This plugin allows Flutter desktop apps to automatically update themselves (based on sparkle and winsparkle).

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• auto_updater
  • Platform Support
  • Quick Start
    • Installation
      • ⚠️ Windows requirements
    • Usage
    • Publish your app
      • Generate private key
        • macOS
        • Windows
      • Packaging
        • macOS
        • Windows
      • Get signature
        • macOS
        • Windows
      • Distributing
  • Who's using it?
  • API
    • AutoUpdater
      • Methods
        • setFeedURL
        • checkForUpdates
  • Related Links
  • License

Add this to your package's pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:
  auto_updater: ^0.1.1

Or

dependencies:
  auto_updater:
    git:
      url: https://github.com/leanflutter/auto_updater.git
      ref: main

• openssl

Run the following command:

Use Chocolatey

choco install openssl

import 'package:auto_updater/auto_updater.dart';

void main() async {
  // Must add this line.
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  String feedURL = 'http://localhost:5000/appcast.xml';
  await autoUpdater.setFeedURL(feedURL);
  await autoUpdater.checkForUpdates();

  runApp(MyApp());
}

Please see the example app of this plugin for a full example.

Run the following command:

flutter pub run auto_updater:generate_keys

You need to run this command on macOS and Windows systems separately.

Prepare signing with EdDSA signatures:

Output:

A key has been generated and saved in your keychain. Add the `SUPublicEDKey` key to
the Info.plist of each app for which you intend to use Sparkle for distributing
updates. It should appear like this:

    <key>SUPublicEDKey</key>
    <string>pfIShU4dEXqPd5ObYNfDBiQWcXozk7estwzTnF9BamQ=</string>

Change the file macos/Runner/Info.plist as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>

  ...

+	<key>SUPublicEDKey</key>
+	<string>bHaXClrRGMmKoKP/3HJnr/jn2ODTRPAM3VZhhkI9ZvY=</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Prepare signing with DSA signatures:

Output:

Generated two files:
dsa_priv.pem: your private key. Keep it secret and don't share it!
dsa_pub.pem: public counterpart to include in youe app.
BACK UP YOUR PRIVATE KEY AND KEEP IT SAFE!
If you lose it, your users will be unable to upgrade!

command will generate the private key (dsa_priv.pem) and the public key (dsa_pub.pem) for you. Please Back up your private key and keep it safe, Add your public key to your project either as Windows resource.

Change the file windows/runner/Runner.rc as follows:

...

+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//
+// WinSparkle
+//

+// And verify signature using DSA public key:
+DSAPub      DSAPEM      "../../dsa_pub.pem"

To simplify the packaging process, Flutter Distributor is used here, A complete tool dedicated to packaging and publishing Flutter apps.

Add distribute_options.yaml to your project root directory.

output: dist/
releases:
  - name: dev
    jobs:
      - name: release-macos
        package:
          platform: macos
          target: zip
          build_args:
            dart-define:
              APP_ENV: dev
      # See full documentation: https://distributor.leanflutter.org/configuration/makers/exe
      - name: release-windows
        package:
          platform: windows
          target: exe
          build_args:
            dart-define:
              APP_ENV: dev

Run the following command:

flutter_distributor release --name dev --jobs release-macos

Run the following command:

flutter_distributor release --name dev --jobs release-windows

Run the following command:

flutter pub run auto_updater:sign_update dist/1.1.0+2/auto_updater_example-1.1.0+2-macos.zip

Output:

sparkle:edSignature="pbdyPt92pnPkzLfQ7BhS9hbjcV9/ndkzSIlWjFQIUMcaCNbAFO2fzl0tISMNJApG2POTkZY0/kJQ2yZYOSVgAA==" length="13400992"

Update the obtained new signature to the value of the sparkle:edSignature attribute of the enclosure node of the appcast.xml file.

Run the following command:

flutter pub run auto_updater:sign_update dist/1.1.0+2/auto_updater_example-1.1.0+2-windows-setup.exe

Output:

MEUCIQCVbVzVID7H3aUzAY5znpi+ySZKznkukV8whlMFzKh66AIgREUGOmvavlcg
6hwAwkb2o4IqVE/D56ipIBshIqCH8rk=

Update the obtained new signature to the value of the sparkle:edSignature attribute of the enclosure node of the appcast.xml file.

Add appcast.xml to your project dist/ directory.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:sparkle="http://www.andymatuschak.org/xml-namespaces/sparkle">
    <channel>
        <title>auto_updater_example</title>
        <description>Most recent updates to auto_updater_example</description>
        <language>en</language>
        <item>
            <title>Version 1.1.0</title>
            <sparkle:releaseNotesLink>
                https://your_domain/your_path/release_notes.html
            </sparkle:releaseNotesLink>
            <pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0800</pubDate>
            <enclosure url="1.1.0+2/auto_updater_example-1.1.0+2-macos.zip"
                       sparkle:edSignature="pbdyPt92pnPkzLfQ7BhS9hbjcV9/ndkzSIlWjFQIUMcaCNbAFO2fzl0tISMNJApG2POTkZY0/kJQ2yZYOSVgAA=="
                       sparkle:version="1.1.0"
                       sparkle:os="macos"
                       length="13400992"
                       type="application/octet-stream" />
        </item>
        <item>
            <title>Version 1.1.0</title>
            <sparkle:releaseNotesLink>
                https://your_domain/your_path/release_notes.html
            </sparkle:releaseNotesLink>
            <pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0800</pubDate>
            <enclosure url="1.1.0+2/auto_updater_example-1.1.0+2-windows.exe"
                       sparkle:dsaSignature="MEUCIQCVbVzVID7H3aUzAY5znpi+ySZKznkukV8whlMFzKh66AIgREUGOmvavlcg6hwAwkb2o4IqVE/D56ipIBshIqCH8rk="
                       sparkle:version="1.1.0"
                       sparkle:os="windows"
                       length="0"
                       type="application/octet-stream" />
        </item>
    </channel>
</rss>

This example uses the same appcast.xml file for macOS and Windows, and you need to configure the value of the sparkle:os property accordingly.

Start the test update server:

cd dist/
serve -l 5002

• Biyi - A convenient translation and dictionary app.

Sets the url and initialize the auto updater.

Asks the server whether there is an update. You must call setFeedURL before using this API.

• https://sparkle-project.org/
• https://winsparkle.org/

MIT