Tutorial: Designing Your Own Custom Launcher
This tutorial will teach you how to create your own custom launcher layout.
Launcher Design Templates
Release Manager includes some ready-made templates. The default launcher design for a new project is one of the templates. These can be loaded in the designer menu.
Using your own templates
Loading New Image Resources
You can make resources ready for use by dragging them into the resource panel.
Creating New Items
The Launcher is comprised of items. New items can be created by clicking on or dragging one of the item buttons to the design view.
Properties
Each item contains it's own properties list. An item's properties list allows control over it function, style and layout.
Label
Labels are used to display text. You can use special strings within labels.
Image
Images are used to define an area where an indicated image will be rendered.
Progress Bar
The progress bar will automatically display the update status.
Actions
Actions become buttons on your launcher. You can define the function of an action by setting its type in its properties list.
Type:
RunExecutable: This will run the executable defined in the Action property. Do not include the executable extention, this will be assumed based on platform. (Example: MyApp.exe should be MyApp)
Upgrade: This will update if there is a patch available. Not including this into your launcher will make your launcher update automatically whenever a new patch is available. The action property is ignored.
OpenUrl: This will open the specified
URL in the operating system's default browser. The
URL is specified in the action property.
Close: This will close the launcher.
UnitySettings: This will open the Unity settings menu. The action property stores a comma seperated list of all the quality settings you have defined in your Unity project. If you leave this blank the default settings will be assumed. For Example: Fastest,Fast,Simple,Good*,Beautiful,Fantastic. The * defines the default choice if no other has been selected.
Unity Game Launcher: This is similar to the RunExecutable action. It however passes the settings parameters to the game. If you have Implemented the
Unity Prefab the settings will synchronize between Unity and the launcher.
HTML Panel
This will show the HTML at the loaded url.
Automatic VS. Manual Updates
If you include an action with a type of “upgrade” into your launcher, your launcher will require that button to be clicked before a client will update, if you leave it out, the client will update automatically.
Uploading Your Launcher
If your FTP Configuration is done correctly you will be able to click on the “Upload this Layout” button to upload your launcher to your server.
Special Strings
Release Manager allows some special strings to be used to retrieve certain data from your project. These strings are replaced at run-time with the proper text.
Special String | Description |
${status} | Summary of the full update status. |
${version} | The current version of the client. |
${latest} | The latest version available for download. |
${year} | Current year. |
${application} | Name of the application in packaging. |
${company} | Name of company. |
${url} | The url for updates. |