UpdateSystem

UpdateSystem is a lightweight, self-contained auto-update launcher written in Python.
It checks for new versions, downloads updates, installs them, and launches your application — regardless of the language it is written in.

This system is ideal for small and medium projects that need a simple update mechanism without external dependencies or complex installers.

---

Features

• Version checking via a remote version.txt
• Automatic update download from a ZIP archive
• Automatic extraction into the application directory
• Launches any type of program (Python, EXE, shell script, Java, Node, etc.)
• Customizable UI (title, theme, app name)
• No external libraries required
• Works on Windows, Linux, macOS

---

How It Works

1. The launcher starts and displays a small Tkinter window.
2. It reads the local version from:

core/version.txt

3. It fetches the remote version from:

http://yourserver/version.txt

4. If a newer version exists, the user is prompted to update.
5. If accepted, the launcher downloads:

latest.zip

6. The ZIP is extracted into the application directory.
7. The main program is launched.

---

Program Compatibility

UpdateSystem can launch any executable, not just Python scripts.

Modify this line in the launcher:

subprocess.Popen(["python3", PROGRAM_PATH])

Examples:

Windows .exe

subprocess.Popen([PROGRAM_PATH])

Linux binary

subprocess.Popen([PROGRAM_PATH])

Shell script

subprocess.Popen(["bash", PROGRAM_PATH])

Java JAR

subprocess.Popen(["java", "-jar", PROGRAM_PATH])

Node.js app

subprocess.Popen(["node", PROGRAM_PATH])

As long as the program can be executed from a command, UpdateSystem can launch it.

---

Configuration

At the top of the launcher script, you can customize:

LAUNCHER_TITLE = "MyApp Launcher"
LAUNCHER_APP_NAME = "MyApp"
LAUNCHER_THEME = "clam"

Available themes (depending on OS)

• clam
• alt
• default
• classic
• vista (Windows)
• xpnative (Windows)

---

Server Requirements

Your update server must provide two files:

version.txt

Contains only the version number, for example:

1.2

or:

1.2.5

latest.zip

A ZIP archive containing the updated files.
The ZIP must mirror the structure of your application directory.

---

Version Format

UpdateSystem compares versions as plain strings, not semantic version numbers.

This means:

• 1.2 works
• 1.10 works
• 1.2.5 works
• 2024.01.15 works

You are not limited to two digits — any consistent version format works.

If needed, the system can be upgraded to use semantic versioning or numeric comparison.

---

Local Testing

You can test updates using a local HTTP server:

python3 -m http.server 8000

Place version.txt and latest.zip in the directory where you run the server.

Then set:

REMOTE_VERSION_URL = "http://localhost:8000/version.txt"
REMOTE_ZIP_URL = "http://localhost:8000/latest.zip"

---

Project Structure Example

UpdateSystem/
 ├─ launcher/
 │   └─ launcher.py
 ├─ core/
 │   ├─ myprogram.py
 │   └─ version.txt
 └─ updates/
     └─ latest.zip   (downloaded automatically)

---

Launching the Application

Make the launcher executable (Linux/macOS):

chmod +x launcher.py

Run it:

./launcher.py

Or simply:

python3 launcher.py

---

License

This project is free to use and modify.
No attribution required, but appreciated.