electron-win-template

Minimal Electron template for Windows apps with auto-update and custom installer logo.

Quick start

Install Node.js and npm, then run from your clone:

npm install
npm start

After customizing the application identity and installer settings below, build the Windows installer with npm run build.

Checklist when copying this template

1. Replace build/icon.ico with your actual logo (256x256 ICO recommended)
2. In package.json update:
   • name, description, productName
   • build.appId (e.g. com.yourname.appname)
   • build.publish.owner and build.publish.repo
3. Rename src/index.html title and heading

Releasing

Push a tag to trigger the GitHub Actions release workflow:

git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

The workflow builds the NSIS installer and uploads it (plus latest.yml) to a GitHub release. electron-updater reads latest.yml to detect new versions automatically.

How auto-update works

On launch, autoUpdater.checkForUpdatesAndNotify() checks the GitHub release for a newer latest.yml. If found, it downloads and installs the update silently, prompting the user to restart.