Updates and Test Builds

How GZreader updates itself, and how to try changes before they're released. Updating by hand and uninstalling: Updating and uninstalling.

GZreader checks the latest release of github.com/9retirement6irk/GZreader once a day (Settings → General → Updates, or the quick panel → Updates; the changelog is in Settings → General → Updates too). When a check has found a newer version, the quick panel's Updates tile reads Update available and is drawn white on black (also after a restart, until it's installed); tap it to see the update and install it.

After an update, GZreader opens a What's new screen once: "Updated to v" and a short point for each change (for a test build, what it brings; for a release after a skipped one, both). Press Get Started (or the 5-way centre) to go on; the full text of each change stays in the changelog.

Test builds. Settings → General → Updates → Test builds gets what's waiting to be tried instead of releases, over Wi‑Fi like a release (the version then reads like 1.26.5-beta.d6819bd). They come from the repository's beta branch: every push there builds an update package ("GZreader test builds (beta)" workflow) onto the updates branch, as gzreader-beta-update.zip with latest-beta.json next to the release's gzreader-update.zip and latest.json; GZreader and the sync page look there. Any test build other than the installed one is offered. Turn it off to go back to releases: the next release is offered as usual, and so is the release a test build was made towards (1.27.0 counts as newer than 1.27.0-beta.5995ce3, on the Kindle and on the sync page). Kindles without Wi‑Fi get them through the sync page: tick Test builds there (it follows the Kindle's setting, and tells the Kindle when you change it). Native parts (KOReader's programs, the Nook's icon app) still come only with a full package.

The Nook 1st Edition updates the same way, from the same gzreader-update.zip (Settings → General → Updates, over the Nook's Wi‑Fi): the Lua is the same on every device, and the Nook's own programs (built without floating point) stay as installed. Its start script (/data/gzreader/gzreader.sh) comes in the update too and takes effect the next time GZreader starts. A new KOReader version still needs the full Nook package installed again. GZreader shares the Nook's 242 MB internal disk with Android, which can be full. When there isn't room there for an update (the download and what it unpacks to, about three times its size), it's downloaded and unpacked on the microSD card (GZreader/.gzreader-update, removed afterwards) and copied in part by part, with a copy of each part kept on the card to put back if one fails.

The download comes over HTTPS straight from GitHub (no hashing on the Kindle); the zip must open and have a complete GZreader layout. Settings, books, .sdr folders, history and the GZreader folder are never touched; if anything fails, the previous files are put back. Then GZreader restarts.