Go back to the same location in Terminal and install the Sparkle framework by executing the following command: Now that we have declared, via Pod, that our project requires Sparkle framework, it's time to install the pod. Open Podfile in your favorite editor and add following in the file In this new file, we will add the Sparkle framework pod name. So first let's add pod file by opening Xcode project location in Terminal and typingĪs you can see in the screenshot above, a new file named Podfile has been added to the project directory. It's just a placeholder for now and shortly we will add functionality to this button to check if there is a newer version of the app availableĪdding Sparkle framework to Xcode project If everything goes well you should see a Star icon in your menu bar □Ĭlick on the star and it will open a pop up displaying a label "First Version"Ĭlicking on the button labeled "Check for Updates" doesn't do anything. After downloading, build and run the project. We will add and configure Sparkle to an existing macOS project. Why should we bother about Apple notarization? More on this later. Yes, Sparkle needs to be code signed as well or else your app will not be accepted for notarization. I will take you step by step on how to setup Sparkle framework in your macOS app and last but not least, configure it properly so that apple agrees to notarize it □. Adding Sparkle to an app before it's first released or in some cases like me post first release. Thus in my experience, I would strongly advise adding auto-update feature in your macOS app starting with the first release. I would have liked to push a few minor updates to get user's feedback on some new features that I am building before doing a version 2 launch. However, lacking the ability to push new version limits me in a way. Thankfully the second version of EasyFinder will bring a whole bunch of new experiences and features which warrant a hard launch instead of a soft launch. The second version of EasyFinder will be a new launch on Product Hunt, something one may not want unless it's a mega update. It doesn't have an auto-update framework and so I cannot push new versions to users and alert them. To provide peace of mind to users and of course assurance to macOS Gatekeeper ☺️ so that it let EasyFinder run, EasyFinder has been dev signed and notarized by apple. Personal plug: I released a mac menu bar app EasyFinder and hosted it outside of mac app store. One should always have an auto-update feature in their app starting with the first release, lest you will be in my shoes □. " Sparkle is an easy-to-use software update framework for macOS applications." How do you then provide new versions of your app to users seamlessly? So the only option left is hosting it outside of mac app store. Sandbox should be enabled etc., that one needs to implement in their app and which may not allow your app to work in a way that you think provide the best experience. While it's great option (no hosting fees, no monthly storage and bandwidth fees especially if your app is free and app is auto-updated with new versions) but it comes with mandatory requirements, for e.g. One way to do it is via Apple's Mac app store. In this cycle, a very critical element and the question is how to provide new versions to users? A cycle begins which starts by listening to the user's feedback, incorporating them and shipping the second version. User downloads your app and provides their feedback. You burn the midnight oil and finally come up with a build of an app, which is in a state that you are not too embarrassed to showcase to the world. You researched and found no perfect app (solution) exists that solves the problem and you decide to solve by building the perfect app. If you are familiar with the macOS app releases and why Sparkle is needed, then you can skip the next section and start here. In this tutorial, my effort will be to make it easy for someone to add and configure Sparkle. Sparkle has an excellent basic setup page but in my opinion, it is a bit too advanced and maybe a bit overwhelming to follow along. In this multi-part tutorial, I'll walk you step by step on how to add and configure the auto-update framework Sparkle in your macOS app.
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