Desktop App: Login & Data Capture Flow

This describes the process the Mera Monitor desktop application follows for user login and subsequent data collection.

Steps

1. User Authentication:
   • Checks for existing sessions/credentials stored locally (e.g., in SQLite DB).
   • If no valid local session, prompts the user for login credentials (username/password).
   • Validates entered credentials against the central server.
2. Configuration & Initialization:
   • Validates the API token received from the server upon successful login.
   • Loads user-specific configuration settings (monitoring rules, privacy settings) from the server or local cache.
   • Initializes necessary components like activity tracking timers, screenshot capture mechanisms, etc.
   • Loads any relevant project or task lists associated with the user.
3. Data Collection (Continuous):
   • Monitors user activity based on configured intervals and triggers:
     • Screen Activity: Captures application focus changes, window titles, URLs.
     • Screenshots: Takes screenshots at the configured interval.
     • Keyboard/Mouse Events: Tracks input activity (counts, not specific keys) to measure activity levels and detect idle time.
     • Log Intervals: Periodically saves captured data locally.
4. Data Storage (Local):
   • Temporarily stores data in memory for immediate processing.
   • Persists raw and aggregated data to a local database (e.g., SQLite).
   • Saves captured screenshots to a designated local folder.
5. Data Upload (Periodic):
   • At configured intervals or based on triggers (e.g., network availability), uploads processed data from the local SQLite DB to the main server database.
   • Uploads saved screenshots from the local folder to the configured cloud storage (if enabled).
6. Stopping Activities (e.g., Logout/Shutdown):
   • Gracefully stops all monitoring timers and activity listeners.
   • Ensures any remaining locally stored data is uploaded to the server/cloud before the application closes to prevent data loss.

Triggers & Actions

• User Login: Initiates authentication and configuration loading.
• Timers: Trigger periodic actions like screenshot capture, data logging, and data upload.
• User Activity: Changes in screen focus, keyboard/mouse input trigger data capture.
• Data Storage Events: Writing data to memory, SQLite, and local folders.
• Data Upload Events: Transmitting data to the main database and cloud storage.

tip

The application is designed to ensure all captured data is securely uploaded before shutdown whenever possible.