Installer and updater need proper implementation (current setup relies on manual PATH configuration)

[Dev-Devon]

The project currently does not have a proper installer or reliable update mechanism. The existing setup works, but it relies on temporary workarounds that are not ideal for users.

Installer / Setup issue

Right now there is no installer. Users must manually extract the project and configure the environment.

To make the tools work, the /bin directory must be added to the system PATH so executables such as ffmpeg and yt-dlp can be accessed.

I created a small automation script (path.bat) that adds the /bin directory to the PATH automatically. However, this is only a temporary workaround and not a proper installation method.

Current situation:

• No installer
• No automated setup process
• PATH must be configured manually or through path.bat
• This is not ideal for users who are not familiar with system configuration

A proper installation method would ideally:

• Detect the environment
• Add /bin to PATH safely
• Verify required binaries
• Set up the application in a predictable way

Updater issue

An updater system was implemented to check GitHub releases and download updates automatically.

The intended workflow is:

1. The application checks the latest release from GitHub.
2. The current version is compared with the latest release version.
3. If a newer version exists:
   • Download the latest release archive
   • Extract it
   • Replace application files
4. Preserve important local directories when possible.

However, the current implementation fails in some PHP environments because it relies on:

file_get_contents("https://api.github.com/...")

If PHP does not have HTTPS wrappers or OpenSSL enabled (which happens in some Windows setups), the updater fails with:

"Unable to find the wrapper 'https'"

Because of this:

• The updater cannot contact GitHub
• Version checks fail
• Automatic updates break

What is needed

A more reliable update implementation that works across typical PHP environments.

Possible improvements:

• Use cURL instead of file_get_contents
• Add environment checks before attempting updates
• Improve error handling for missing dependencies

Goal

The goal is to make installation and updating easier and more reliable for users without requiring manual configuration or troubleshooting.