AppImage update information missing

[vv01f]

I would like the Image to contain information where to check for updates to retrieve them automagically according to the standard of the already provided AppImage format.

• AppImage works fine (tested on Debian and NixOS)
• Update information in the App itself is wrong, version 4.47.1 does not inform about the newer version
• Update is manual although the format would allow for easier automation, from external with e.g. AppImageUpdate or even by the App itself.

I checked with (cli for the mentioned AppImageUpdate) appimageupdatetool --describe ./BitBox-4.47.1-x86_64.AppImage (knowing 4.47.2 is available):

Parsing file: ~/Downloads/BitBox-4.47.1-x86_64.AppImage
AppImage type: 2
Raw update information: <empty>
Update information invalid: | not found
Failed to parse AppImage. See above for more information

Proposed fix: provide meta information for the AppImage to enable finding updates.

Related docs for the necessary update information:

• https://docs.appimage.org/packaging-guide/optional/updates.html
• https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageSpec/blob/master/draft.md#github-releases

[benma]

Interesting. Is appimageupdatetool required to be informed of available updates? Does it check the GitHub releases page directly then, or is some sort of package server needed?

[vv01f]

disclaimer: I just discover this as a user to compensate for failing nix package.

I was trying to add bitbox from unstable channel to my package list on a otherwise stable NixOS and failing due to qt lib conflicts – which thanks to its maintainer I could fix by pulling his unmerged PR to a local `package.nix` just now).

tl;dr:

Is appimageupdatetool required to be informed of available updates?

it is possible to use it for checking with it (e.g. on startup, also GUI available). an alternative would be zsync.

Does it check the GitHub releases page directly then,

that depends on the transport you choose, so that is possible with the gh-release-zsync transport

or is some sort of package server needed?

no (third party) package server at all, the other option is (your) webserver with the zsync transport.

I dont know how you build the AppImage (at least no target in the Makefile seems to relate for me), appimagetool can write that metadata as well – maybe your CI uses that one anyway. The appimageupdatetool is used to read and apply the update information (where to find the zsync file) from the AppImage or also write it in there if not vendor-provided yet, for the end user there is the CLI and GUI AppImageUpdate to e.g. (check for) update all ApImages in a directory such as ~/Apps if the function was not integrated in the AppImage itself to enable self-update. No extra package server (AppImageHub I rather see as another place to find software) is needed, you provide update location with the transport in your repo (gh-releases-zsync) and/or (zsync file) on your webserver.

• looking for examples how to build the an AppImage and the zsync file I found: https://ceicer.eu/script/build_appimage/script.php
• and there is a GitHub action to build the AppImage: https://github.com/marketplace/actions/build-appimage