autoUpdater
This module provides an interface for the Squirrel
auto-updater framework.
Platform notices
Though autoUpdater
provides a uniform API for different platforms, there are
still some subtle differences on each platform.
OS X
On OS X, the autoUpdater
module is built upon Squirrel.Mac,
meaning you don't need any special setup to make it work. For server-side
requirements, you can read Server Support.
Windows
On Windows, you have to install your app into a user's machine before you can use the auto-updater, so it is recommended to use grunt-electron-installer module to generate a Windows installer.
The installer generated with Squirrel will create a shortcut icon with an
Application User Model ID in the format of
com.squirrel.PACKAGE_ID.YOUR_EXE_WITHOUT_DOT_EXE
, examples are
com.squirrel.slack.Slack
and com.squirrel.code.Code
. You have to use the
same ID for your app with app.setAppUserModelId
API, otherwise Windows will
not be able to pin your app properly in task bar.
The server-side setup is also different from OS X. You can read the documents of Squirrel.Windows to get more details.
Linux
There is not built-in support for auto-updater on Linux, so it is recommended to use the distribution's package manager to update your app.
Events
The autoUpdater
object emits the following events:
Event: 'error'
Returns:
error
Error
Emitted when there is an error while updating.
Event: 'checking-for-update'
Emitted when checking if an update has started.
Event: 'update-available'
Emitted when there is an available update. The update is downloaded automatically.
Event: 'update-not-available'
Emitted when there is no available update.
Event: 'update-downloaded'
Returns:
event
EventreleaseNotes
StringreleaseName
StringreleaseDate
DateupdateURL
String
Emitted when an update has been downloaded.
On Windows only releaseName
is available.
Methods
The autoUpdater
object has the following methods:
autoUpdater.setFeedURL(url)
url
String
Sets the url
and initialize the auto updater. The url
cannot be changed
once it is set.
autoUpdater.checkForUpdates()
Asks the server whether there is an update. You must call setFeedURL
before
using this API.
autoUpdater.quitAndInstall()
Restarts the app and installs the update after it has been downloaded. It
should only be called after update-downloaded
has been emitted.