Silent automatic updates

Would it be possible to have Hazel automatically and more importantly silently update itself?

I have a MacMini as a media center running Plex connected to the family TV. When Hazel has an update available, it displays the dialog window asking to install in front of everything. This sucks when someone is watching a video as we don't have a mouse connected to the MacMini. We don't want kids clicking around on the computer.

In the update dialog, I've checked the box to "Automatically download and install updates in the future" but it isn't doing this. As I see it, based on this option, when an update is available, it should be downloading and installing the updates in the background without me having to confirm.

If this is not what the option is for, can you please add such a feature (and explain what the option means)? Since the updates don't require my account password for installation, it should be possible to do the updates silently and automatically.

Thanks

It's probably a very bad idea to just do the update. If you are currently using it, it would spontaneously restart things. At some point, it will have to prompt you. I guess I can try and queue it up for when you quit System Preferences but that adds a good deal of complexity.

I can see it being a problem when you are running the interface in SysPrefs and it tries to do an update.
What about an update queue idea where it will install the update at launch? This way it can download the update and get it ready. Next time the system is restarted and Hazel or the Hazel Helper starts up, it sees there is an update waiting and then installs it.

It would be the same logic along the lines of the current update where I click on the Update button and it stops the current process and updates.

If it does it at launch, chances are very slim that someone would be able to get into the GUI before it does the update.

If not, I'm sure it can happen some other way. There are a lot of applications that do background updates and then are applied at the next launch.

Another option/request is to not have the dialog window appear but instead have the icon in the system status bar change colors or show an exclamation point icon over it. Next time I'm using the system and not watching a movie, I would see the icon and know Hazel needs my attention.

Thanks

I'm not sure if bugging people when launching it is the best thing. It's pretty annoying if you launch a program to do something (you usually have something in mind at that time) to have it delay you by asking to update. Some apps do that and I find it disrupts what I'm trying to do. If anything, I'd rather have it ask at some other time but I'll have to work out when that is.

Yea, I agree with that.

What about just having the "an update is available" notification shown in the preference pane instead of a dialog window? What about something like this?

In case the animated GIF isn't showing for you...

Folders Tab: Since Hazel remembers the last tab you were in between sessions, and I almost always use only the Folders tab, the Info tab would need to show an alert icon to get my attention
Info Tab with Update Alert: This shows that an update is available and offers me an Update Now button
Info Tab - Up to date: This shows the Info tab when I'm running the latest version. The Update Now button is not available
If the user has selected to never check for updates, this new line would not be shown.

Basically to get back to the original problem, I want Hazel to check for updates and notify me but only when I'm actually using Hazel. I like the update checking feature but when it gets in the way of other applications, that is a bad UI/UX.

I hope this helps and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Thanks