with the lack of updates of late, i'm finding it "imperative" that the LiberKey user-base acquire a self-taught knowledge of how to "update" our LiberKey apps OURSELVES, without being reliant on the LiberKey "team"...

it is my fear that with the updates no longer rolling in, that soon this forum itself will cease to exist also - hopefully not, but one never knows...


so... i have been trying to teach myself how to update my LiberKey apps MYSELF...
MOST of the "updates" really seem quite STRAIGHT-FORWARD...

take Notepad++ as an example...
currently, LiberKey has it at version 6.1.3...

1) go to the Notepad++ website and download "npp.6.1.6.bin.7z"...
2) extract that file to a local folder, to the desktop for example..
3) open that local folder and then the "unicode" folder that is inside...
4) note that its folder structure and file contents parallels that of your LiberKey "Apps" folder --- LiberKey -> Apps -> Notepad++ -> App -> Notepad++
5) copy the "unicode" folder contents over to the Notepad++ -> App -> Notepad++ folder...

now when you open your LiberKey and open Notepad++, you will see that you are running version 6.1.6...
BUT my problem is the LiberKey "launch menu" - it is showing version 6.1.3 when the "bubble" pops to the left of my LiberKey menu...

all the stuff i'm finding online references an .lpf file - NONE EXIST FOR NOTEPAD++ (or any others that i could find)...
so i'm guessing we need to update "AppInfo.lbk" in order for that "bubble" to show the correct version number...


does anyone know how to edit the .lbk files?

no...

well, you can try an hex editor. open several .lbk files, try to locate the same region on they where version info could be. good luck

then i would like to think that the few members of the LiberKey "team" that are still around would PROVIDE US A "TOOL" THAT WOULD ENABLE US TO KEEP OUR LIBERKEY (assuming the "team" is indeed "abandoning" the project)...

Change dead horses, don´t up-dead!
This project is definitely dead now:
http://www.liberkey.com/en/forums/suppo ... -6029.html
PortableApps is still alive, so why?

why so serious?

wait for an official info about the end of the world. don't bring December 21st 2012 closer.

for experienced users i think all that security flaw on common update delay between official update and liberkey update remains the same as for that long delay. time is relative.

Here's a solution to the need for automatic updates. It's a kludge, but it works (for me at least).

But first some background. The reason I use LiberKey instead of PortableApps is simply because LiberKey has features which PortableApps doesn't, the main one being File Associations. I like being able to right-click on an image file, for example, and have the option to open it in GIMP (LiberKey). Without that functionality, using portable applications becomes a pain in the arse. And, apart from that, the whole 'LiberKey experience' is leaps and bounds ahead of PortableApps.

However, now that it appears the LiberKey project is dead, the lack of updates for apps (particularly web browsers, which quickly become a security hole if not kept up to date) means that the PortableApps platform has a distinct advantage because its auto update system works. So here's what I did:

I installed the PortableApps platform in a folder (named PortableApps) in the LiberKey\MyApps folder. Then I made a shortcut, which I named PortableApps Menu, in the LiberKey|Office|Application Launcher category, which points to Start.exe in the MyApps\PortableApps folder.

I then opened the PortableApps Menu (via my newly created shortcut), and used the PortableApps platform to install the PortableApps versions of Google Chrome, Notepad++, GIMP, and so on, after which I created shortcuts in the LiberKey menu to the newly installed PortableApps versions of those apps.

Then I used the LiberKey Add/Remove programs utility to discover the file associations for each of the old LiberKey versions of those apps. You can do this by following the uninstall procedure until the 'page' before the final warning that proceeding will remove the application entirely, where you can click to look at Deleted file associations.

At this point, I opened LiberKey's KEY Files Assoc' program from the icon in the system tray, located the file types listed under Deleted file associations (see previous step), and changed them to point at the newly installed PortableApps versions of the app in question.

Next, I used FreeCommander to copy over profile data, ini files etc, from the LiberKey versions of apps to the newly installed PortableApps versions. It needs a bit of examination of folder structures to figure out what to copy and where to put it, but it's not rocket science

I then launched the new PortableApps versions (via the shortcuts in my LiberKey menu) to check that they were configured correctly, and finally, after I was certain that the old LiberKey versions were no longer needed, I uninstalled them from LiberKey.

Now, to get automatic updates, I open the PortableApps Platform via my PortableApps Menu shortcut, let it check for updates and install them, and then close the PortableApps Platform. The LiberKey shortcuts to those apps will open the updated versions.

Et voilà! I can still use LiberKey AND have app updates

It's not a procedure for the timid, and there are gotchas to look out for, particularly in adjusting File Associations. It's laborious, but I'd recommend making a copy of the contents of all three fields in the Modify window which appears after clicking the Advanced... button.

I take no responsibility for ANYTHING if you attempt to do what I have done. I offer this for your consideration, but you USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

@jharps - thanks

Annoying as it is to be left out in the cold by Liberkey, it's great to have people offering constructive advice like yours.

Your method is easy to follow, nicely solving the 'updates' problem

If the LK developers are walking away from the project, hopefully they will allow someone else to take over. I, like others would definitely donate to keep Liberkey running.

kokbira a écrit:no...

well, you can try an hex editor. open several .lbk files, try to locate the same region on they where version info could be. good luck

That would be of no use as they are Blowfish encrypted files of *.lpf likes http://wiki.liberkey.com/liberkey_portabilizer. Is so much secrecy needed?

The format documentation you can see in the linked page you mentioned is not complete.
A critical part of it can't be published at the moment (due to security and hacking concerns), so the applications actually in the Liberkey catalog remains encrypted at the moment , but stay tuned, we don't know what the future will be

@jharps - I'm bringing up a very old topic, but I just wanted to thank you for the 'work around' you came up with a year ago. I'd noticed that the PortableApps version of LibreOffice was 4.1.1 and the LiberKey one was 4.0.4, so I thought I'd try out your suggested routine. A fair bit of work, but it works and I retain the ability to right click and take advantage of LiberKey's File Associations. Brilliant. I just hope you get to see this message.

Most of LiberKey's other apps are up to date, but I think this is a good workaround for LibreOffice.

Many thanks
GrahamG