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Getting Started with Nova Patcher & Marketplace

Welcome to the Nova DevCon Patcher service! This guide will walk you through setting up your application for automatic updates and getting it ready for the Nova Marketplace.

1. Enable Patcher for your App

Before you can manage releases, you must enable the patcher service for your specific application. 1. Navigate to the Dashboard.

  1. Locate your application and click Settings.

  2. Toggle the Patcher Enabled switch.

  3. Go to the Patcher Service tab in the main navigation. You should now see your app in the "Enabled Apps" list.

2. Setting up your Marketplace Listing

Your Marketplace Listing is how your app appears in Nova Marketplace. First impressions matter! 1. Click on your app in the Patcher Service list.

  1. In the Marketplace Listing section, click Edit Listing.

  2. App Name & Description: Provide a catchy name and a detailed description.

  3. Assets:

  4. App Icon: Use a 1:1 aspect ratio image (e.g., 512x512).

  5. Banner Image: Use a 16:9 aspect ratio image (e.g., 1920x1080) for a premium store look.

  6. Main Executable: This is critical. Specify the relative path to your main .exe inside your zip file (e.g., bin/MyGame.exe) or just the process name if it's in the root.

3. Creating and Managing Releases

A "Release" is a specific build of your app that users can download.

Creating a Release:

  1. Under Releases, click New Release.

  2. Version & Build: Use standard semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.3) and unique build numbers (e.g., 103).

  3. Platform: Specify the target OS (Windows, macOS, Linux).

  4. SHA256 Checksum: For security, provide the SHA256 hash of your .zip file. The client verifies this to ensure the download hasn't been tampered with.

  5. Download URL: A direct link to your .zip artifact.

Advanced Release Controls:

  • Channels:
    • production: Stable releases for all users.
    • beta / alpha: For testing groups.
    • dev / canary: Experimental nightly builds.
  • Install Action: Tells the client what to do with the download.
    • unzip (Default): Extract files to the app directory.
    • execute: Run the file as an installer (e.g., .msi).
  • Update Action: Logic for the update.
    • replace (Default): Overwrite existing files.
    • clean_install: Delete the old folder before installing.
  • Display Mode: How "loud" the update notification is.
    • active: Prompt the user with a dialog.
    • passive: Progress bar only.
    • silent: Background update on restart.

4. Setting the "Latest" Build

To actually point your users to a new version: 1. Edit the release you want to go live.

  1. Toggle the Set as Latest switch.

  2. Save the changes. The Nova Marketplace client will now detect this as the newest version for that specific App, Channel, and Platform.

Security Tip:

Always ensure your is_published flag is set to true when you are ready for users to see the release. Draft releases (unpublished) will not be visible to end-users even if they are marked as "Latest".