itch.io

My Windows app requires an installer. I know this is not ideal, but my setup file is able to provide file association, among other things. I DO allow the user to pick a file location rather than mandating the "Program Files" directory, as well as making the creation of a desktop shortcut optional.

I tried uploading the installable with Butler, but the download experience is now quite confused. The setup executable is installed as if it were the program itself in the Start Menu.

I deleted the Butler upload, and did a manual upload of the setup file. But now, when downloading, the itch app continues to try and install the setup file rather than simply downloading it to, say, the Downloads directory.

At this point I would like to change things so the following occurs:
> download goes to the Downloads directory, or a directory of the user's choosing, without being included in the Start Menu
> [would be nice] ability to designate a version
> [would be nice] ability to announce update to users with previous versions.

What do I have to do to achieve this?

Thanks for the input! I wish there was more discussion on this subject to read and learn from.

What I have right now makes use of InnoSetup5 and Program Files for Windows installation. I did set it up so that the user could select an alternate directory, and choose whether to have a desktop icon or not. I also tested the uninstall. I went ahead with this instead of using Butler because its a single file, a familiar user experience (for Windows users), and I wanted to get something up and I still have a LOT of questions about Butler, despite reading the manuals/tutorials. I figured that I could always come back and make use of it after other issues were settled. (This is the plan.)

I'm currently working on getting a smooth process that allows PC, Mac and Linux installation. With Oracle starting to require license payments for use of its Java in 2019, I had to spend much of the holiday switching over to OpenJDK, which introduced additional complications in that the GUI system (JavaFX) has been split off and has to be managed congruently. Today marked reaching the point where I am once again able to package a custom JRE to run the code (making the program self-contained). Also, today, I was able to solve the same on a Ubuntu/Linux emulator I just installed.

But packaging steps remain. And for my next program, for example, the user can load, edit and save files, so I will need to create a File association. I know of no way to do that without getting into the Microsoft Registry for the Windows installation. I certainly don't think it is a good business decision to leave the file association steps to the User. Many are just not sophisticated enough to do this, even with a good tutorial provided. Do you know of another way, besides dealing with the Registry via Inno Setup?

Meanwhile, do you have specific recommendations for where to install on Win64, Mac, Linux?

This next week I plan work though the process for Mac (setting up environment and working out the steps for the compilation of the program and the custom JRE to be included), and then will continue on to try and solve the final packaging steps. If Butler can handle it, I'd be very pleased to make use of it.

Maybe the thing is to ask where and if it is okay to go ahead and ask lots of questions. I don't want to be a pest, and I understand that a lot of the Java issues are about Java and not Butler. I don't know how common it is for programmers here to market apps made with Java, but it sure would be nice to have some examples. People who write manuals sometimes don't realize how ambiguous instructions are to those new to the process and examples go a long way to helping a reader figure out exactly what various terms and word phrases and usages mean.

I am new to itch.io and have my first "game" ready to release (it is a musical toy/instrument). It is coded in Java, and I have a self-contained, customized JRE that runs the program. This version requires a Windows 64-bit OS. 

I may not have this right, but it seems to me that I have two options. One is to package the application (I've used  Inno Setup 5 for this) so that it behaves like a "native PC" program. The install defaults to "Program Files" (but allows the user to specify elsewhere) and handles creating an entry in the Start Menu and an optional desktop icon. Since it is just a single file, 

The other option is perhaps to just upload the file system (includes about 5 subfolders, with both the code and the customized jre) created by the Java packaging tool, using Butler, and allow the itch.io app to handle the installation. But I an unclear on what happens in this case. Will my application be given a subfolder in itch's APPDATA folder? Will there be a Start Menu item created? (It looks like specifying the executable is done in the manifest.) 

I realize I don't fully understand the difference between people using the itch.io app to download vs. their browsing and doing it themselves, in terms of what I need to provide for the two options. 

Thank you for any assistance provided! There is a lot of information to take in here for someone who is new to this.