Automatic Updates¶
applanch can check for new releases on GitHub and apply updates from within the app.
How Updates Work¶
On startup, applanch queries the GitHub Releases API to compare the running version against the latest published release. If a newer release is found, the update banner appears in the main window.
The asset downloaded during an update is a self-contained ZIP archive named:
applanch-{version}-{runtime-identifier}.zip
The runtime identifier (for example win-x64) is chosen automatically to match the running build.
Update Banner¶
When a newer version is available, a banner appears below the header in the main window. The banner shows the current version and the available version.
If the banner is dismissed, the update button in the header remains visible so you can apply the update at any time.
Update Install Behavior¶
Configure this in Settings → Startup → Update Install Behavior.
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Notify Only | The banner is shown but contains no install button. Open the linked release page to download manually. |
| Manual (default) | The banner shows an Update button. Click it to download and apply the update. applanch restarts automatically after the update completes. |
| Automatically Apply | The update is downloaded and applied silently on the next startup. No interaction is required. |
Manual Update Check¶
To check for a newer version immediately without restarting:
Open Settings → click Check for Updates in the header.
Check for Updates on Startup¶
Toggle in Settings → Startup → Check For Updates On Startup. Enabled by default. Disable this if you prefer to manage updates manually.
Update Failure¶
If an update fails to apply, a notification appears with a brief description of the reason.
| Cause | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Network error | Could not reach the GitHub download server | Check your network connection and try again |
| IO error | Could not write files during extraction | Check available disk space and ensure the app directory is writable |
| Permission denied | The app does not have write access to its own directory | Move the app to a user-writable location, or reinstall using the per-user installer |
| Invalid package | The downloaded ZIP archive is corrupt or incompatible | Try the update again, or download the release manually |
On failure, the current version continues to run. Download the latest release manually from GitHub Releases if the issue persists.
Debug Update Mode¶
Settings → Startup → Debug Update Mode forces the update check to treat any available release as an available update, even when the versions match. This is intended for testing the update mechanism during development.