node-webkit updater module

Automatically (and silently) updates node-webkit apps on the background

How it works?

This code will contact the update API endpoint and if a new version is available, will download and install it.

var gui = require('nw.gui');
var currentVersion = gui.App.manifest.version

var updater = require('nw-updater')({
    'channel':'beta',
    'currentVersion': currentVersion,
    'endpoint': 'http://torrentv.github.io/update.json',
    'pubkey': '-----BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY-----\nMII...'
})

updater.update() //or updater.check()

updater.on("download", function(version){
    console.log("OH YEAH! going to download version "+version)
})

updater.on("installed", function(){
    console.log("SUCCCESSFULLY installed, please restart")
})

For an example update.json please visit: http://torrentv.github.io/update.json

Parameters

var parameters = {
     'channel': boolean,
     'currentVersion': string,
     'endpoint': string,
     'pubkey': string,
     'windowsExeUpdate': boolean,
     'outputDir': boolean|string,
     'downloadToTmpDir': boolean
 };
var updater = require('nw-updater')(parameter);

channel

Not used, not implemented yet. Any name for your version (like branch).

currentVersion

Any string matched with pattern '+d.+d.+d'. For example, '0.2.5', '1.1.109', etc

endpoint

Any url to download update.json file. For an example update.json please visit: http://torrentv.github.io/update.json

pubkey

Public RSA key, EOL replace with '\n'.

$ npm install node-sign-release -g
$ node-sign-release package.nw

Will be generate automatically keypair.json with private and public keys.

windowsExeUpdate

If you need to update not package.nw file. For example you need to update nw.js engine, then you need to update the whole app. E.g. windows: prepare setup.exe, zip it to package.nw, configure update.json, upload files to update-server, after updater.on('installed', ..) fired, run as "spawn('.../setup.exe', ...)", exit app.

downloadToTmpDir

Folder to download package.nw file mentioned in update.json. In case if app folder is read-only (windows).

outputDir

Folder to extract package.nw. If you use 'windowsExeUpdate: true' param, and app folder is read-only (windows).

Installation

With npm:

Executable creation

It is designed to work with builds generated with grunt-node-webkit-builder-for-nw-updater

Update.json:

update.json checksums and signatures can be created using node-sign-release

Kudos

Kudos for the original authors of this module, the PopcornTime.io developers.