I'm considering setting up my own readthedocs instance. I see that they have support for Git, Mercurial, Subversion, and CVS .I do however have a couple of legacy projects which are considerable effort to move over to git sitting in TFS using TFVS.
Would it still be possible to pull in these projects using the webhook method they're talking about?
What would be the code based approach to get this to work?
Eventually I'd like to get all these opened up on Github, but thats something I still need to sell.
No, it's not support to uding tfvc with readthedocs.
It's viable to use web hooks in VSTS directly. Document from MSDN:Web Hooks
However, if you want to use web hooks with TFS. You may need to use TFS plugin such as Cloudpipes. More details you can refer this link: Integrate Team Foundation Server with Web hooks
I created a plugin for sublime and I called it "sublimecastling".
The main idea is to replace 2 selected fields.
So I'll be glad to know whether it's possible to add it to your Sublime repository in order users could install the plugin via package-control.
The github link is provided below,
https://github.com/unknownuser88/sublimecastling
If you want to make a plugin available via Package Control, visit the documentation page on the Package Control website and click on Submitting a Package. There are a number of steps, which can be summarized as follows:
Search Package Control to ensure your package fulfills an unmet need, or greatly improves upon an existing package - don't create a new one (especially a very simple one) when you could work with the author of an existing one to add a particular feature.
Pick a name - there are several requirements here.
Decide how to host - Github? Bitbucket? Your own SSL server?
my own note here: Github is easiest
Pick a versioning strategy using semantic versioning. Note that all new packages must release by using versioning tags, not by branches or commits.
Prepare your repo - several things to do here.
Fork the Package Control Channel on Github and add your repo to the default channel - detailed instructions included.
Run the ChannelRepositoryTools package in Sublime to make sure everything is OK.
Note: Test your package with both ST2 and ST3 to make sure it works with both versions of Sublime. If you can only support one version due to the language differences between Python 2.6 and 3.3, pick ST3 - it is the future of Sublime, has a very large user base already, and will get you maximum exposure. If you haven't personally upgraded to ST3, now is the time to do so. If you are a registered user—which you should be :)—test with both the public beta and the latest dev build.
Finally, you can submit your pull request.
Be patient, it may take a little while for it to be reviewed, and it is not uncommon at all for changes to be requested. It is by following strict procedures that the community maintains the high quality of the packages available for users.
(my apologies for the non-specific wording of the question title, and for liberal use of öpen source" when I actually mean "project setup at SourceForge")
We have recently open sourced a 3D modeler we'd been selling for a couple of years, with the main goal of keeping the application alive. We setup shop at SourceForge.net, and are now working towards a process resulting in a steady flow of binary releases. So far, everything is swell.
However, besides the main application, we had also developed a couple of plugins (mainly for different import/export formats). Currently, these are still closed source, but we would like to open those up as well (3rd party plugin developers can take care of their own or donate and open the source). The question really is, should our plugins be hosted as a project on their own or not?
The options I see are:
Add the plugin sources into a subfolder of the SVN sources
Create a separate project for the set of plugins
Create a seperate project for each individual plugin
Which setup is the most practical and/or common, and how should I deal with the binaries?
When the application was still closed and commercial, it was kinda important that the plugin binaries could be updated seperately fom the main application, but now that everything is open and updated frequently, that's not so much of a big deal anymore. Also I'm not sure I want to bother contributing developers with a whole bunch of plugin sources they care nothing about as part of the main project.
Add the plugin sources into a subfolder of the SVN sources
I think that is a good idea if you don't have too many plugins. You could create a folder structure as shown at the end of my answer in order to manage plugins independently. But in this case you won't have fine control over SVN access.
The advantage is that you only have to maintain one project website (if you create one at all).
Create a separate project for the set of plugins
That's what Notepad++ does, for example. Their plugins are hosted on a separate SourceForge project. Having one download page full of plugins and another download page full of binary releases of your software improves readability. But don't forget to mention on the project web page that there's a separate plugin project.
It also has the advantage that you can manage the project web sites independently. For instance, you could put other users in charge of caring about the plugin site (if you find somebody who wants to maintain them).
Create a seperate project for each individual plugin
Not a good idea, maintenance will be harder this way, as you'll have multiple projects, repositories and project websites.
But it has an advantage though: You can be more fine-grained in granting people access to developing the plugins. For example, users A and B are allowed to work on plugin X, but not on plugin Y. With separate SF projects, this is easy to achieve. Same applies to the project web sites, of course.
So, as a conclusion, I would say that the more you care about SVN access rights and the more plugins you have, the more it makes sense to create one or more separate projects for your plugins.
Example SVN structure from #1:
/modeler
/trunk
/branches
/tags
/modeler-plugins
/plugin-x
/trunk
/branches
/tags
/plugin-y
/trunk
/branches
/tags
Many programs include an auto-updater, where the program occasionally looks online for updates, and then downloads and applies any updates that are found. Program bugs are fixed, supporting files are modified, and things are (usually) made better.
Unfortunately no matter how hard I look, I can't find information on this process anywhere. It seems like the auto-updaters that have been implemented have either been proprietary or not considered important.
It seems fairly easy to implement the system that looks for updates on a network and downloads them if they are available. That part of the auto-updater will change significantly from implementation to implementation. The question is what are the different approaches of applying patches. Just downloading files and replacing old ones with new ones, running a migration script that was downloaded, monkey patching parts of the system, etc.? Concepts are preferred, but examples in Java, C, Python, Ruby, Lisp, etc. would be appreciated.
I think that "language agnostic" is going to be a limiting factor here. Applications come in so many shapes and sizes that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. I have implemented several auto-updaters in several languages, and no two were similar.
The most general philosophy is that the application checks with some home location (web address, web query, corporate network location, etc.) to either ask if it's version is current, or ask what the most current version is. If the answer calls for an update, that process will be different for each situation.
A popular alternative is to invite the home location to run a script when the application is initiated. The script can check the version, download updates if necessary, and ask for usage feedback, for example.
We can probably help better if you narrow the parameters.
UPDATE: The approach to "patching" also depends on the nature of the application, and there's a very wide diversity here. If you have a single executable file, for instance, then it's probably most practical to replace the executable. If your application has many files, you should look for ways to minimize the number of files replaced. If your application is highly customized or parameterized, you should strive to minimize the re-tailoring effort. If your application employs interpreted code (such as an Excel VBA application or MS Access MDB application), then you may be able to replace parts of the code. In a Java application you may only need to replace a JAR file, or even a subset of the JAR contents. You'll also need to have a way to recognize the current client version, and update it appropriately. I could go on and on, but I hope you see my point about diversity. This is one of those many times when the best answer usually starts with "Well, it depends ...!" That's why so many answers include "Please narrow the parameters."
Be sure to also consider the security implications of sucking down information about the update, as well as the update binaries themselves.
Do you trust the source of the download? You maybe phoning home to got your update, but what if there is a man in the middle who redirects to a malicious server. An HTTPS or similar secure connection will help, but double checking the bits that you eventually download by using a digital signature check is recommended.
First you need a file on your application home web site with the latest version.
The best way I think to have special SQL table for this task and populate it automatically after publishing new version / nightly build completion.
Your application creates new thread which requests built-in http link with version and compares in with current. In .NET use can use code like this:
Version GetLatestVersion() {
HttpWebRequestrequest = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(new Uri(new Uri(http://example.net), "version.txt));
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();
if (request.HaveResponse)
{
StreamReader stream = new StreamReader(response.GetResponseStream(), Encoding.Default);
return new Version(stream.ReadLine());
}
else
{
return null;
}
}
Version latest = GetLatestVersion();
Version current = new Version(Application.ProductVersion);
if (current < latest)
{
// you need an update
}
else
{
// you are up-to-date
}
In this example, version.php in only one plain string like 1.0.1.0.
Another tip I can give - how to download an update.
I like very much next idea: in the resources of your application there is a string of CLR-code which you compile on-the-fly (using CodeDom) to a temporary folder, main application calls it and goes to close. Updater reads arguments, settings or registry and downloads new modules. And calls main application which deletes all temporary files. Done!
(But everything here is about .NET)
The simplest solutions (used by many programs) is running the uninstaller for the previous version and the running the installer for the new one (optionally skipping questions which the user has already answered, like the EULA). The only catch is that the new version must be able to read the configuration options from the old version.
Also, on Windows you can't delete an executable file which is in use, so you probably will want to drop a small executable in Temp folder, which runs the whole process and then delete it at the end from the instance of the new version which got launched (or just register it to be deleted at the next reboot).
Because auto updating is a common scenario, most languages have at least one package available to support this. (Below I list some of the available packages)
One of the really nice idea's is the ClickOnce distribution for .NET, it's an installer which sandboxes your application and installs in the user context, so no administrator rights required. You can configure the ClickOnce in your publish to check for updates each application start.
Java has Java Web Start which offers the same kind of functionality for java applets.
Delphi has numerous articles about auto-updating, Torry has a list of WebUpdate components, for instance GoUpdater seems to have a very wide range of functionality.
They all use a website/network share to check for a new version and than retrieve either a patch or a complete install file and run it. So you should try to find a nice package for your application, to save you the hassle of developing and maintaining your own solution.
The simplest approach would be to have your program query a server (website) to see if there is an update. If there is an update you could display a message to the user that prompts them to download a newer version and provides a link.
An alternative and more complex solution would be to create a small windows service (or unix daemon) that checks periodically to see if there are updates, this service can download the update and launch the installer.
The general architecture is that you have a central server that you control that knows the latest version and where to get it. Then the programs query the server. I am not going to include sample code because it is highly defendant on the server and the format you choose. It is not terrible difficult though.
This is not so much a complete answer, but rather one example of auto-updating mechanism I implemented recently. The situation is a little different from the tradition Firefox-type of user application, since it was an internal tool used at work.
Basically, it's a little script that manages a queue of Subversion branches to be built and packaged in an installer. It reads a little file, where the names of the branches are written, takes the first one, re-writes it at the end of the file, and launches the build process, which involves calling a bunch of scripts. The configuration for each branch to build is written in a .INI file, stored in a Subversion repository along with the tool itself.
Because this tool runs on several computers, I wanted a way to update it automatically on all machines as soon as I made a change either to the tool itself, or to the configuration scripts.
The way I implemented it was simple: when I launch the tool, it becomes an "outer shell". This outer shell does 2 very simple things:
svn update on itself and on the configuration files
launch itself again, this time as the "inner shell", the one that actually handles one configuration (and then exits again).
This very simple update-myself-in-a-loop system has served us very well for a few months now. It's very elegant, because it is self-contained: the auto-updater is the program itself. Because "outer shell" (the auto-updater part) is so simple, it doesn't matter that it does not benefit from the updates as the "inner shell" (which gets executed from the updated source file every time).
One thing that hasn't really been mentioned is that you should seriously consider that the user running your program might not actually have sufficient privileges to upgrade it. This should be pretty common at least for business users, probably less so for home users.
I'm always working with a (self-imposed) limited account for security reasons and it always pisses me off that most auto-updaters simply assume that I'm running as admin and then after downloading just fail and offer no other way of performing the update other than actually closing the program and running it again in an administrative context. Most do not even cache the downloaded update and have to do it all over again.
It'd be much better if the auto-updater would simply prompt for admin credentials when needed and get on with it.
I'm going to assume answer for Windows.
This way seems to work well.
In the installer do:
1. Create a manual-start service that runs as LocalSystem that when started does the update then stops.
2. Change the service permissions so all users can start the service (if all users should be able to update w/o admin rights).
3. Change the main program to check for updates when started using a simple mechanism. If it detects an update, prompt if the user wants to apply it.
4. If user accepts the update, start the service.
If the architecture allows for it, create a way to monitor the update as it is running.
In a Java-Webstart setting you start a JNLP file which then triggers the download of the Jar files needed to run the application. Everytime webstart checks if there are newer versions of the Jars and would download them replacing the locally cached ones. With a tool named jardiff you will create only diffs towards the newer jars and distribute these via the server (e.g. only get an update).
Pros:
always up to date
Cons:
you need an application server (tomcat, JBoss) in order to distribute the files
you need an internet connection in order to get the application
Reading Carl Seleborgs answer gave me some ideas how a generic code-repository could be useful.
svn comes with a tool called svnsync, which sort of behaves like an svn export but keeps track of the actual revision your export is at.
Someone could utilize this system in order to only fetch the changed files from the users actual revision.
In actuality, you will have a repository with the binaries compiled, and running svnsync will only fetch the binaries that has been modified. It might also be able to merge local changes to text-based configuration files with new configuration-options.
The function of installing a patch to a program is basically one of the basic functions of an installer. Installer software is documented in numerous places but usually on a per-installer basis: There the Microsoft Installer (with Install Shield Extensions), Ruby gems, Java .jar files, the various Linux package manager systems (RPM, Apt-get)and others.
These are all complex systems which solve the problem of patching program in general but for slightly different systems. To decide what is best for you, consider which of these system your application most resembles. Rolling your own is fine but looking at these systems is a place to start.
You can write an internal module of your application to do updates. You can write an external mini application to do updates.
Also look at .NET on-the-fly compilation technology, it makes possible to create such mini application on-the-fly on demand. For example, http://fly.sf.net/
You can use my solution (part of the Target Eye project).
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/310530/Target-Eye-Revealed-part-Target-Eyes-Unique-Auto
If your software is open sourced, and target Linux or developers. It is interesting to install your software as a git repo. And having it pull the stable branch occasionally or everytime when it is launched.
This is particular easy when your application is managed via npm, sbt, mavan, stack, elm-package or alike.
After hours of searching some working solution for this problem I've finally implemented auto update mechanism for python script that works on Linux and Windows.
In short - the script before running actual work checks for update on S3 and if it's available downloads it, unzips, creates or updates the symlink (or junction on Windows) and re-runs the script with already the new version with original arguments.
The full source code and the explanation can be found here.
If you are searching for an cross-platform software update solution, take a look at www.updatenode.com
Some highlights:
free for Open Source projects
cross-platform & Open Source update client tool
localized already for the most important languages
easy to integrate and easy to handle
cloud based management platform to define and manage updates
provides additionally support for displaying messages (inform about new events, products, etc.)
web interface is open (you can create your own client using the service)
many usage statistics, as used operating systems, geo location, version usage, etc.
Android API for mobile App updates
Just try it.
BTW, I am part of the dev team for the open source client. :)