Documentation/Labs/AutomaticUpdateAndInstallationFramework

Overview

This page serves as roadmap for the Slicer Automatic Update and Installation framework.

Use cases:

• New Slicer version installed locally should be updated with the list of extensions previously installed.
• Self update of Slicer

Terminology

• User Interface
  • Extensions Manager is a Slicer dialog allowing the user to Search, Install, Remove and disable extensions.
  • ExtensionWizard module: This is a Slicer module providing a graphical interface within Slicer to aid in the creation of Slicer extensions.

• Command line
  • ExtensionWizard is a command line tool to simplify the process of creating and contributing extensions.
    • See also Contribute Extension Description File using Extension Wizard

• API
  • ExtensionsManagerModel: This is the backend of the Extensions Manager displayed to the user
  • Utilities/Scripts/SlicerWizard: This is a python package used in the ExtensionWizard

Convention

Tasks listed in this page can be associated with any of these state:

• ToBeDone
• Completed
• In progress

Use case: Keep track of the installed extensions across version

The goal here is to simplify the number of steps allowing people to reinstall extensions that were used in a previous installation.

• Update: Mathias is currently working on this task (Previous Efforts by Dennis)
• Meta issue: 2779: Mechanism to keep track of the installed extensions across version

Idea

• After installing a new version of Slicer, the user can select from all previously installed extensions and batch-install them
• extensions installed in the last (previous) Slicer versions are marked and preselected (one click-solution for getting the previous setup)
• extensions that where previously installed but are not compatible for some reason, are shown but not selectable
• UI: a third tab ("Restore Extensions") should be added to the Extension Manager and provide at least a list view for selection / a button button for installing the selected extensions

Gathering information about previous extensions

• extensions information / subfolders containing the extensions are available in the "NA-MIC" folder
  • on Linux, that's in ~/.config/NA-MIC
  • on Windows, in AppData/Roaming
  • on OS X, seems to be a subdirectory of the application bundle
• folder contains and Slicer-[Revision].ini file that points to paths relevant for extensions (modules/libraries/dependencies)
• however, no explicit information about installed extensions are stored there, information about installed extension is gathered at runtime by parsing the extension subfolders
• PROPOSAL: added the extension IDs of all currently installed extensions in an additional setting information [Extensions]/InstalledExtension, thus, no folders need to be parsed and only the .ini files are needed

Changes

• Base/QTGUI/Resources/UI/qSlicerExtensionsManagerWidget.ui
  • a new tab ("Restore Extensions") was added
  • this tab contains a placeholder-widget for the qSlicerExtensionsRestoreWidget
• qSlicerExtensionsManagerModel
  • add a function that provides informations about previous extensions: getExtensionRestoreInformation()
  • add a callback for tracking the progress during non-update related updates: onInstallDownloadProgress (used in: downloadAndInstallExtension)
  • extend installExtension / scheduleExtensionForUninstall to add (remove) ids of installed extensions to a new parameter [Extensions]/InstalledExtension

Addition

• qSlicerExtensionsRestoreWidget
  • a new widget that renders a list of available extension that were previously installed
  • on initialization it calls getExtensionRestoreInformation() and builds a ListItemWidget
  • if "Install selected" is triggered, downloadAndInstallExtension is called sequentially for each selected extension
  • after installation of all extensions, the list is updated

Screenshot of the "restore extension" widget

Progress

• Adapt extensions manager model to provide neccessary information Completed
• Extend the UI of the extensions manager (new tab, new widget) Completed
• Add a widget that provides a selectable list of previously installed extensions Completed
• Install procedure (with feedback) for selected extensions Completed
• Discuss the proposed solution with JC Completed
• Adapt solution accordingly ToBeDone
• Submit solution ToBeDone

Patch

• First (not final) version: File:0001-ENH-working-version-of-extension-restore-functionali.zip

Questions

• Does the uninstall progress also remove the extension-subfolders? (yes)
• Is the proposed solution (accessing the .ini file) suitable for all OS? (yes)
• How could settings of previous Slicer installations be accessed under MacOS? (same way as for other platforms)

Feedback from JC on first version (12/08/2016)

• Generally agrees to current solution
• Solution should be compatible to all platforms (there is a central config/extension folder also on MacOS)
• Suggested Changes:
  • add a legend to explain color coding (green, gray, black, marked - unmarked) of the presented extensions
  • check for extension compatibility currently deactivated, because model functionality used local information to check compatibility
    • JC added patch to add server-side information to the compatibility check
    • commit d448b1c9634c71a61b3476a98bfccffba6bcedb5
  • would be better to track previously installed extensions in the central, not revision-dependent slicer.ini
    • thus, no (possibly error-prone) parsing of the file names is necessary
    • also, we would no long have to rely on a central saving location for all extension related information (currently the NA-MIC folder = Extension install path)
    • Structure could be:
      • [installedExtensionsHistory] → [Revision] → [ExtensionID]
    • To enable access to slicer.ini the SlicerCoreApp needs to be extened (e.g. getHistoryFilePath, see. line 319, qSlicerCoreApp.cxx)
• Additional Information:
  • Q: Why are extensions not removed after uninstalling Slicer?
  • A: related to NSIS installer setup, could be changed if installation setup is changed
  • Q: How could an semi-/automatic update be realized?
  • A:
    • Change of the underlying QT framework (would mean fundamental changes to the current setup)
    • or: use an approach similar to the installation of extensions, by having a central store for new slicer version
    • no auto-uninstall but auto-install / maybe just a popup on start, with a link to the new version
    • since extension information is saved in central slicer.ini the installation of extensions could be triggered on the first start of the new version
• General vision (this addition to the extension manager is the first step):
  • core Slicer application + profiles (e.g. using the same set of extensions / setup / layout that was used for a paper) :
  • pre-packed Slicer versions available for downloads
  • can be extended with downloadable profiles

Completed

NA

Use case: Self update of Slicer

Proposed Changes

• Display list of nightly builds in a web view
• Selecting a new version should automate:
  • download
  • auto-start installer, with extra information for the next steps
  • auto-start new Slicer
  • possibly, directly going to the above extensions-reinstallation tab (maybe not even showing the main window before)
• stuff that is there, or might be useful
  • cross-platform re-start functionality is there (as part of extension installation)
  • probably, at least on Win/Linux, "start Slicer after installation" is possible
  • unattended installation on any platform(s)?

Notes

2016.05.03

• See also Documentation/Labs/ExtensionsFrameworkRoadmap

• Ability to ask the installer (or Slicer) to install other extensions
  • Would it make sense to transition to http://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/ ?

• Serialize what is installed in you current Slicer

• Update of installed extensions:
  • See https://www.slicer.org/slicerWiki/index.php/Documentation/4.5/SlicerApplication/ExtensionsManager#Updating_installed_extensions