ODK Launcher

Overview on the New ODK Launcher

The ODK Launcher is the new way to manage your ODK editor installations, ODK projects, and downloading of ODK templates all in one place.

The ODK Launcher is still in-development so some bugs or issues are expected. See Reporting bugs and issues for any issues you encounter.

Downloading the new ODK Launcher

From the ODK Dashboard, click Download the ODK.

Download the ODK buttons in the ODK Dashboard

From this page, click Install the Launcher which will download the new Launcher via your browser.

The 'Download the ODK' page where you can download the ODK Launcher Installer.

The downloaded ODK Launcher Installer.

Run the ODK Launcher Setup file. After a few seconds, you should see this image indicating it is installing the ODK Launcher:

The installing icon of the ODK Launcher Installer.

Once installed, the ODK Launcher will open immediately and you can continue on your journey to develop in the ODK with the ODK Launcher!

Installing the ODK Editor

With the ODK Launcher open, you need to first install the ODK Editor.

The opening ODK Editor install screen.

Select a valid install folder for the location of the editor installation, then click Install.

This will start the download for the ODK Editor and display progress updates on the install.

The ODK Editor download progress screen.

When complete, you should see this screen. Click Continue to start using the ODK Launcher!

The complete page after successfully downloading the ODK Editor.

If you encountered any issues with this flow such as a slow download or an error, follow the steps in Reporting bugs and issues to report these.

Using the ODK Launcher

Opening the ODK Launcher

You can open the ODK Launcher whenever you'd like using Windows Search or pinning the Launcher to your taskbar.

The ODK Launcher in Windows Search.

Create a new project

The main Templates page.

From the starting Templates page, you're presented with the different templates you can start a new project with. Select a template card to see more of the template.

A selected Template 'ODK Boneyard Template', with settings for creating a new project based on this template.

To create a new project from this template, give your project a name and specify a folder to put the new project in. When you're ready, click Create new project. This will begin the download and creation of your new project.

The progress display of the download for a template.

Once the template has been downloaded and the project created, the ODK Editor will automatically open into your new project.

The ODK Editor with your new project.

If you go back to the ODK Launcher, you'll also see your new project has been registered:

The new project added to the ODK Launcher.

Viewing and launching your projects

From the projects page, you can

• add existing projects that are not already in the ODK Launcher.

• open a registered project with the ODK Editor.

• upgrade your project when you update to a new ODK Editor version.

The project with the update button selected.

Updating your ODK Editor Installation

When a new version of the ODK Editor is available, you'll see this button popup on the main page:

The update button for the new ODK Editor on the main page.

This means a new version is available to be downloaded. Clicking the button will allow you to update your existing ODK editor to the new version.

The ODK Editor update page.

Updating the ODK Launcher

For new features and bugfixes we will release new versions of the ODK Launcher. There are two ways to update your launcher:

• When you launch the ODK Launcher from a closed state, it will check for updates and download any if they are found before opening the full ODK Launcher.

  

  ODK Launcher updating page.
• During the usage of the ODK Launcher, if any updates are found a notification is shown in the top-right to indicate you can update. Clicking this will immediately update your ODK Launcher and re-open itself.

  

  ODK Launcher update button notification.

Reporting bugs and issues

If you encounter any bugs or issues when using the new ODK Launcher, the best way to get these fixed is to raise your issue with your support channels. Where possible, include the ODK Launcher logs and your ODK Launcher version of you encountering this issue so we can fix this even faster.

To find your ODK Launcher logs, navigate to the Settings menu via this button top-right of the app:

The Settings button in the ODK Launcher.

Take a screenshot of the Settings page and send it alongside the logs when reporting your issue.

The Settings page.

Click Open next to Logs location. Upload main.log and any other logs you think are useful with your report. Thank you for contributing to the ODK Launcher's development!