Apper

Click to enlarge

A graphical tool to manage your packages

Features

• Manages installation and uninstallation of packages

• Manages package updates

• Can be searched by package-name, description, or included file name

• Supports filtering on
  • Installed or available
  • End-user or development

• Can be viewed in package groups

Installing packages

If you know the name of the package, you can simply type that into the search bar - the default is to find by name.

Note

Searches are slow, as the package database has to be queried - both your local one and the database of each repo. You will find that working while it does that is slow.

Suppose, though, you need suggestions for suitable packages. This time you would choose to Find by Description. For instance, entering "flac" into the search term then selecting Find by Description you would be presented with all packages that are related to the use of flac files. Installed packages are marked by a to the left of the package name.

Apper's main window showing a description of the selected package

So - you have a list of suitable packages. Click on one of them and a panel opens giving you a description of the package. Clicking the More... button you get three other options to display - a list of dependencies (which will be automatically handled if you choose to install), a list of applications that depend upon the package you choose and a list of files included in the package.

Apper's main window showing package dependencies

When you click on a package a button turns up to the right of it. If the package is not installed already you will see an Install button; clicking it will mark the package for installation. If the package is already installed you will see a Remove button; clicking it will mark the package for removal.

Having found the application that is best for you, click the Install button. Now, when you click the Apply button your package will be installed.

Updating your packages

On Apper's main page you click the Updates icon to open the settings page to check, if any package installed by Apper needs updating. As before, the repos and your installation are queried, so there is a delay. Again, dependencies are resolved when you agree to the download.

Configuration Options

On Apper's main page you click the icon and select Settings to open the Apper settings page.

The General Settings Page

In the General settings tab you can set the frequency of checking for updates, according to your need. The default is Daily, but for an ultra-secure site you could choose Hourly, and for a lightly used one you can have Weekly or Monthly frequency.

Next is whether you want updates to be installed automatically. A nice touch is to be able to say that security updates should be automatically installed, but no other packages.

Note

In the Software Origins tab you can configure the repositories used by Apper. More information on this tab is needed.

The Software Origins page