New alpha builds come out often, and each one runs for 30 days. Solco can find and install them for you.
Updating from inside Solco
When a newer alpha is out, a slim banner appears under the title bar.
- Click Download. Nothing is downloaded until you do: a build is about 130 MB, and you might be on a phone connection.
- When the download is ready, click Restart to update.
Solco closes the way it always does: running exports and backups are asked about first, and cancelling the quit cancels the restart. The new version starts by itself. If it doesn't start, the update is rolled back to the version you had.
Every download is checked against a signature from the Solco team before it is installed, and on a Mac it must also be signed by the same developer and approved by macOS.
An expired alpha can still update itself.
Checking for updates
With Check for updates on in Settings › About (it is on by default), Solco asks GitHub for the list of releases when it starts and then once a day. The request carries only Solco's version. Click Check now to check straight away. Turn Check for updates off and Solco makes no update requests at all.
Updating by hand
Download the new build from the Solco releases page and install it over the old one, as in "Installing Solco on macOS, Windows and Linux". Your library and settings are kept.
Update by hand when:
- you installed the Linux
.debor.rpmpackage: install the new package the same way; - an update on Windows fails and rolls back: install the new
.msiby hand once; - the release notes ask you to, for example when a portable copy needs the full archive.
Before switching builds, save a library backup: see "Backing up and restoring your Solco library".