too many fixes to document just read changelog

.gitignore

@@ -174,3 +174,9 @@ cython_debug/
 # PyPI configuration file
 .pypirc
 
+/individual_images
+*.xlsx
+*.csv
+*.snirf
+*.json
+flares-*

README.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ This only applies for the first time you attempt to run FLARES. Subsequent times
 
 Due to the cost of a code signing certificate, the application is not digitally signed. Once the application is extracted and attempted to be launched for the first time you will get a popup stating:
 
-"Windows protected your PC - Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.", with the options of" More info" or "Don't run".
+"Windows protected your PC - Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.", with the options of "More info" or "Don't run".
 
 The solution around this is to click "More info" and then select "Run anyway".
 
@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ There are no conditions for Linux users at this time.
 
 FLARES is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license.
 
-Copyright (C) 2025 Tyler de Zeeuw
+Copyright (C) 2025-2026 Tyler de Zeeuw

changelog.md

@@ -1,3 +1,162 @@
+# Version 1.3.0
+
+- This is a save-changing release due to a new save file format. Please update your project files to ensure compatibility
+- It is still potentially possible to load older saves by enabling 'Incompatible Save Bypass' from the Preferences menu
+- Fixed workers not releasing memory when processing multiple participants. Fixes [Issue 55](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/55)
+- Fixed part of an issue where memory could increase over time despite clicking the clear button. There is still some edge cases where this can occur 
+- Fixed an issue when clearing a bubble, reloading the same file, and clicking it would cause the app to crash. Fixes [Issue 57](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/57)
+- Picking a .txt or .xlsx file now has both in the same file selection instead of having to select which extension was desired
+- Fixed an issue where the fOLD files were not included in the Windows version. Fixes [Issue 60](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/60)
+- Added a new parameter to the right side of the screen: EPOCH_EVENTS_HANDLING. Fixes [Issue 58](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/58)
+- EPOCH_EVENTS_HANDLING defaults to 'shift' compared to previous versions where the default would have been equivalent to 'strict'
+- The label for ENHANCE_NEGATIVE_CORRELATION no longer gets cut off by its dropdown selection
+- Loading in files and folders have changes to immediately show their bubbles having a respective loading symbol on each bubble
+- Once the file has been completely loaded and processed, the loading symbol will change to a green checkmark and clicking will be enabled
+- The metadata in the File infomation widget is now saved to prevent recalculations every time the bubble is selected
+- The status bar will now say loading while the bubbles are being processed, and loaded once the processing has completed
+- This new loading method will prevent the application from hanging when loading lots of files at once. Fixes [Issue 59](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/59)
+- Fixed text allignment for the first paragraph when a bubble is selected in the 'File information' widget
+- The three main widgets are now resizable! All of them have minimum widths to ensure they do not get too squished
+- Added a new option 'Reset Window Layout' under the View menu that will resize all widgets back to their default sizes
+- Added a new terminal command 'version' that will print the applications current version
+
+
+# Version 1.2.2
+
+- Added 'Update events in snirf file (BLAZES)...' and renamed 'Update events in snirf file...' to 'Update events in snirf file (BORIS)...' under the Options menu
+- The BLAZES option will assign events that are exported directly from the software [BLAZES](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/blazes)
+- Moved the updating logic to a seperate file for better reusability and generalization
+- Fixed 'Toggle Status Bar' having no effect on the visibility of the status bar
+- Fixed a bug when updating optode positions that would prevent .txt files from being selected. Fixes [Issue 54](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/54)
+- Fixed a missing dependency in the standalone application when attempting to use an .xlsx file to update optode positions
+
+
+# Version 1.2.1
+
+- Added a requirements.txt file to ensure compatibility
+- Added new options 'Missing Events Bypass' and 'Analysis Clearing Bypass' to the Preferences Menu
+- Missing Events Bypass allows comparing events in the Group Viewers even if not all participants in the group have the event present. Fixes [Issue 28](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/28)
+- Clicking Process after an analysis has been performed will now clear the existing analysis by default with a popup warning that the analysis will be cleared
+- Analysis Clearing Bypass will prevent the popup and will not clear the existing analysis data. Fixes [Issue 41](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/41)
+- Clicking 'Clear' should now actually properly clear all data. Hopefully fixes [Issue 9](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/9) for good
+- Setting SHORT_CHANNEL to False will now grey out SHORT_CHANNEL_REGRESSION, as it is impossible to regress what does not exist. Sets SHORT_CHANNEL_REGRESSION to False under the hood when it is greyed out regardless of what is displayed. Fixes [Issue 47](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/47)
+- Projects can now be saves if files have different parent folders. Fixes [Issue 48](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/48)
+- It is no longer possible to attempt a save before any data has been processed. A popup will now display if a save is attempted with nothing to save
+- Fixed a bug where LONG_CHANNEL_THRESH was not being applied in the processing steps
+- Added a new option in the Analysis window for Group Functional Connectivity. Implements [Issue 50](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/50)
+- Group Functional connectivity is still in development and the results should currently be taken with a grain of salt
+- A warning is displayed when entering the Group Functional Connectivity Viewer disclosing this
+- Fixed a bug when updating optode positions that would prevent .txt files from being selected. Fixes [Issue 54](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/54)
+- Fixed a bug where the secondary download server would never get contacted if the primary failed
+- Automatic downloads will now ignore prerelease versions. Fixes [Issue 52](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/52)
+
+
+# Version 1.2.0
+
+- This is a save-breaking release due to a new save file format. Please update your project files to ensure compatibility. Fixes [Issue 30](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/30)
+- Added new parameters to the right side of the screen
+- These parameters include SHOW_OPTODE_NAMES, SECONDS_TO_STRIP_HR, MAX_LOW_HR, MAX_HIGH_HR, SMOOTHING_WINDOW_HR, HEART_RATE_WINDOW, BAD_CHANNELS_HANDLING, MAX_DIST, MIN_NEIGHBORS, L_TRANS_BANDWIDTH, H_TRANS_BANDWIDTH, RESAMPLE, RESAMPLE_FREQ, STIM_DUR, HRF_MODEL, HIGH_PASS, DRIFT_ORDER, FIR_DELAYS, MIN_ONSET, OVERSAMPLING, SHORT_CHANNEL_REGRESSION, NOISE_MODEL, BINS, and VERBOSITY.
+- Certain parameters now have dependencies on other parameters and will now grey out if they are not used
+- All the new parameters have default values matching the underlying values in version 1.1.7
+- The order of the parameters have changed to match the order that the code runs when the Process button is clicked
+- Moved TIME_WINDOW_START and TIME_WINDOW_END to the 'Other' category
+- Fixed a bug causing SCI to not work when HEART_RATE was set to False
+- Bad channels can now be dealt with by taking no action, removing them completely, or interpolating them based on their neighbours. Interpolation remains the default option
+- Fixed an underlying deprecation warning
+- Fixed an issue causing some overlay elements to not render on the brain for certain devices
+- Fixed a crash when rendering some Inter-Group images with only one participant in a group
+- Fixed a crash when attempting to fOLD channels without the fOLD dataset installed
+- Lowered the number of rectangles in the progress bar to 24 after combining some actions
+- Fixed the User Guide window to properly display information about the 24 stages and added a link to the Git wiki page
+- MAX_WORKERS should now properly repect the value set
+- Added a new CSV export option to be used by other applications
+- Added support for updating optode positions directly from an .xlsx file from a Polhemius system
+- Fixed an issue where the dropdowns in the Viewer windows would immediately open and close when using a trackpad
+- glover and spm hrf models now function as intended without crashing. Currently, group analysis is still only supported by fir. Fixes [Issue 8](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/8)
+- Clicking 'Clear' should now properly clear all data. Fixes [Issue 9](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/9)
+- Revamped the fold channels viewer to not hang the application and to better process multiple participants at once. Fixes [Issue 34](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/34), [Issue 31](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/31)
+- Added a Preferences menu to the navigation bar
+- Two preferences have been added allowing to bypass the warning of 2D data detected and save files being from previous, potentially breaking versions
+- Fixed a typo when saving a CSV that stated a SNIRF was being saved
+- Loading a save file now properly restores AGE, GENDER, and GROUP. Fixes [Issue 40](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/40)
+- Saving a project now no longer makes the main window go not responding. Fixes [Issue 43](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/43)
+- Memory usage should no longer grow when generating lots of images multiple times. Fixes [Issue 36](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/36)
+- Added a new option in the Analysis window for Functional Connectivity
+- Functional connectivity is still in development and the results should currently be taken with a grain of salt
+- A warning is displayed when entering the Functional Connectivity Viewer disclosing this
+
+
+# Version 1.1.7
+
+- Fixed a bug where having both a L_FREQ and H_FREQ would cause only the L_FREQ to be used
+- Changed the default H_FREQ from 0.7 to 0.3
+- Added a PSD graph, along with 2 heart rate images to the individual participant viewer
+- The PSD graph is used to help calculate the heart rate, whereas the other 2 are currently just for show
+- SCI is now done using a .6hz window around the calculated heart rate compared to a window around an average heart rate
+- Fixed an issue with some epochs figures not showing under the participant analysis
+- Removed SECONDS_TO_STRIP from the preprocessing options
+- Added new parameters to the right side of the screen
+- These parameters include TRIM, SECONDS_TO_KEEP, OPTODE_PLACEMENT, HEART_RATE, WAVELET, IQR, WAVELET_TYPE, WAVELET_LEVEL, ENHANCE_NEGATIVE_CORRELATION, SHORT_CHANNEL_THRESH, LONG_CHANNEL_THRESH, and DRIFT_MODEL
+- Changed number of rectangles in the progress bar to 25 to account for the new options
+
+
+# Version 1.1.6
+
+- Fixed Process button from appearing when no files are selected
+- Fixed a bug that would cause an instant child process crash on Windows
+- Added L_FREQ and H_FREQ parameters for more user control over low and high pass filtering
+
+
+# Version 1.1.5
+
+- Fixed Windows saves not being able to be opened by a Mac (hopefully the other way too!)
+- Added the option to right click loaded snirf files to reveal them in a file browser or delete them if they are no longer desired
+- Changed the way folders are opened to store the files seperately rather than the folder as a whole to allow for the removal of files
+- Fixed issues with dropdowns and bubbles not populating correctly when opening a single file and temporarily removed the option to open multiple folders
+- Improved crash handling and the message that is displayed to the user if the application crashes
+- Progress bar will now colour the stage that fails as red if a file fails during processing
+- A warning message will be displayed when a file fails to process with information on what went wrong. This message does not halt the rest of the processing of the other files
+- Fixed the number of rectangles in the progress bar to 20 (was incorrect in v1.1.1)
+- Added validation to ensure loaded files do not have 2 dimensional data when clicking process to prevent inaccurate results from being generated
+- Added more metadata information to the top left information panel
+- Changed the Status Bar message when processing is complete to state how many were successful and how many were not
+- Added a clickable link below the selected file's metadata explaining the independent parameters and why they are useful
+- Updated some tooltips to provide better, more accurate information
+- Added details about the processing steps and their order into the user guide
+- Changed the default bandpass filtering parameters
+
+
+# Version 1.1.4
+
+- Fixed some display text to now display the correct information
+- A new option under Analysis has been added to export the data from a specified participant as a csv file. Fixes [Issue 19](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/19), [Issue 27](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/27)
+- Added 2 new parameters - TIME_WINDOW_START and TIME_WINDOW_END. Fixes [Issue 29](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/29)
+- These parameters affect the visualization of the significance and contrast images but do not change the total time modeled underneath
+- Fixed the duration of annotations edited from a BORIS file from 0 seconds to their proper duration
+- Added the annotation information to each participant under their "File information" window
+- Fixed Macs not being able to save snirfs attempting to be updated from BORIS files, and in general the updated files not respecting the path chosen by the user
+
+
+# Version 1.1.3
+
+- Added back the ability to use the fOLD dataset. Fixes [Issue 23](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/23)
+- 5th option has been added under Analysis to get to fOLD channels per participant
+- Added an option to cancel the running process. Fixes [Issue 15](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/15)
+- Prevented graph images from showing when participants are being processed. Fixes [Issue 24](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/24)
+- Allow the option to remove all events of a type from all loaded snirfs. Fixes [Issue 25](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/25)
+- Added new icons in the menu bar
+- Added a terminal to interact with the app in a more command-like form
+- Currently the terminal has no functionality but some features for batch operations will be coming soon!
+- Inter-Group viewer now has the option to visualize the average response on the brain of all participants in the group. Fixes [Issue 26](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/24)
+- Fixed the description under "Update events in snirf file..."
+
+
+# Version 1.1.2
+
+- Fixed incorrect colormaps being applied
+- Added functionality to utilize external event markers from a file. Fixes [Issue 6](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/6)
+
+
 # Version 1.1.1
 
 - Fixed the number of rectangles in the progress bar to 19
@@ -15,7 +174,7 @@
 - Added a group option when clicking on a participant's file
 - If no group is specified, the participant will be added to the "Default" group
 - Added option to update the optode positions in a snirf file from the Options menu (F6)
-- Fixed [Issue 3](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/3), [Issue 4](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/4), [Issue 17](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/17), [Issue 21](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/21), [Issue 22](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/22)
+- Fixed [Issue 3](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/3), [Issue 5](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/5), [Issue 17](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/17), [Issue 21](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/21), [Issue 22](https://git.research.dezeeuw.ca/tyler/flares/issues/22)
 
 
 # Version 1.0.1

flares_updater.py

@@ -18,11 +18,12 @@ import subprocess
 from datetime import datetime
 
 PLATFORM_NAME = platform.system().lower()
+APP_NAME = "flares"
 
 if PLATFORM_NAME == 'darwin':
-    LOG_FILE = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.executable), "../../../flares_updater.log")
+    LOG_FILE = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.executable), f"../../../{APP_NAME}_updater.log")
 else:
-    LOG_FILE = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "flares_updater.log")
+    LOG_FILE = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), f"{APP_NAME}_updater.log")
 
 
 def log(msg):
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ def copy_update_files_darwin(src_folder, dest_folder, updater_name):
 
 def remove_quarantine(app_path):
     script = f'''
-    do shell script "xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine {shlex.quote(app_path)}" with administrator privileges with prompt "FLARES needs privileges to finish the update. (1/2)"
+    do shell script "xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine {shlex.quote(app_path)}" with administrator privileges with prompt "{APP_NAME} needs privileges to finish the update. (1/2)"
     '''
     try:
         subprocess.run(['osascript', '-e', script], check=True)
@@ -162,7 +163,7 @@ def main():
         log(f"[Updater] sys.argv: {sys.argv}")
 
         if len(sys.argv) != 3:
-            log("Invalid arguments. Usage: flares_updater <update_folder> <main_app_executable>")
+            log(f"Invalid arguments. Usage: {APP_NAME}_updater <update_folder> <main_app_executable>")
             sys.exit(1)
 
         update_folder = sys.argv[1]
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ def main():
         if PLATFORM_NAME == 'darwin':
             log(f'Attempting to delete {ppparent_dir}')
             delete_path(ppparent_dir)
-            update_folder = os.path.join(sys.argv[1], "flares-darwin")
+            update_folder = os.path.join(sys.argv[1], f"{APP_NAME}-darwin")
             copy_update_files_darwin(update_folder, pppparent_dir, updater_name)
 
         else:

icons/desktop.ini

@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-[LocalizedFileNames]
-updater.png=@updater.png,0

icons/folder_eye_24dp_1F1F1F.svg

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24px" viewBox="0 -960 960 960" width="24px" fill="#1f1f1f"><path d="M160-160q-33 0-56.5-23.5T80-240v-480q0-33 23.5-56.5T160-800h240l80 80h320q33 0 56.5 23.5T880-640v242q-18-14-38-23t-42-19v-200H447l-80-80H160v480h120v80H160ZM640-40q-91 0-168-48T360-220q35-84 112-132t168-48q91 0 168 48t112 132q-35 84-112 132T640-40Zm0-80q57 0 107.5-26t82.5-74q-32-48-82.5-74T640-320q-57 0-107.5 26T450-220q32 48 82.5 74T640-120Zm0-40q-25 0-42.5-17.5T580-220q0-25 17.5-42.5T640-280q25 0 42.5 17.5T700-220q0 25-17.5 42.5T640-160Zm-480-80v-480 277-37 240Z"/></svg>

icons/grid_layout_side_24dp_1F1F1F.svg

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24px" viewBox="0 -960 960 960" width="24px" fill="#1f1f1f"><path d="M200-120q-33 0-56.5-23.5T120-200v-560q0-33 23.5-56.5T200-840h560q33 0 56.5 23.5T840-760v560q0 33-23.5 56.5T760-120H200Zm0-80h320v-560H200v560Zm560 0v-560H600v560h160Z"/></svg>

icons/remove_24dp_1F1F1F.svg

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24px" viewBox="0 -960 960 960" width="24px" fill="#1f1f1f"><path d="M200-440v-80h560v80H200Z"/></svg>

icons/terminal_24dp_1F1F1F.svg

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24px" viewBox="0 -960 960 960" width="24px" fill="#1f1f1f"><path d="M160-160q-33 0-56.5-23.5T80-240v-480q0-33 23.5-56.5T160-800h640q33 0 56.5 23.5T880-720v480q0 33-23.5 56.5T800-160H160Zm0-80h640v-400H160v400Zm140-40-56-56 103-104-104-104 57-56 160 160-160 160Zm180 0v-80h240v80H480Z"/></svg>

icons/upgrade_24dp_1F1F1F.svg

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" height="24px" viewBox="0 -960 960 960" width="24px" fill="#1f1f1f"><path d="M280-160v-80h400v80H280Zm160-160v-327L336-544l-56-56 200-200 200 200-56 56-104-103v327h-80Z"/></svg>

mne/transforms.py

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import numpy as np
 from scipy import linalg
 from scipy.spatial.distance import cdist
-from scipy.special import sph_harm
+from scipy.special import sph_harm_y
 
 from ._fiff.constants import FIFF
 from ._fiff.open import fiff_open

mne/viz/_3d.py

@@ -1025,7 +1025,7 @@ def _handle_sensor_types(meg, eeg, fnirs):
         fnirs=dict(channels="fnirs", pairs="fnirs_pairs"),
     )
     sensor_alpha = {
-        key: dict(meg_helmet=0.25, meg=0.25).get(key, 0.8)
+        key: dict(meg_helmet=0.25, meg=0.25).get(key, 1.0)
         for ch_dict in alpha_map.values()
         for key in ch_dict.values()
     }

mne/viz/backends/_pyvista.py

@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ class _PyVistaRenderer(_AbstractRenderer):
                 color = None
             else:
                 scalars = None
-            tube = line.tube(radius, n_sides=self.tube_n_sides)
+            tube = line.tube(radius=radius, n_sides=self.tube_n_sides)
             actor = _add_mesh(
                 plotter=self.plotter,
                 mesh=tube,

updater.py

@@ -0,0 +1,539 @@
+"""
+Filename: updater.py
+Description: Generic updater file
+
+Author: Tyler de Zeeuw
+License: GPL-3.0
+"""
+
+# Built-in imports
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+import time
+import shlex
+import shutil
+import zipfile
+import traceback
+import subprocess
+
+# External library imports
+import psutil
+import requests
+
+from PySide6.QtWidgets import QMessageBox
+from PySide6.QtCore import QThread, Signal, QObject
+
+
+class UpdateDownloadThread(QThread):
+    """
+    Thread that downloads and extracts an update package and emits a signal on completion or error.
+
+    Args:
+        download_url (str): URL of the update zip file to download.
+        latest_version (str): Version string of the latest update.
+    """
+        
+    update_ready = Signal(str, str)
+    error_occurred = Signal(str)
+
+    def __init__(self, download_url, latest_version, platform_name, app_name):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.download_url = download_url
+        self.latest_version = latest_version
+        self.platform_name = platform_name
+        self.app_name = app_name
+
+    def run(self):
+        try:
+            local_filename = os.path.basename(self.download_url)
+
+            if self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+                tmp_dir = f'/tmp/{self.app_name}tempupdate'
+                os.makedirs(tmp_dir, exist_ok=True)
+                local_path = os.path.join(tmp_dir, local_filename)
+            else:
+                local_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), local_filename)
+
+            # Download the file
+            with requests.get(self.download_url, stream=True, timeout=15) as r:
+                r.raise_for_status()
+                with open(local_path, 'wb') as f:
+                    for chunk in r.iter_content(chunk_size=8192):
+                        if chunk:
+                            f.write(chunk)
+
+            # Extract folder name (remove .zip)
+            if self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+                extract_folder = os.path.splitext(local_filename)[0]
+                extract_path = os.path.join(tmp_dir, extract_folder)
+
+            else:
+                extract_folder = os.path.splitext(local_filename)[0]
+                extract_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), extract_folder)
+
+            # Create the folder if not exists
+            os.makedirs(extract_path, exist_ok=True)
+
+            # Extract the zip file contents
+            if self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+                subprocess.run(['ditto', '-xk', local_path, extract_path], check=True)
+            else:
+                with zipfile.ZipFile(local_path, 'r') as zip_ref:
+                    zip_ref.extractall(extract_path)
+
+            # Remove the zip once extracted and emit a signal
+            os.remove(local_path)
+            self.update_ready.emit(self.latest_version, extract_path)
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Emit a signal signifying failure
+            self.error_occurred.emit(str(e))
+
+
+
+class UpdateCheckThread(QThread):
+    """
+    Thread that checks for updates by querying the API and emits a signal based on the result.
+
+    Signals:
+        download_requested(str, str): Emitted with (download_url, latest_version) when an update is available.
+        no_update_available(): Emitted when no update is found or current version is up to date.
+        error_occurred(str): Emitted with an error message if the update check fails.
+    """
+
+    download_requested = Signal(str, str)
+    no_update_available = Signal()
+    error_occurred = Signal(str)
+
+    def __init__(self, api_url, api_url_sec, current_version, platform_name, app_name):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.api_url = api_url
+        self.api_url_sec = api_url_sec
+        self.current_version = current_version
+        self.platform_name = platform_name
+        self.app_name = app_name
+
+    def run(self):
+        # if not getattr(sys, 'frozen', False):
+        #     self.error_occurred.emit("Application is not frozen (Development mode).")
+        #     return
+        try:
+            latest_version, download_url = self.get_latest_release_for_platform()
+            if not latest_version:
+                self.no_update_available.emit()
+                return
+
+            if not download_url:
+                self.error_occurred.emit(f"No download available for platform '{self.platform_name}'")
+                return
+
+            if self.version_compare(latest_version, self.current_version) > 0:
+                self.download_requested.emit(download_url, latest_version)
+            else:
+                self.no_update_available.emit()
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.error_occurred.emit(f"Update check failed: {e}")
+
+    def version_compare(self, v1, v2):
+        def normalize(v): return [int(x) for x in v.split(".")]
+        return (normalize(v1) > normalize(v2)) - (normalize(v1) < normalize(v2))
+
+    def get_latest_release_for_platform(self):
+        urls = [self.api_url, self.api_url_sec]
+        for url in urls:
+            try:
+                    
+                response = requests.get(url, timeout=5)
+                response.raise_for_status()
+                releases = response.json()
+
+                if not releases:
+                    continue
+
+                latest = next((r for r in releases if not r.get("prerelease") and not r.get("draft")), None)
+
+                if not latest:
+                    continue
+                
+                tag = latest["tag_name"].lstrip("v")
+
+                for asset in latest.get("assets", []):
+                    if self.platform_name in asset["name"].lower():
+                        return tag, asset["browser_download_url"]
+
+                return tag, None
+            except (requests.RequestException, ValueError) as e:
+                continue
+        return None, None
+
+
+class LocalPendingUpdateCheckThread(QThread):
+    """
+    Thread that checks for locally pending updates by scanning the download directory and emits a signal accordingly.
+
+    Args:
+        current_version (str): Current application version.
+        platform_suffix (str): Platform-specific suffix to identify update folders.
+    """
+
+    pending_update_found = Signal(str, str)
+    no_pending_update = Signal()
+
+    def __init__(self, current_version, platform_suffix, platform_name, app_name):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.current_version = current_version
+        self.platform_suffix = platform_suffix
+        self.platform_name = platform_name
+        self.app_name = app_name
+
+    def version_compare(self, v1, v2):
+        def normalize(v): return [int(x) for x in v.split(".")]
+        return (normalize(v1) > normalize(v2)) - (normalize(v1) < normalize(v2))
+
+    def run(self):
+        if self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+            cwd = f'/tmp/{self.app_name}tempupdate'
+        else:
+            cwd = os.getcwd()
+
+        pattern = re.compile(r".*-(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)" + re.escape(self.platform_suffix) + r"$")
+        found = False
+
+        try:
+            for item in os.listdir(cwd):
+                folder_path = os.path.join(cwd, item)
+                if os.path.isdir(folder_path) and item.endswith(self.platform_suffix):
+                    match = pattern.match(item)
+                    if match:
+                        folder_version = match.group(1)
+                        if self.version_compare(folder_version, self.current_version) > 0:
+                            self.pending_update_found.emit(folder_version, folder_path)
+                            found = True
+                            break
+        except:
+            pass
+        
+        if not found:
+            self.no_pending_update.emit()
+
+
+
+
+
+class UpdateManager(QObject):
+    """
+    Orchestrates the update process. 
+    Main apps should instantiate this and call check_for_updates().
+    """
+    
+    def __init__(self, main_window, api_url, api_url_sec, current_version, platform_name, platform_suffix, app_name):
+        super().__init__()
+        self.parent = main_window
+        self.api_url = api_url
+        self.api_url_sec = api_url_sec
+        self.current_version = current_version
+        self.platform_name = platform_name
+        self.platform_suffix = platform_suffix
+        self.app_name = app_name
+        
+        self.pending_update_version = None
+        self.pending_update_path = None
+
+
+    def manual_check_for_updates(self):
+        self.local_check_thread = LocalPendingUpdateCheckThread(self.current_version, self.platform_suffix, self.platform_name, self.app_name)
+        self.local_check_thread.pending_update_found.connect(self.on_pending_update_found)
+        self.local_check_thread.no_pending_update.connect(self.on_no_pending_update)
+        self.local_check_thread.start()
+
+    def on_pending_update_found(self, version, folder_path):
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Pending update found: version {version}")
+        self.pending_update_version = version
+        self.pending_update_path = folder_path
+        self.show_pending_update_popup()
+
+    def on_no_pending_update(self):
+        # No pending update found locally, start server check directly
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("No pending local update found. Checking server...")
+        self.start_update_check_thread()
+
+    def show_pending_update_popup(self):
+        msg_box = QMessageBox(self.parent)
+        msg_box.setWindowTitle("Pending Update Found")
+        msg_box.setText(f"A previously downloaded update for {self.app_name.upper()} (version {self.pending_update_version}) is available at:\n{self.pending_update_path}\nWould you like to install it now?")
+        install_now_button = msg_box.addButton("Install Now", QMessageBox.ButtonRole.AcceptRole)
+        install_later_button = msg_box.addButton("Install Later", QMessageBox.ButtonRole.RejectRole)
+        msg_box.exec()
+
+        if msg_box.clickedButton() == install_now_button:
+            self.install_update(self.pending_update_path)
+        else:
+            self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("Pending update available. Install later.")
+            # After user dismisses, still check the server for new updates
+            self.start_update_check_thread()
+
+    def start_update_check_thread(self):
+        self.check_thread = UpdateCheckThread(self.api_url, self.api_url_sec, self.current_version, self.platform_name, self.app_name)
+        self.check_thread.download_requested.connect(self.on_server_update_requested)
+        self.check_thread.no_update_available.connect(self.on_server_no_update)
+        self.check_thread.error_occurred.connect(self.on_error)
+        self.check_thread.start()
+
+    def on_server_no_update(self):
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("No new updates found on server.", 5000)
+
+    def on_server_update_requested(self, download_url, latest_version):
+        if self.pending_update_version:
+            cmp = self.version_compare(latest_version, self.pending_update_version)
+            if cmp > 0:
+                # Server version is newer than pending update
+                self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Newer version {latest_version} available on server. Removing old pending update...")
+                try:
+                    shutil.rmtree(self.pending_update_path)
+                    self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Deleted old update folder: {self.pending_update_path}")
+                except Exception as e:
+                    self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Failed to delete old update folder: {e}")
+                    
+                # Clear pending update info so new download proceeds
+                self.pending_update_version = None
+                self.pending_update_path = None
+
+                # Download the new update
+                self.download_update(download_url, latest_version)
+            elif cmp == 0:
+                # Versions equal, no download needed
+                self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Pending update version {self.pending_update_version} is already latest. No download needed.")
+            else:
+                # Server version older than pending? Unlikely but just keep pending update
+                self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Pending update version {self.pending_update_version} is newer than server version. No action.")
+        else:
+            # No pending update, just download
+            self.download_update(download_url, latest_version)
+
+    def download_update(self, download_url, latest_version):
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("Downloading update...")
+        self.download_thread = UpdateDownloadThread(download_url, latest_version, self.platform_name, self.app_name)
+        self.download_thread.update_ready.connect(self.on_update_ready)
+        self.download_thread.error_occurred.connect(self.on_error)
+        self.download_thread.start()
+
+    def on_update_ready(self, latest_version, extract_folder):
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("Update downloaded and extracted.")
+
+        msg_box = QMessageBox(self.parent)
+        msg_box.setWindowTitle("Update Ready")
+        msg_box.setText(f"Version {latest_version} has been downloaded and extracted to:\n{extract_folder}\nWould you like to install it now?")
+        install_now_button = msg_box.addButton("Install Now", QMessageBox.ButtonRole.AcceptRole)
+        install_later_button = msg_box.addButton("Install Later", QMessageBox.ButtonRole.RejectRole)
+
+        msg_box.exec()
+
+        if msg_box.clickedButton() == install_now_button:
+            self.install_update(extract_folder)
+        else:
+            self.parent.statusBar().showMessage("Update ready. Install later.")
+
+
+    def install_update(self, extract_folder):
+        # Path to updater executable
+
+        if self.platform_name == 'windows':
+            updater_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), f"{self.app_name}_updater.exe")
+        elif self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+            if getattr(sys, 'frozen', False):
+                updater_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.executable), f"../../../{self.app_name}_updater.app")
+            else:
+                updater_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), f"../{self.app_name}_updater.app")
+
+        elif self.platform_name == 'linux':
+            updater_path = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), f"{self.app_name}_updater")
+        else:
+            updater_path = os.getcwd()
+
+        if not os.path.exists(updater_path):
+            QMessageBox.critical(self.parent, "Error", f"Updater not found at:\n{updater_path}. The absolute path was {os.path.abspath(updater_path)}")
+            return
+
+        # Launch updater with extracted folder path as argument
+        try:
+            # Pass current app's executable path for updater to relaunch
+            main_app_executable = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0])
+
+            print(f'Launching updater with: "{updater_path}" "{extract_folder}" "{main_app_executable}"')
+
+            if self.platform_name == 'darwin':
+                subprocess.Popen(['open', updater_path, '--args', extract_folder, main_app_executable])
+            else:
+                subprocess.Popen([updater_path, f'{extract_folder}', f'{main_app_executable}'], cwd=os.path.dirname(updater_path))
+
+            # Close the current app so updater can replace files
+            sys.exit(0)
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            QMessageBox.critical(self.parent, "Error", f"[Updater Launch Failed]\n{str(e)}\n{traceback.format_exc()}")
+
+    def on_error(self, message):
+        # print(f"Error: {message}")
+        self.parent.statusBar().showMessage(f"Error occurred during update process. {message}")
+
+    def version_compare(self, v1, v2):
+        def normalize(v): return [int(x) for x in v.split(".")]
+        return (normalize(v1) > normalize(v2)) - (normalize(v1) < normalize(v2))
+
+
+def wait_for_process_to_exit(process_name, timeout=10):
+    """
+    Waits for a process with the specified name to exit within a timeout period.
+
+    Args:
+        process_name (str): Name (or part of the name) of the process to wait for.
+        timeout (int, optional): Maximum time to wait in seconds. Defaults to 10.
+
+    Returns:
+        bool: True if the process exited before the timeout, False otherwise.
+    """
+
+    print(f"Waiting for {process_name} to exit...")
+    deadline = time.time() + timeout
+    while time.time() < deadline:
+        still_running = False
+        for proc in psutil.process_iter(['name']):
+            try:
+                if proc.info['name'] and process_name.lower() in proc.info['name'].lower():
+                    still_running = True
+                    print(f"Still running: {proc.info['name']} (PID: {proc.pid})")
+                    break
+            except (psutil.NoSuchProcess, psutil.AccessDenied):
+                continue
+        if not still_running:
+            print(f"{process_name} has exited.")
+            return True
+        time.sleep(0.5)
+    print(f"{process_name} did not exit in time.")
+    return False
+
+
+def finish_update_if_needed(platform_name, app_name):
+    """
+    Completes a pending application update if '--finish-update' is present in the command-line arguments.
+    """
+
+    if "--finish-update" in sys.argv:
+        print("Finishing update...")
+
+        if platform_name == 'darwin':
+            app_dir = f'/tmp/{app_name}tempupdate'
+        else:
+            app_dir = os.getcwd()
+
+        # 1. Find update folder
+        update_folder = None
+        for entry in os.listdir(app_dir):
+            entry_path = os.path.join(app_dir, entry)
+            if os.path.isdir(entry_path) and entry.startswith(f"{app_name}-") and entry.endswith("-" + platform_name):
+                update_folder = os.path.join(app_dir, entry)
+                break
+
+        if update_folder is None:
+            print("No update folder found. Skipping update steps.")
+            return
+        
+        if platform_name == 'darwin':
+            update_folder = os.path.join(update_folder, f"{app_name}-darwin")
+
+        # 2. Wait for updater to exit
+        print(f"Waiting for {app_name}_updater to exit...")
+        for proc in psutil.process_iter(['pid', 'name']):
+            if proc.info['name'] and f"{app_name}_updater" in proc.info['name'].lower():
+                try:
+                    proc.wait(timeout=5)
+                except psutil.TimeoutExpired:
+                    print(f"Force killing lingering {app_name}_updater")
+                    proc.kill()
+
+        # 3. Replace the updater
+        if platform_name == 'windows':
+            new_updater = os.path.join(update_folder, f"{app_name}_updater.exe")
+            dest_updater = os.path.join(app_dir, f"{app_name}_updater.exe")
+
+        elif platform_name == 'darwin':
+            new_updater = os.path.join(update_folder, f"{app_name}_updater.app")
+            dest_updater = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(sys.executable, f"../../../../{app_name}_updater.app"))
+
+        elif platform_name == 'linux':
+            new_updater = os.path.join(update_folder, f"{app_name}_updater")
+            dest_updater = os.path.join(app_dir, f"{app_name}_updater")
+
+        else:
+            print("Unknown Platform")
+            new_updater = os.getcwd()
+            dest_updater = os.getcwd()
+
+        print(f"New updater is {new_updater}")
+        print(f"Dest updater is {dest_updater}")
+
+        print("Writable?", os.access(dest_updater, os.W_OK))
+        print("Executable path:", sys.executable)
+        print("Trying to copy:", new_updater, "->", dest_updater)
+
+        if os.path.exists(new_updater):
+            try:
+                if os.path.exists(dest_updater):
+                    if platform_name == 'darwin':
+                        try:
+                            if os.path.isdir(dest_updater):
+                                shutil.rmtree(dest_updater)
+                                print(f"Deleted directory: {dest_updater}")
+                            else:
+                                os.remove(dest_updater)
+                                print(f"Deleted file: {dest_updater}")
+                        except Exception as e:
+                            print(f"Error deleting {dest_updater}: {e}")
+                    else:
+                        os.remove(dest_updater)
+
+                if platform_name == 'darwin':
+                    wait_for_process_to_exit(f"{app_name}_updater", timeout=10)
+                    subprocess.check_call(["ditto", new_updater, dest_updater])
+                else:
+                    shutil.copy2(new_updater, dest_updater)
+
+                if platform_name in ('linux', 'darwin'):
+                    os.chmod(dest_updater, 0o755)
+
+                if platform_name == 'darwin':
+                    remove_quarantine(dest_updater, app_name)
+
+                print(f"{app_name}_updater replaced.")
+            except Exception as e:
+                print(f"Failed to replace {app_name}_updater: {e}")
+
+        # 4. Delete the update folder
+        try:
+            if platform_name == 'darwin':
+                shutil.rmtree(app_dir)
+            else:
+                shutil.rmtree(update_folder)
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"Failed to delete update folder: {e}")
+
+        QMessageBox.information(None, "Update Complete", "The application has been successfully updated.")
+        sys.argv.remove("--finish-update")
+
+
+def remove_quarantine(app_path, app_name):
+    """
+    Removes the macOS quarantine attribute from the specified application path.
+    """
+
+    script = f'''
+    do shell script "xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine {shlex.quote(app_path)}" with administrator privileges with prompt "{app_name.upper()} needs privileges to finish the update. (2/2)"
+    '''
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(['osascript', '-e', script], check=True)
+        print("✅ Quarantine attribute removed.")
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+        print("❌ Failed to remove quarantine attribute.")
+        print(e)

version_main.txt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ VSVersionInfo(
            StringStruct('FileDescription', 'FLARES main application'),
            StringStruct('FileVersion', '1.0.0.0'),
            StringStruct('InternalName', 'flares.exe'),
-           StringStruct('LegalCopyright', '© 2025 Tyler de Zeeuw'),
+           StringStruct('LegalCopyright', '© 2025-2026 Tyler de Zeeuw'),
            StringStruct('OriginalFilename', 'flares.exe'),
            StringStruct('ProductName', 'FLARES'),
            StringStruct('ProductVersion', '1.0.0.0')])

version_updater.txt

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ VSVersionInfo(
            StringStruct('FileDescription', 'FLARES updater application'),
            StringStruct('FileVersion', '1.0.0.0'),
            StringStruct('InternalName', 'main.exe'),
-           StringStruct('LegalCopyright', '© 2025 Tyler de Zeeuw'),
+           StringStruct('LegalCopyright', '© 2025-2026 Tyler de Zeeuw'),
            StringStruct('OriginalFilename', 'flares_updater.exe'),
            StringStruct('ProductName', 'FLARES Updater'),
            StringStruct('ProductVersion', '1.0.0.0')])