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Auto-Update Setup Guide

Your GitWidget app now has full auto-update functionality! Here's how it works and how to use it.

🚀 What's Been Added

  1. Auto-updater integration - Checks for updates on startup
  2. GitHub Actions workflow - Automatically builds and publishes releases
  3. Update notification UI - Shows users when updates are available
  4. Progress tracking - Visual feedback during download
  5. Automatic installation - Updates install and restart the app

📦 How It Works

For Users:

  • App automatically checks for updates when it starts
  • If an update is available, a notification appears at the top
  • Users can download and install updates with one click
  • App automatically restarts after installation

For You (Developer):

  • Push code changes to your repository
  • Create a new version tag (e.g., v1.0.1, v1.2.0)
  • GitHub Actions automatically builds and releases the app
  • All users receive the update automatically

🏗️ How to Release Updates

Step 1: Update Version Number

# In package.json, bump the version
"version": "1.0.1"  # Change this to your new version

Step 2: Commit Your Changes

git add .
git commit -m "feat: Add new feature or fix"
git push origin main

Step 3: Create a Release Tag

# Create and push a version tag
git tag v1.0.1
git push origin v1.0.1

Step 4: Wait for Build

  • GitHub Actions will automatically build your app for Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • Release files will be published to GitHub Releases
  • Users will get notified of the update

🔧 Configuration

Current Settings:

  • Update Check: On app startup (production only)
  • Auto Install: 5 seconds after download completes
  • Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Distribution: GitHub Releases

Customization Options:

Change Update Check Frequency

In src/main/index.ts, you can modify when updates are checked:

// Check every hour
setInterval(() => {
  autoUpdater.checkForUpdatesAndNotify();
}, 60 * 60 * 1000);

// Check only manually
// Remove autoUpdater.checkForUpdatesAndNotify() from app.whenReady()

Change Auto-Install Delay

In src/main/index.ts, modify the timeout:

autoUpdater.on('update-downloaded', (info) => {
  if (mainWindow) {
    mainWindow.webContents.send('update-downloaded', info);
  }
  // Change from 5 seconds to 30 seconds
  setTimeout(() => {
    autoUpdater.quitAndInstall();
  }, 30000);
});

🧪 Testing Updates

Test in Development:

# Build a test version
npm run build:win

# Install it, then create a new version and test the update

Test with Staging Releases:

  1. Create pre-release tags: v1.0.1-beta
  2. Test with a small group before public release
  3. Use draft: true in GitHub Actions for testing

📋 Version Tag Examples

  • v1.0.0 - Major release
  • v1.0.1 - Bug fix
  • v1.1.0 - New features
  • v2.0.0 - Breaking changes
  • v1.0.1-beta - Pre-release

🐛 Troubleshooting

Update Not Showing:

  • Check if version in package.json matches the tag
  • Verify GitHub Actions completed successfully
  • Check GitHub Releases for published files

Build Failures:

  • Check GitHub Actions logs
  • Ensure all dependencies are in package.json
  • Verify GitHub token permissions

Manual Update Check:

Users can manually trigger update checks through the update notification component.

🔐 Security Notes

  • Updates are signed with GitHub's certificate
  • Only downloads from your GitHub repository
  • Users see the version and can verify updates
  • No auto-update in development mode

📝 What Happens Next

  1. Push changes: Make your changes and push to GitHub
  2. Tag version: Create a version tag like v1.0.1
  3. Auto-build: GitHub Actions builds for all platforms
  4. Auto-distribute: Releases published to GitHub
  5. Auto-notify: Users get update notifications
  6. Auto-install: Updates install automatically

Your app now has enterprise-grade auto-update functionality! 🎉