Download Sparkle 2.3.1 (Mac) – Download Free

When developing software, it is important to ensure that your users have seamless access to the latest fixes or updates. spark is a framework that can be integrated into your Cocoa projects and allows you to push updates using application broadcasting.

An easy-to-install framework for creating self-updating Cocoa applications

Right now, you have to make sure the Sparkle framework is included in your Xcode project and application bundle. The next step is to create a Sparkle updater object and insert a “Check for Updates” menu item to allow the user to manually trigger the process.

To actually push an update, you have to publish a new version in appcast RSS: the Sparkle framework will use the provided download link to transfer the new app package to your disk, and then start the installation process.

To keep everything safe, you can code sign your updates with an Apple Developer ID or include a DSA hash signature.

Effortlessly share updates with your users along with corresponding release notes

Cocoa applications that include the Sparkle framework are able to update themselves to the latest version instantly: the utility will periodically check the appcast RSS for new versions and can trigger the installation process with minimal user interaction.

Also, the framework is using WebKit to display release notes and can also contain a progress window. Note that users can choose to set the framework to automatically download and install all updates, or they can choose to manually confirm each upgrade.

A popular software update framework that greatly simplifies the installation of the latest versions of Cocoa applications

Including the Sparkle framework into your Cocoa application is useful if you want to ensure that all users have instant access to your updates.

Once the system is in place all you have to do is post the new version in the appcast and the framework takes care of the rest.