PPatcher

🚀 Blazingly fast file patcher

Tutorial

ppatcher_tutorial.mp4

A modern, cross-platform game patcher built with Wails and Go. PPatcher provides a sleek interface for downloading and applying game updates with full customization support for creating branded client executables.

Features

• Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• Real-time download progress tracking with visual indicators
• Ready to go backend server Compile and run the executable on any platform
• Automatic file integrity verification with checksum validation
• Custom executable launching after updates complete
• Customizable UI color themes (green, blue, red, purple, etc.)
• Dynamic branding with custom titles, versions, and descriptions
• Custom logo and icon support for fully branded clients

Building Custom Clients

PPatcher includes a comprehensive build system that allows you to create fully customized client executables for your own games or applications. The system supports complete branding and configuration through a single config file.

Quick Start

# Build your backend
go build -o fileserver ./server/main.go

# Put your files inside a folder called "files" and put your backend in the same directory
# your-game-root-dir/
# ├── files/
# └── fileserver*

# Run your backend
PORT=3000 ./fileserver

# Create a configuration file with all available options and build your client
./build-client.sh --create-config=my-game-config.json

# You are ready to distribute it to your friends

# You can also checkout what is available
./build-client.sh -h

Complete Configuration Example

{
  "backend": "https://patches.mygame.com",
  "executable": "game/mygame",
  "colorPalette": "purple", 
  "mode": "production",
  "outputName": "mygame-patcher",
  "version": "v3.2.1",
  "description": "My Awesome Game Patcher",
  "logo": "https://cdn.example.com/logo.png",
  "icon": "assets/app-icon.ico"
}

This configuration creates a fully branded patcher that:

• ✅ Connects to your patch server at https://patches.mygame.com
• ✅ Launches mygame.exe (automatically adds .exe on Windows)
• ✅ Uses a purple color theme throughout the UI
• ✅ Shows "My Awesome Game Patcher v3.2.1" as the title and version
• ✅ Uses your custom logo in the client interface
• ✅ Has a custom icon for the executable file
• ✅ Outputs as mygame-patcher-windows-amd64.exe and similar for other platforms

Build System Features

The build system supports:

Multi-Platform Builds

• Windows (x64, ARM64) with automatic .exe handling
• Linux (x64, ARM64) with GTK support
• macOS (Intel, Apple Silicon) with native integration

Complete Customization

• Backend URLs: Point to your own patch server
• Game executables: Configure any executable to launch after patching
• UI themes: Choose from multiple color palettes or specify custom colors
• Branding: Custom titles, versions, descriptions displayed in the UI
• Visual assets: Custom logos and executable icons
• Output naming: Control the name of generated executable files

Asset Management

• Local files: Use files from your project directory
• Remote URLs: Download logos and icons from CDNs or websites
• Automatic processing: Images are downloaded/copied and integrated during build
• Format flexibility: Support for PNG, JPG, ICO, and other common formats

Build Modes

• Production: Optimized builds for distribution
• Development: Debug builds with additional logging
• Clean builds: Start fresh by clearing previous build artifacts
• Debug mode: Include development symbols and verbose output

Multiple Interfaces

• Build script: User-friendly ./build-client.sh with comprehensive options
• Makefile: Standard make targets for developers
• Direct wails: Advanced users can call wails CLI directly
• CI/CD integration: Easy integration with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.

Platform-Specific Features

Windows

• Automatic .exe suffix addition to executable paths
• Native Windows installer generation (NSIS)
• Custom executable icons and metadata
• Windows-specific file associations

Linux

• GTK-based UI with native look and feel
• Standard executable distribution
• Compatible with major Linux distributions

macOS

• Native macOS application bundle generation
• Code signing and notarization support
• Standard .app bundle distribution

Development

For development setup, detailed build instructions, troubleshooting, and advanced configuration options, see BUILD.md.

Development Quick Start

# Install dependencies
make install-deps

# Create a development config
./build-client.sh --create-config=dev-config.json

# Edit dev-config.json for local development:
# {
#   "backend": "http://localhost:3000",
#   "executable": "test-program",
#   "mode": "dev",
#   "colorPalette": "green"
# }

# Build and test
./build-client.sh --config=dev-config.json --debug

Use Cases

Game Developers

• Create branded patchers for your games
• Distribute updates through your own servers
• Customize the look and feel to match your game's theme
• Support multiple platforms with a single configuration

Software Publishers

• Build update systems for desktop applications
• Maintain version control across different deployment environments
• Create staging and production update channels
• Integrate with existing CI/CD pipelines

System Administrators

• Deploy custom update tools for internal software
• Manage software deployments across different environments
• Create branded tools for client organizations
• Maintain consistent branding across multiple projects

Examples

See the demo-config.json file for a complete configuration example, and check BUILD.md for detailed workflows including:

• Single-platform builds for specific operating systems
• Multi-platform builds for cross-platform distribution
• Development vs. production build configurations
• CI/CD integration examples with GitHub Actions
• Advanced customization with environment variable overrides

License

This project is open source. Please check the repository for license details.