How to get the application version programmatically in Compose Desktop?

ONLINECAST

2 min read

·

05-10-2024

9

0

Share

Fetching Your Compose Desktop App Version: A Simple Guide

Have you ever wondered how to retrieve your Compose Desktop application's version number programmatically? This information is essential for tasks like displaying the version in your UI, logging, or updating mechanisms. This article will guide you through the process, providing you with a simple and effective solution.

Understanding the Problem

Often, developers need to access the version information of their application to display it to users, track changes, or manage updates. In Compose Desktop, directly accessing this information within your Kotlin code isn't immediately apparent. This article will demonstrate how to overcome this challenge.

Scenario: Displaying the App Version

Let's imagine a scenario where you want to display the application version in your Compose Desktop UI. Here's a basic example using a TextField:

import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.*
import androidx.compose.material.*
import androidx.compose.runtime.*
import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp

@Composable
fun AppVersionView() {
    val version = "Unknown" // This is where we need to get the actual version

    Column(
        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center
    ) {
        Text(text = "Application Version:")
        Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(16.dp))
        TextField(
            value = version,
            onValueChange = { /* Handle changes (optional) */ },
            readOnly = true, // Prevent user input
            label = { Text("Version") }
        )
    }
}

The Solution: Utilizing packageInfo

To access the application version, we can leverage the packageInfo property provided by the ApplicationContext class. This property offers information about the application's package, including its version. Here's how to modify the previous code to fetch the version dynamically:

import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.*
import androidx.compose.material.*
import androidx.compose.runtime.*
import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext

@Composable
fun AppVersionView() {
    val context = LocalContext.current
    val version = try {
        context.packageManager.getPackageInfo(context.packageName, 0).versionName
    } catch (e: PackageManager.NameNotFoundException) {
        "Unknown"
    }

    Column(
        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
        verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center
    ) {
        Text(text = "Application Version:")
        Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(16.dp))
        TextField(
            value = version,
            onValueChange = { /* Handle changes (optional) */ },
            readOnly = true, // Prevent user input
            label = { Text("Version") }
        )
    }
}

Explanation and Insights

1. LocalContext: We use LocalContext.current to access the application's context, which provides the necessary information about the application's environment.

2. packageManager: The context.packageManager provides access to the package manager, allowing us to query package-related data.

3. getPackageInfo: The getPackageInfo method retrieves information about the application's package. The first parameter is the package name (obtained using context.packageName), and the second parameter (0) indicates that we only need the basic package information, including the version name.

4. versionName: The versionName property of the returned PackageInfo object provides the application's version string.

5. Error Handling: The try-catch block handles potential errors using a PackageManager.NameNotFoundException. This exception occurs if the package with the specified name cannot be found. In such a case, the version variable defaults to "Unknown".

Conclusion

By utilizing the packageInfo from the ApplicationContext, you can effortlessly retrieve your Compose Desktop application's version number programmatically. This technique unlocks possibilities for displaying the version in your UI, integrating version management, and improving the user experience.

Remember to incorporate proper error handling to ensure robust and reliable behavior. This simple solution allows you to take control of your application's version information within your Compose Desktop application.