Desktop: Added support for pre-releases

ElectronClient/app/app.js

@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ class Application extends BaseApplication {
 				}, {
 					label: _('Check for updates...'),
 					click: () => {
-						bridge().checkForUpdates(false, bridge().window(), this.checkForUpdateLoggerPath());
+						bridge().checkForUpdates(false, bridge().window(), this.checkForUpdateLoggerPath(), { includePreReleases: Setting.value('autoUpdate.includePreReleases') });
 					}
 				}, {
 					type: 'separator',
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ class Application extends BaseApplication {
 		if (shim.isWindows() || shim.isMac()) {
 			const runAutoUpdateCheck = () => {
 				if (Setting.value('autoUpdateEnabled')) {
-					bridge().checkForUpdates(true, bridge().window(), this.checkForUpdateLoggerPath());
+					bridge().checkForUpdates(true, bridge().window(), this.checkForUpdateLoggerPath(), { includePreReleases: Setting.value('autoUpdate.includePreReleases') });
 				}
 			}
 

ElectronClient/app/bridge.js

@@ -116,9 +116,9 @@ class Bridge {
 		return require('electron').shell.openItem(fullPath)
 	}
 
-	checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath) {
+	checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath, options) {
 		const { checkForUpdates } = require('./checkForUpdates.js');
-		checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath);
+		checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath, options);
 	}
 	
 }

ElectronClient/app/checkForUpdates.js

@@ -29,15 +29,35 @@ function onCheckEnded() {
 	isCheckingForUpdate_ = false;
 }
 
-async function fetchLatestRelease() {
+async function fetchLatestRelease(options) {
-	const response = await fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/laurent22/joplin/releases/latest');
+	options = Object.assign({}, { includePreReleases: false }, options);
 
-	if (!response.ok) {
+	let json = null;
-		const responseText = await response.text();
+
-		throw new Error('Cannot get latest release info: ' + responseText.substr(0,500));
+	if (options.includePreReleases) {
+		// This end-point will include all releases, including pre-releases (but not draft), so we take
+		// whatever is the latest release. It might be the same as releases/latest, or it might be
+		// a pre-release.
+		const response = await fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/laurent22/joplin/releases');
+
+		if (!response.ok) {
+			const responseText = await response.text();
+			throw new Error('Cannot get latest release info: ' + responseText.substr(0,500));
+		}
+
+		json = await response.json();
+		if (!json.length) throw new Error('Cannot get latest release info: ' + responseText.substr(0,500));
+		json = json[0];
+	} else {
+		const response = await fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/laurent22/joplin/releases/latest');
+
+		if (!response.ok) {
+			const responseText = await response.text();
+			throw new Error('Cannot get latest release info: ' + responseText.substr(0,500));
+		}
+
+		json = await response.json();
 	}
-
-	const json = await response.json();
 	
 	const version = json.tag_name.substr(1);
 	let downloadUrl = null;
@@ -69,10 +89,11 @@ async function fetchLatestRelease() {
 		downloadUrl: downloadUrl,
 		notes: json.body,
 		pageUrl: json.html_url,
+		prerelease: json.prerelease,
 	};
 }
 
-function checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath) {
+function checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath, options) {
 	if (isCheckingForUpdate_) {
 		autoUpdateLogger_.info('checkForUpdates: Skipping check because it is already running');
 		return;
@@ -91,9 +112,12 @@ function checkForUpdates(inBackground, window, logFilePath) {
 
 	checkInBackground_ = inBackground;
 
-	fetchLatestRelease().then(release => {
+	autoUpdateLogger_.info('checkForUpdates: Checking with options ' + JSON.stringify(options));
+
+	fetchLatestRelease(options).then(release => {
 		autoUpdateLogger_.info('Current version: ' + packageInfo.version);
 		autoUpdateLogger_.info('Latest version: ' + release.version);
+		autoUpdateLogger_.info('Is Pre-release:', release.prerelease);
 
 		if (compareVersions(release.version, packageInfo.version) <= 0) {
 			if (!checkInBackground_) dialog.showMessageBox({ message: _('Current version is up-to-date.') })

ReactNativeClient/lib/models/Setting.js

@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ class Setting extends BaseModel {
 			'style.editor.fontSize': {value: 12, type: Setting.TYPE_INT, public: true, appTypes: ['desktop'], label: () => _('Editor font size'), minimum: 4, maximum: 50, step: 1},
 			'style.editor.fontFamily': {value: "", type: Setting.TYPE_STRING, public: true, appTypes: ['desktop'], label: () => _('Editor font family'), description: () => _('This must be *monospace* font or it will not work properly. If the font is incorrect or empty, it will default to a generic monospace font.')},
 			'autoUpdateEnabled': { value: true, type: Setting.TYPE_BOOL, public: true, appTypes: ['desktop'], label: () => _('Automatically update the application') },
+			'autoUpdate.includePreReleases': { value: false, type: Setting.TYPE_BOOL, public: true, appTypes: ['desktop'], label: () => _('Get pre-releases when checking for updates'), description: () => _('See the pre-release page for more details: %s', 'https://joplin.cozic.net/prereleases') },
 			'clipperServer.autoStart': { value: false, type: Setting.TYPE_BOOL, public: false },
 			'sync.interval': { value: 300, type: Setting.TYPE_INT, isEnum: true, public: true, label: () => _('Synchronisation interval'), options: () => {
 				return {

Tools/release-electron.js

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ async function main() {
 
 	const releaseOptions = { isDraft: true, isPreRelease: !!argv.beta };
 
-	console.info('Release options: ' + releaseOptions);
+	console.info('Release options: ', releaseOptions);
 
 	const release = await githubRelease('joplin', tagName, releaseOptions);
 

readme/prereleases.md

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Getting pre-releases
+
+Pre-releases are available for the desktop application. They are pretty much like regular releases, except that they have not yet been tested by many users, so it is possible that a bug or two went through.
+
+You can help the development of Joplin by choosing to receive these early releases when updating the application. If you find any bug or other issue, you may report it [on the forum](https://discourse.joplin.cozic.net/) or [GitHub](https://github.com/laurent22/joplin/issues).
+
+In general it is safe to use these pre-releases (they do not include any experimental or unstable features). In fact most pre-release eventually become regular releases after a few days.
+
+To have access to these pre-releases, simply go to **Configuration screen** and tick the box "**Also get pre-releases when checking for updates**".