hytale-f2p/TESTING-UPDATES.md

Testing Auto-Updates

This guide explains how to test the auto-update system during development.

Quick Start

Option 1: Test with GitHub Releases (Easiest)

1. Set up dev-app-update.yml (already done):

   provider: github
   owner: amiayweb
   repo: Hytale-F2P
   

2. Lower your current version in package.json:

   • Change version to something lower than what's on GitHub (e.g., 2.0.1 if GitHub has 2.0.3)

3. Run the app in dev mode:

   npm run dev
   # or
   npm start
   

4. The app will check for updates 3 seconds after startup

   • If a newer version exists on GitHub, it will detect it
   • Check the console logs for update messages

Option 2: Test with Local HTTP Server

For more control, you can set up a local server:

1. Create a test update server:

   # Create a test directory
   mkdir -p test-updates
   cd test-updates
   

2. Build a test version with a higher version number:

   # In package.json, set version to 2.0.4
   npm run build
   

3. Copy the generated files to your test server:

   • Copy dist/latest.yml (or latest-mac.yml for macOS)
   • Copy the built installer/package

4. Start a simple HTTP server:

   # Using Python
   python3 -m http.server 8080
   
   # Or using Node.js http-server
   npx http-server -p 8080
   

5. Update dev-app-update.yml to point to local server:

   provider: generic
   url: http://localhost:8080
   

6. Run the app and it will check your local server

Testing Steps

1. Prepare Test Environment

Current version: 2.0.3 (in package.json) Test version: 2.0.4 (on GitHub or local server)

2. Run the App

npm run dev

3. Watch for Update Events

The app will automatically check for updates 3 seconds after startup. Watch the console for:

Checking for updates...
Update available: 2.0.4

4. Check Console Logs

Look for these messages:

• Checking for updates... - Update check started
• Update available: 2.0.4 - New version found
• Download speed: ... - Download progress
• Update downloaded: 2.0.4 - Download complete

5. Test UI Integration

The app sends these events to the renderer:

• update-checking
• update-available (with version info)
• update-download-progress (with progress data)
• update-downloaded (ready to install)

You can listen to these in your frontend code to show update notifications.

Manual Testing

Trigger Manual Update Check

You can also trigger a manual check via IPC:

// In renderer process
const result = await window.electronAPI.invoke('check-for-updates');
console.log(result);

Install Update

After an update is downloaded:

// In renderer process
await window.electronAPI.invoke('quit-and-install-update');

Testing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Update Available

1. Set package.json version to 2.0.1
2. Ensure GitHub has version 2.0.3 or higher
3. Run app → Should detect update

Scenario 2: Already Up to Date

1. Set package.json version to 2.0.3
2. Ensure GitHub has version 2.0.3 or lower
3. Run app → Should show "no update available"

Scenario 3: Prerelease Version

1. Set package.json version to 2.0.2b
2. Ensure GitHub has version 2.0.3
3. Run app → Should detect update (prerelease < release)

Troubleshooting

Update Not Detected

1. Check dev-app-update.yml exists in project root
2. Verify dev mode is enabled - Check console for "Dev update mode enabled"
3. Check version numbers - Remote version must be higher than current
4. Check network - App needs internet to reach GitHub/local server
5. Check logs - Look for error messages in console

Common Errors

• "Cannot find module 'electron-updater'": Run npm install
• "Update check failed": Check network connection or GitHub API access
• "No update available": Version comparison issue - check versions

Debug Mode

Enable more verbose logging by checking the console output. The logger will show:

• Update check requests
• Version comparisons
• Download progress
• Any errors

Testing with Real GitHub Releases

For the most realistic test:

1. Create a test release on GitHub:

   • Build the app with version 2.0.4
   • Create a GitHub release with tag v2.0.4
   • Upload the built files

2. Lower your local version:

   • Set package.json to 2.0.3

3. Run the app:

   • It will check GitHub and find 2.0.4
   • Download and install the update

Notes

• Dev mode only works when app is NOT packaged (!app.isPackaged)
• Production builds ignore dev-app-update.yml and use the built-in app-update.yml
• macOS: Code signing is required for updates to work in production
• Windows: NSIS installer is required for auto-updates

Next Steps

Once testing is complete:

1. Remove or comment out forceDevUpdateConfig for production
2. Ensure proper code signing for macOS
3. Set up CI/CD to automatically publish releases