows/www/, but note that you will need a ZIM file, and some functionality is limited (e.g. accessing the Kiwix servers in the app is blocked by CORS, and you have to pick a file each time you access the app in browser context).
The authors of the HTML5 app for Kiwix did all the work. Their source code runs almost "as is" on the UWP platform, which is testament to how well written their app is. This port and further development for Windows 10 (Mobile) is by Geoffrey Kantaris. I can be contacted by email: egk10 at cam ac uk.
Privacy Policy
Short answer:
Kiwix JS Windows works entirely offline unless you specifically request otherwise on the Configuration page.
We do not collect any of your personal data and don't even know what you are doing with this application.
Longer answer:
Kiwix JS Windows will only access the Kiwix download server if you specifically request it to find and display
download links for ZIM archives on the Configuration page.
You can disable even this Internet access with an option on the same page. If you nevertheless believe your
Internet access can be watched and/or if you are extremely cautious, you should shut down your 3G and WiFi
access before using the application.
This application only reads the archive files of your device: it is not capable of reading any other files.
By default, this application will remember your last-visited page between sessions using a local cookie that
is accessible only by this app on this device. If you are accessing sensitive information that you do not wish
to be displayed next time you open this app, we recommend that you turn this option off in the Configuration page.