AetherLink

Seamless Game Save Synchronization for Windows

🇬🇧 English • 🇩🇪 German

Features • How It Works • Installation • Usage

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🚀 About The Project

AetherLink is a modern, user-friendly tool designed to synchronize your local PC game saves with any cloud provider (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) using symbolic links.

Unlike other tools, AetherLink distinguishes between the Origin PC (where the save comes from) and Client PCs (where you want to play), ensuring your data is safe. It includes automatic local backups before any critical operation to prevent data loss.

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📸 Screenshots

Dashboard & Setup	Management & Restore
Modern Dark-UI for easy setup	Manage links and restore backups

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✨ Features

• ☁️ Universal Cloud Sync: Works with any folder that synchronizes with the cloud.
• 🛡️ Safety First: automatically creates local .zip backups before moving or linking files.
• 🖥️ Multi-PC Logic:
  • PC 1 (Origin): Moves saves to cloud and links them.
  • PC 2+ (Client): Detects existing saves, backs them up, and links to the cloud.
• ↩️ Smart Restore: Easily unlink and restore original files if you want to stop syncing.
• 🎨 Modern UI: Built with CustomTkinter for a sleek, dark-themed Windows 11 look.
• 🌍 Multi-Language: Full support for English and German.
• 🔧 Admin Handling: Automatically requests necessary permissions to create symbolic links.

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⚙️ How It Works

AetherLink uses the "Sync & Link" method:

1. Move: The program moves your local save folder (e.g., from AppData) to your Cloud folder.
2. Link: It places a Symbolic Link (Symlink) in the original location.
3. Sync: The game thinks the files are still there, but they are physically in the cloud, syncing to all your devices.

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📥 Installation

Option A: Run from Source (Python)

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/ChrisSulz/AetherLink.git
   cd AetherLink

2. Install dependencies

   pip install customtkinter pillow pyinstaller

3. Run the application

   python aetherlink.pyw

Option B: Build Executable (.exe)

If you want a portable file to share between PCs:

1. Run the included build script (if available) or use:

   py -m PyInstaller --noconsole --onefile --uac-admin --clean --icon=app_icon.ico --add-data "app_icon.ico;." --name=AetherLink aetherlink.pyw

2. Find AetherLink.exe in the dist folder.

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🎮 Usage Guide

🖥️ On PC 1 (The Origin)

Where your save files currently are.

1. Select your Cloud Folder (bottom left).
2. Go to "Add Game".
3. Enter the Game Name and browse for the local save folder.
4. Click "Backup & Sync".

💻 On PC 2, 3... (The Clients)

Where you want to continue playing.

1. Select the same Cloud Folder.
2. Go to "Manage".
3. Find the game in the list and click the blue "🔗 Link Here" button.
   • Note: If a local save exists on PC 2, AetherLink will back it up automatically before linking.

🔓 Unlinking / Uninstalling

• Client: Click "Unlink (Client)" to remove the link and restore local backups. Cloud data remains safe.
• Origin: Click "Reset (Origin)" to pull data back from the cloud and delete the cloud copy.

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🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.