diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 600f98c..1a8386f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ An XAPI integrated VLC player
 
 ### Setup
 
+#### Linux/MacOS/WSL
 0) (optional) `make configure` will setup the configuration files for the plugin. to override defaults, run the command with the appropriate overrides. Example being: `make configure THRESHOLD=0.87`. The following is a list of variables and what they mean.
   - `THRESHOLD` - Decimal value between 0 and 1 that represents point in video considered a completion. Once a video reaches this threshold, the plugin will issue a completion statement
   - `API_KEY` - API key for LRS
@@ -20,11 +21,17 @@ An XAPI integrated VLC player
 - API Secret: Secret for LRS
 - API Endpoint: Endpoint for LRS (example: https://localhost:8080/xapi)
 
-4) Play a video of your choice and verify the data is flowing from the LRS.
+4) Play a video of your choice and verify the data is flowing from an LRS.
+
+#### Windows
+1) double click the installation script located at .\scripts\windows\install.bat
+2) (optional) fill out the fields appropriately
+3) Open VLC, click the view dropdown and click 'xAPI Integration.' If you did step 2 those fields should be filled out already.
+4) Play a video of your choice and verify the data is flowing from an LRS.
 
 ### Dev
 
-All code is located at `xapi.lua`. In VLC you can go to the console log (via ctrl+M) to see what the code is doing. If you wish to update the plugin, just save your changes to `xapi.lua` and run `make install` again.
+- All code is located at `xapi.lua`. In VLC you can go to the console log (via ctrl+M) to see what the code is doing. If you wish to update the plugin, just save your changes to `xapi.lua` and run `make install` again.
 
 ### License
 
diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index 9f5c253..1fc7695 100755
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+source "$(dirname "$0")/get-config-dir.sh"
+
+# copy template into config directory
+TARGET_TEMPLATE_PATH="$(get_vlc_config_directory)xapi.json.template"
+SOURCE_TEMPLATE="templates/xapi.json.template"
+cp "$SOURCE_TEMPLATE" "$TARGET_TEMPLATE_PATH"
 
 # Set the source file path
 SOURCE_FILE="xapi.lua"
diff --git a/scripts/windows/get-config-dir.ps1 b/scripts/windows/get-config-dir.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55bc06f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/windows/get-config-dir.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Define a function to get the VLC configuration directory
+function Get-VLCConfigDirectory {
+    # Get the APPDATA environment variable
+    $configDir = "$env:APPDATA\vlc\"
+
+    # Check if the directory path is defined
+    if (-not $configDir) {
+        Write-Error "Could not determine VLC configuration directory."
+        return $null
+    }
+
+    # Ensure the directory exists; create it if it doesn't
+    if (-not (Test-Path -Path $configDir)) {
+        try {
+            New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $configDir -Force | Out-Null
+        } catch {
+            Write-Error "Failed to create directory: $configDir"
+            return $null
+        }
+    }
+
+    # Output the config directory path
+    return $configDir
+}
+
+# Call the function and store the result in a variable
+$configDir = Get-VLCConfigDirectory
+
+# Display the configuration directory path if successful
+if ($configDir) {
+    Write-Output "VLC configuration directory: $configDir"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/windows/install.bat b/scripts/windows/install.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..884bb65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/windows/install.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+@echo off
+:: Check if PowerShell is available
+where powershell >nul 2>&1
+if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
+    echo PowerShell is not installed on this system.
+    exit /b 1
+)
+
+:: Call the PowerShell script with bypassed execution policy
+powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0ps-configure.ps1"
+powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0ps-install.ps1"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/windows/ps-configure.ps1 b/scripts/windows/ps-configure.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2f0ead
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/windows/ps-configure.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Load the get-config-dir.ps1 script
+. "$PSScriptRoot\get-config-dir.ps1"
+
+Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
+Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing
+
+# Function to create the input form
+function Show-ConfigForm {
+    $form = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form
+    $form.Text = "Configuration"
+    $form.Size = New-Object System.Drawing.Size(400, 300)
+    $form.StartPosition = "CenterScreen"
+
+    # Labels and text boxes
+    $labels = @("API Key:", "API Secret:", "API Endpoint:", "Threshold:", "Homepage:")
+    $inputs = @{}
+    $yPos = 20
+
+    foreach ($labelText in $labels) {
+        # Create label
+        $label = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Label
+        $label.Text = $labelText
+        $label.Location = New-Object System.Drawing.Point(10, $yPos)
+        $label.AutoSize = $true
+        $form.Controls.Add($label)
+
+        # Create text box
+        $textBox = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
+        $textBox.Size = New-Object System.Drawing.Size(250, 20)
+        $textBox.Location = New-Object System.Drawing.Point(120, $yPos)
+        $form.Controls.Add($textBox)
+
+        # Store text box in a dictionary
+        $inputs[$labelText] = $textBox
+        $yPos += 40
+    }
+
+    # OK button
+    $okButton = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Button
+    $okButton.Text = "OK"
+    $okButton.Location = New-Object System.Drawing.Point(150, $yPos)
+    $okButton.Add_Click({
+        $form.DialogResult = [System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::OK
+        $form.Close()
+    })
+    $form.Controls.Add($okButton)
+
+    # Show the form and get the result
+    if ($form.ShowDialog() -eq [System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::OK) {
+        return @{
+            ApiKey = $inputs["API Key:"].Text
+            ApiSecret = $inputs["API Secret:"].Text
+            ApiEndpoint = $inputs["API Endpoint:"].Text
+            Threshold = $inputs["Threshold:"].Text
+            Homepage = $inputs["Homepage:"].Text
+        }
+    }
+    return $null
+}
+
+# Function to delete a file if it exists
+function Delete-IfExists {
+    param ([string]$FilePath)
+    if (Test-Path -Path $FilePath) {
+        Write-Output "File exists: $FilePath"
+        Remove-Item -Path $FilePath -Force
+        Write-Output "File deleted: $FilePath"
+    } else {
+        Write-Output "File does not exist: $FilePath"
+    }
+}
+
+# Get user input via form
+$userInput = Show-ConfigForm
+if (-not $userInput) {
+    Write-Output "Configuration canceled."
+    exit
+}
+
+# Get VLC config directory
+$configDir = Get-VLCConfigDirectory
+if (-not $configDir) {
+    Write-Error "Failed to retrieve VLC configuration directory."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Define config files
+$xapiConfigFile = Join-Path -Path $configDir -ChildPath "xapi-extension-config.txt"
+$thresholdConfigFile = Join-Path -Path $configDir -ChildPath "xapi-threshold-config.txt"
+
+# Delete existing config files
+Delete-IfExists -FilePath $xapiConfigFile
+Delete-IfExists -FilePath $thresholdConfigFile
+
+# Write user inputs to the appropriate config files
+if ($userInput.ApiKey) { Add-Content -Path $xapiConfigFile -Value "api_key = $($userInput.ApiKey)" }
+if ($userInput.ApiSecret) { Add-Content -Path $xapiConfigFile -Value "api_secret = $($userInput.ApiSecret)" }
+if ($userInput.ApiEndpoint) { Add-Content -Path $xapiConfigFile -Value "api_endpoint = $($userInput.ApiEndpoint)" }
+if ($userInput.Threshold) { Add-Content -Path $thresholdConfigFile -Value "threshold = $($userInput.Threshold)" }
+if ($userInput.Homepage) { Add-Content -Path $xapiConfigFile -Value "api_homepage = $($userInput.Homepage)" }
+
+Write-Output "Config written to $xapiConfigFile and threshold written to $thresholdConfigFile."
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/windows/ps-install.ps1 b/scripts/windows/ps-install.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3952473
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/windows/ps-install.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# Load the Get-VLCConfigDirectory function from get-config-dir.ps1
+$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+. "$scriptDir\get-config-dir.ps1"
+
+# Get the VLC configuration directory
+$configDir = Get-VLCConfigDirectory
+if (-not $configDir) {
+    Write-Error "Failed to retrieve VLC configuration directory."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Get the project root directory
+$projectRoot = Split-Path -Parent (Split-Path -Parent $scriptDir)
+
+# Define the source template and target paths
+$sourceTemplate = "$projectRoot\templates\xapi.json.template"
+$targetTemplatePath = Join-Path -Path $configDir -ChildPath "xapi.json.template"
+
+# Copy the template to the config directory
+try {
+    Copy-Item -Path $sourceTemplate -Destination $targetTemplatePath -Force
+    Write-Output "Template copied to: $targetTemplatePath"
+} catch {
+    Write-Error "Failed to copy template: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Define the source Lua file path
+$sourceFile = "$projectRoot\xapi.lua"
+
+# Check if the source Lua file exists
+if (-not (Test-Path -Path $sourceFile)) {
+    Write-Error "Error: $sourceFile not found."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Define the target directory for VLC extensions
+$targetDir = Join-Path -Path "$env:APPDATA\vlc" -ChildPath "lua\extensions"
+
+# Ensure the target directory exists
+if (-not (Test-Path -Path $targetDir)) {
+    try {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $targetDir -Force | Out-Null
+        Write-Output "Created VLC extensions directory at: $targetDir"
+    } catch {
+        Write-Error "Failed to create VLC extensions directory: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+        exit 1
+    }
+}
+
+# Copy the Lua file to the target directory
+try {
+    Copy-Item -Path $sourceFile -Destination $targetDir -Force
+    Write-Output "xapi.lua has been successfully copied to $targetDir. Restart VLC to enable extension."
+} catch {
+    Write-Error "Error: Failed to copy xapi.lua"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Pause at the end to allow the user to review logs
+Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationFramework
+[System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show("xapi.lua has been successfully copied to $targetDir. Restart VLC to enable extension.", "xAPI VLC Installer") | Out-Null
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/xapi.json.template b/templates/xapi.json.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3660b01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/xapi.json.template
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+{
+  "actor": {
+    "account": {
+      "homePage": #API_HOMEPAGE,
+      "name": #API_USERID
+    },
+    "objectType": "Agent"
+  },
+  "verb": {
+    "id": #VERB
+  },
+  "object": {
+    "id": #OBJECT,
+    "objectType": "Activity"
+  },
+  "result": {
+    "extensions": {
+      #DURATION_URL: #DURATION,
+      #PROGRESS_URL: #PROGRESS,
+      #STATUS_URL: #STATUS,
+      #CURRENT_TIME_URL: #CURRENT_TIME
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/xapi.lua b/xapi.lua
index c10efcf..31ae092 100644
--- a/xapi.lua
+++ b/xapi.lua
@@ -18,18 +18,20 @@ local config_file_path = ""
 local threshold_file_path = ""
 local threshold = 0.9
 local is_completed = false
+local statement_template = ""
 -- *************** Events ************
 
 function activate()
   api_userid = get_uid()
   config_file_path = get_vlc_config_directory() .. "xapi-extension-config.txt"
-  threshold_file_path = get_vlc_config_directory() .. "xapi-threshold-config.txt"
+  threshold_file_path = get_vlc_config_directory() .. "xapi-threshold-config.txt" 
   load_config(config_file_path)
   load_threshold_config(threshold_file_path)
   vlc.msg.info("threshold value is: "..threshold)
   vlc.msg.info("config_file_path: "..config_file_path)
   vlc.msg.info("UID is: " .. api_userid)
   show_api_settings_dialog()
+  statement_template = read_template()
 
   if socket and http then
     vlc.msg.info("LuaSocket and socket.http are available!")
@@ -68,6 +70,11 @@ function trim(s)
   return (s:gsub("^%s*(.-)%s*$", "%1"))
 end
 
+-- necessary to deal with \ appearing in Windows usernames
+function sanitize(s)
+  return string.gsub(trim(s),"\\", "")
+end
+
 function get_uid()
   local command = 'whoami '
   local handle = io.popen(command)
@@ -76,7 +83,7 @@ function get_uid()
   if not username then
     return ""
   else
-    return trim(username)
+    return sanitize(username)
   end
 end
 
@@ -221,6 +228,18 @@ end
 
 -- *************** Hook ************
 
+-- URL Encode function, based on the following gist: https://gist.github.com/liukun/f9ce7d6d14fa45fe9b924a3eed5c3d99
+function urlencode(url)
+  local char_to_hex = function(c)
+    return string.format("%%%02X", string.byte(c))
+  end
+
+  url = url:gsub("\n", "\r\n")
+  url = url:gsub("([^%w ])", char_to_hex)
+  url = url:gsub(" ", "+")
+  return url
+end
+
 -- Function to retrieve metadata and send it off
 function send_metadata(input, status)
   if not input then
@@ -247,7 +266,7 @@ function send_metadata(input, status)
   vlc.msg.info("Current Time: " .. current_time .. " seconds")
   vlc.msg.info("Current Position: " .. (position * 100) .. "%")
 
-  local statement = form_statement({title = title,
+  local statement = form_statement({title = urlencode(title),
                                     status = status,
                                     duration = tostring(duration),
                                     current_time = tostring(current_time),
@@ -307,6 +326,32 @@ end
 
 -- *************** xAPI Statement ************
 
+-- function for reading template into a string
+function read_template()
+  local template_file_path = get_vlc_config_directory() .. "xapi.json.template"
+  local file = io.open(template_file_path, "r")
+  if not file then
+    vlc.msg.warn("Missing template file at: " .. template_file_path)
+    return
+  end
+  
+  local content = file:read("*all")
+  file:close()
+  
+  return content
+end
+
+-- function for inserting data into template
+function fill_template(data, template)
+
+    -- Replace placeholders with data values
+    local result = template:gsub("#([%w_]+)", function(key)
+        return '"' .. (data[key] or "") .. '"'
+    end)
+
+    return result
+end
+
 function form_statement(args)
   local title = args.title
   local status = args.status
@@ -330,33 +375,23 @@ function form_statement(args)
   local current_time_url = extension_url .. "currentTime"
   local status_url = extension_url .. "status"
 
-    -- Manually construct the JSON string with results
-  local json_statement =
-    '{' ..
-      '"actor": {' ..
-        '"account": {' ..
-          '"homePage": "' .. api_homepage .. '",' ..
-          '"name": "' .. api_userid .. '"' ..
-        '},' ..
-        '"objectType": "Agent"' ..
-      '},' ..
-      '"verb": {' ..
-        '"id": "' .. verb .. '"' ..
-      '},' ..
-      '"object": {' ..
-        '"id": "' .. object .. '",' ..
-        '"objectType": "Activity"' ..
-      '},' ..
-      '"result": {' ..
-        '"extensions": {' ..
-          '"' .. duration_url .. '": ' .. duration .. ',' ..
-          '"' .. progress_url .. '": ' .. progress .. ',' ..
-          '"' .. status_url .. '": "' .. status .. '",' ..
-          '"' .. current_time_url .. '": ' .. current_time ..
-        '}' ..
-      '}' ..
-    '}'
-  return json_statement
+  -- form a template table for insertion
+  local template_table = {
+    API_HOMEPAGE = api_homepage,
+    API_USERID = api_userid,
+    VERB = verb,
+    OBJECT = object,
+    DURATION_URL = duration_url,
+    DURATION = duration,
+    PROGRESS_URL = progress_url,
+    PROGRESS = progress,
+    STATUS_URL = status_url,
+    STATUS = status,
+    CURRENT_TIME_URL = current_time_url,
+    CURRENT_TIME = current_time
+  }
+  local statement = fill_template(template_table, statement_template)
+  return statement
 end
 
 -- *************** Rest Client ************
@@ -378,13 +413,25 @@ end
 function post_request(json_body)
   -- Encode API key and secret as Base64 for Basic Auth
   local auth = "Basic " .. base64_encode(api_key .. ":" .. api_secret)
-    -- Construct the curl command to make the HTTP POST request
+    -- Construct the curl command to make the HTTP POST request_sync
+  local command = ""
+
 
-  local command = 'curl -X POST ' .. api_endpoint .. '/statements '
+  if package.config:sub(1,1) == '/' then
+    -- Linux/MacOS
+    command = 'curl -X POST ' .. api_endpoint .. '/statements '
       .. '-H "Content-Type: application/json" '
       .. '-H "Authorization: ' .. auth .. '" '
       .. '-H "X-Experience-API-Version: 1.0.3" '
       .. '-d \'' .. json_body .. '\''
+  else
+    -- Windows
+    command = 'curl.exe -X POST ' .. api_endpoint .. '/statements '
+      .. '-H "Content-Type: application/json" '
+      .. '-H "Authorization: ' .. auth .. '" '
+      .. '-H "X-Experience-API-Version: 1.0.3" '
+      .. '-d \"' .. json_body .. '\"'
+  end
 
   vlc.msg.info("command: " .. command)