IPC for Electron: Auto Updater

Allow the renderer to update electron apps via electron-updater

NPM link: @el3um4s/ipc-for-electron-auto-updater

Use @el3um4s/ipc-for-electron and @el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater to allow communication between Electron and a web page

Install and use the package

To use the package in a project:

npm i @el3um4s/ipc-for-electron @el3um4s/ipc-for-electron-auto-updater @el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater

Then the preload.ts file:

import { generateContextBridge } from "@el3um4s/ipc-for-electron";
import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/ipc-for-electron-auto-updater";

const listAPI = [autoUpdater];

generateContextBridge(listAPI);

In main electron file (index.ts):

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/ipc-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.initAutoUpdater(mainWindow);
autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

// to start donwloading the update
autoUpdater.startDownloadUpdate();

// to restart the electron app and install the new version
autoUpdater.quitAndInstall();

In the renderer file:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

let version: string;

autoUpdater.requestVersionNumber({
  apiKey: "my-api-key",
  callback: (data) => {
    version = data.version;
  },
});

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates({
  apiKey: "my-api-key",
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update available", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.startDownloadUpdate({ apiKey: "my-api-key" });
  },
});

autoUpdater.on.downloadProgress({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { total, delta, transferred, percent, bytesPerSecond } = data;
    console.log(
      "Download progress",
      total,
      delta,
      transferred,
      percent,
      bytesPerSecond
    );
  },
});

autoUpdater.on.updateDownloaded({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update downloaded", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.quitAndInstall();
  },
});

In the renderer you can use:

let version: string;

globalThis.api.autoUpdater.send("requestVersionNumber", null);
globalThis.api.autoUpdater.receive("getVersionNumber", (data) => {
  version = data.version;
});

API: Electron Side

• requestVersionNumber - Request the version number. The response is sent to the getVersionNumber channel
• checkForUpdates - Check if an update is available. The response is sent to the updateAvailable channel (or via the updateNotAvailable channel if no update is available)
• startDownloadUpdate - Request to start downloading the update. The response is sent to the downloadProgress channel
• quitAndInstall - Request to quit and install the update. The response is sent to the updateDownloaded channel

If an error occurs, the response is sent to the errorOnAutoUpdate channel.

API: Renderer Side - Request

requestVersionNumber = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: VersionNumber) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<VersionNumber>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

let version: string;

autoUpdater.requestVersionNumber({
  apiKey: "my-api-key",
  callback: (data) => {
    version = data.version;
  },
});

checkForUpdates = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: UpdateInfo) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<UpdateInfo>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update available", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.startDownloadUpdate({ apiKey: "my-api-key" });
  },
});

startDownloadUpdate = async (options: { apiKey?: string; }): Promise<void>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.startDownloadUpdate();

quitAndInstall = async (options: { apiKey?: string }): Promise<void>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.on.updateDownloaded({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update downloaded", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.quitAndInstall();
  },
});

API: Renderer Side - Response

on.getVersionNumber = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: VersionNumber) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<VersionNumber>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

let version: string;

autoUpdater.requestVersionNumber();

autoUpdater.on.getVersionNumber({
  callback: (data) => {
    version = data.version;
    console.log("Version number", version);
  },
});

on.errorOnAutoUpdate = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: Error) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<Error>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.errorOnAutoUpdate({
  callback: (data) => {
    console.log("Error on auto update");
    console.log(data);
  },
});

on.checkingForUpdate = async (options: { callback?: () => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<void>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.checkingForUpdate({
  callback: () => {
    console.log("Checking for update...");
  },
});

on.updateAvailable = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: UpdateInfo) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<UpdateInfo>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.updateAvailable({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update available", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.startDownloadUpdate();
  },
});

on.updateNotAvailable = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: UpdateInfo) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<UpdateInfo>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.updateNotAvailable({
  callback: (data) => {
    console.log("Update not available", data);
  },
});

on.downloadProgress = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: ProgressInfo) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<ProgressInfo>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.downloadProgress({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { total, delta, transferred, percent, bytesPerSecond } = data;
    console.log(
      "Download progress",
      total,
      delta,
      transferred,
      percent,
      bytesPerSecond
    );
  },
});

on.updateDownloaded = async (options: { callback?: (arg0: UpdateDownloadedEvent) => void; apiKey?: string; }): Promise<UpdateDownloadedEvent>

example:

import autoUpdater from "@el3um4s/renderer-for-electron-auto-updater";

autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

autoUpdater.on.updateDownloaded({
  callback: (data) => {
    const { version, releaseName, releaseDate } = data;
    console.log("Update downloaded", version, releaseName, releaseDate);
    autoUpdater.quitAndInstall();
  },
});

Types

VersionNumber

interface VersionNumber {
  version: string;
}

UpdateInfo

interface UpdateInfo {
  version: string;
  releaseName: string | undefined;
  releaseDate: string;
}

UpdateDownloadedEvent

interface UpdateDownloadedEvent extends UpdateInfo {
  downloadedFile: string;
}

ProgressInfo

interface ProgressInfo {
  total: number;
  delta: number;
  transferred: number;
  percent: number;
  bytesPerSecond: number;
}

DefaultApiKey

type DefaultApiKey = "ipc";