Update All 2.0 is here

Today, after more than two years of its initial release, I'm very happy to announce the second major release of Update All.

This started being a very small tool that became increasingly bigger with the inception and evolution of the Settings Screen and the integration of the MiSTer Downloader. It reached a point where maintaining it became very time-consuming because bash, the programming language it was implemented in, although it was a good fit at the beginning, is not meant to be used with projects with a richer set of requirements.

Python is a much more powerful language than bash and MiSTer offers now a better set of python libraries than it did 14 months ago, so I decided to do a full rewrite using these advantages. This allowed me to offer a UI that behaves better and is more informative while reducing dramatically the associated maintenance costs.

Upgrading to Update All 2.0

The transition process from Update All 1.X to Update All 2.0 is as smooth as it can be. All users that have activated Downloader in Update All will upgrade to Update All 2.0 the next time they run it.

The first time, they'll have to run the launcher twice. The screen will display information about this one-time process, so there is not much more to mention about it. This is required because the launcher itself will have to change.

Users who haven't activated Downloader yet, will not upgrade to Update All 2.0. To these users, I need to remind them that they have until December 31st to activate Downloader. After that, the old updater will not be accessible anymore, and Update All 1.X will no longer be supported.

One INI file to rule them all (almost)

Update All 2.0 uses Downloader only. This means all Update All will do is write the downloader.ini file that Downloader will use.

Because of that, many INI files previously used are no longer necessary. The files update_all.ini, update_names-txt.ini, and update_jtcores.ini are now obsolete, and therefore they'll be removed during the upgrade process. All the settings stored there will be kept in downloader.ini in one way or another or will go to an internal store.

Obsolete files getting removed.

The exception to this is the Arcade Organizer. The AO is still a separate script and will keep its own INI file (update_arcade-organizer.ini). Update All 2.0 is aware of this and will manage this file properly after making changes in the Settings Screen.

MAME Getter gets replaced by the Arcade ROMs DB

The Arcade ROMs DB has been an experimental patron-only feature for quite a few months. With Update All 2.0 this DB is now open for everybody.

This offers the same end result as MAME Getter with more guarantees and a quicker runtime. Before with MAME Getter, network problems could cause corrupted zips in your system that you would only discover at the time you try to play a game, but thanks to this DB for Downloader, now all downloads will be properly validated.

MAME Getter is not gonna be called by Update All 2.0 anymore, but people that might still find it useful (MRA maintainers mostly), could still use it through its standalone launcher.

Adding MiSTer Extensions Database from wizzo

Now adding databases is very easy, so I'm open to adding more. I even restructured the UI of the Settings Screen to let more room for new databases.

And the first new database will be the MiSTer Extensions from wizzo. This DB installs a few amazing scripts that wizzo has developed during recent months. For example, I personally love the included Favorites script, so I recommend you give it a try. This database is disabled by default, but you may activate it easily in the Settings Screen by going to the new "Unofficial Scripts" menu.

Unofficial Scripts Menu.

Making new custom databases is very straightforward thanks to the DB Template. Your DB could be added too if the community likes it, so give it a try if you have something worth sharing.

Color Themes for Patrons

The Settings Screen always had this "Blue Installer" look but this is now a thing of the past.

Patrons can now pick different color themes by going to the "Patrons Menu". Currently, the other color theme available is the one you see in the main screenshot from this post, but I plan to add more. With the new UI engine this is quite easy to do for me, so please comment on this post which other color combinations you'd like to see.

Color Theme definition.

To access that menu, you'll need the patreon key. Check this post to learn how to install it.

Next

You know what? This wasn't all! Next week you'll be hearing from me again. Follow me on Twitter to stay in the loop, and see you soon!