An update notifier/applier for Arch Linux that assists you with important pre/post update tasks and that includes a (.desktop) clickeable icon that can easily be integrated with any DE/WM, dock, status/launch bar or app menu.
Optional support for AUR/Flatpak packages updates and desktop notifications.
Features:
- Includes a (.desktop) clickeable icon that automatically changes to act as an update notifier/applier. Easy to integrate with any DE/WM, dock, status/launch bar, app menu, etc...
- Automatic check and listing of every packages available for update (through checkupdates).
- Offers to display the latest Arch Linux news before applying updates (through curl and htmlq).
- Automatic check and listing of orphan packages and offering you to remove them.
- Automatic check for old and/or uninstalled cached packages in
pacman's cache and offering you to remove them (through paccache). - Helps you processing pacnew/pacsave files (through pacdiff, optionally requires vim as the default merge program).
- Automatic check for pending kernel updates requiring a reboot to be applied and offers to do so if there's one.
- Support for both sudo and doas.
- Optional support for AUR packages update (through yay or paru).
- Optional support for Flatpak packages update (through flatpak).
- Optional support for desktop notifications (through libnotify, see https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_notifications).
Install the arch-update AUR package.
Install dependencies:
sudo pacman -S --needed pacman-contrib curl htmlq diffutils hicolor-icon-themeDownload the archive of the latest stable release and extract it (alternatively, you can clone this repository via git).
To install arch-update, go into the extracted/cloned directory and run the following command:
sudo make installTo uninstall arch-update, go into the extracted/cloned directory and run the following command:
sudo make uninstallThe usage consist of integrating the .desktop file somewhere (could be your desktop, your dock, your status/launch bar and/or your app menu) and enabling the systemd timer.
Here is a little YouTube presentation/review of arch-update that Cardiac and I made on his YouTube channel (videos there, including this one, are in french):
Warning: Arch-Update's features and default behavior may have changed/evolved since then!
The .desktop file is located in /usr/share/applications/arch-update.desktop (or /usr/local/share/applications/arch-update.desktop if you installed arch-update from source).
Its icon will automatically change depending on the different states (checking for updates, updates available, installing updates, up to date).
It will launch the relevant series of functions to perform a complete and proper update when clicked (see the Documentation chapter). It is easy to integrate with any DE/WM, dock, status/launch bar or app menu.
There is a systemd service in /usr/lib/systemd/user/arch-update.service (or in /usr/local/lib/systemd/user/arch-update.service if you installed arch-update from source) that executes the check function when started (see the Documentation chapter).
To start it automatically at boot and then once every hour, enable the associated systemd timer (you can modify the auto-check cycle to your liking, see the Tips and tricks - Modify the auto-check cycle chapter):
systemctl --user enable --now arch-update.timerPersonally, I integrated the .desktop icon in my top bar.
It is the first icon from the left.
When arch-update is checking for updates, the icon changes accordingly (the check function is automatically triggered at boot and then once every hour if you enabled the systemd timer and can be manually triggered by running the arch-update -c command):
If there are new available updates, the icon will show a bell sign and a desktop notification indicating the number of available updates will be sent (requires libnotify/notify-send):
When the icon is clicked, it launches the relevant series of functions to perform a complete and proper update starting by refreshing the list of packages available for updates, display it inside a terminal window and asks for the user's confirmation to proceed with the installation (it can also be launched by running the arch-update command, requires yay or paru for AUR packages update support and flatpak for Flatpak packages update support):
The colored output can be disabled with the NoColor option in the arch-update.conf configuration file.
The list of pending updates can be displayed at anytime by running arch-update -l or arch-update --list.
You can include AUR development packages updates by running arch-update -d or arch-update --devel.
The versions changes in the packages listing can be hidden with the NoVersion option in the arch-update.conf configuration file.
See the arch-update.conf documentation chapter for more details.
Once you gave the confirmation to proceed, arch-update offers to display latest Arch Linux news.
By default, Arch news are only displayed if at least a new one has been published since the last run. Arch news published since the last run or at the same date are tagged as [NEW].
Select which news to read by typing its associated number.
After your read a news, arch-update will once again offers to display latest Arch Linux news, so you can read multiple news at once.
Simply press "enter" without typing any number to proceed with update:
Arch news can be displayed at any time by running the arch-update --news command.
The number of Arch news to display before updating and with the -n/--news option defaults to 5 but can be customised with the NewsNum=[Num] option in the arch-update.conf configuration file.
Arch news can be displayed every time before updating, regardless of whether there's a new one since the last run or not, by setting the AlwaysShowNews option in the arch-update.conf configuration file.
See the documentation chapter for more details.
While arch-update is performing updates, the icon changes accordingly:
When the update is over, the icon changes accordingly:
arch-update will then search for orphan packages/unused Flatpak packages and offers to remove them (if there are):
arch-update will also search for old and/or uninstalled cached packages and offers to remove them (if there are):
The default behavior is to keep the last 3 cached versions of installed packages and remove every cached versions of uninstalled packages.
You can modify the number of old packages' versions and uninstalled packages' versions to keep in pacman's cache respectively with the KeepOldPackages=[Num] and KeepUninstalledPackages=[Num] options in the arch-update.conf configuration file.
See the arch-update.conf documentation chapter for more details.
Additionally arch-update will search for pacnew/pacsave files and offers to process them via pacdiff (if there are):
Finally, arch-update will check if there's a pending kernel update requiring a reboot to be applied and offers you to do so (if there is):
An update notifier/applier for Arch Linux that assists you with
important pre/post update tasks.
Run arch-update to perform the main "update" function:
Display the list of packages available for update, then ask for the user's confirmation
to proceed with the installation.
Before performing the update, offer to display the latest Arch Linux news.
Post update, check for orphan/unused packages, old cached packages, pacnew/pacsave files
and pending kernel update and, if there are, offers to process them.
Options:
-c, --check Check for available updates, send a desktop notification containing the number of available updates (if libnotify is installed)
-l, --list Display the list of pending updates
-d, --devel Include AUR development packages updates
-n, --news [Num] Display latest Arch News, you can optionally specify the number of Arch news to display with `--news [Num]` (e.g. `--news 10`)
-D, --debug Display debug traces
--gen-config Generate a default/example configuration file (see the arch-update.conf(5) man page for more details)
-h, --help Display this help message and exit
-V, --version Display version information and exit
Exit Codes:
0 OK
1 Invalid option
2 No privilege elevation method (sudo or doas) is installed
3 Error when changing icon
4 User didn't gave the confirmation to proceed
5 Error when updating the packages
6 Error when calling the reboot command to apply a pending kernel update
7 No pending update when using the `-l/--list` option
8 Error when generating a configuration file with the `--gen-config` option
For more information, see the arch-update(1) man page.
Certain options can be enabled/disabled or modified via the arch-update.conf configuration file, see the arch-update.conf(5) man page.
The arch-update.conf file is an optional configuration file for arch-update to enable/disable
or modify certain options within the script.
This configuration file has to be located in "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/arch-update/arch-update.conf"
or "${HOME}/.config/arch-update/arch-update.conf".
A default/example configuration file can be generated by running: `arch-update --gen-config`
The supported options are:
- NoColor # Do not colorize output.
- NoVersion # Do not show versions changes for packages when listing pending updates (including when using the `-l/--list` option).
- AlwaysShowNews # Always display Arch news before updating, regardless of whether there's a new one since the last run or not.
- NewsNum=[Num] # Number of Arch news to display before updating and with the `-n/--news` option (see the arch-update(1) man page for more details). Defaults to 5.
- KeepOldPackages=[Num] # Number of old packages' versions to keep in pacman's cache. Defaults to 3.
- KeepUninstalledPackages=[Num] # Number of uninstalled packages' versions to keep in pacman's cache. Defaults to 0.
Options are case sensitive, so capital letters have to be respected.
For more information, see the arch-update.conf(5) man page.
Arch-Update supports AUR packages update when checking and installing updates if yay or paru is installed:
See https://github.com/Jguer/yay and https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/yay
See https://github.com/morganamilo/paru and https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/paru
Arch-Update supports Flatpak packages update when checking and installing updates (as well as removing unused Flatpak packages) if flatpak is installed:
See https://www.flatpak.org/ and https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/flatpak/
Arch-Update supports desktop notifications when performing the --check function if libnotify (notify-send) is installed:
See https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Desktop_notifications
If you enabled the systemd.timer, the --check option is automatically launched at boot and then once per hour.
If you want to change the check cycle, run systemctl --user edit arch-update.timer to create an override configuration for the timer and input the following in it:
[Timer]
OnUnitActiveSec=
OnUnitActiveSec=10m
Time units are s for seconds, m for minutes, h for hours, d for days...
See https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemd.time.html#Parsing%20Time%20Spans for more details.
You can raise your issues, feedbacks and suggestions in the issues tab.
Pull requests are welcomed as well!