Watchtower Library on DVD

[bvr]

I noticed that some people may be confused about how updates work in WT Library, so I will try to explain it.

 

There are actually two separate update pipelines: the application update pipeline and the catalog update pipeline.

• The application update pipeline is for the application itself, whether it is JW Library or Watchtower Library. This includes the app’s interface, features, functions, improvements, enhancements, and bug fixes.
• The catalog update pipeline, however, is only for the publications and other content inside the application. In other words, it updates the library content you can access, but it does not change the application itself, such as its interface, features, or functions.

 

For Watchtower Library, application updates are shown by the version and build number in the About window. Depending on how big the update is, either the version number or just the build number may change. For example, if it changes from Version 19.0 Build 13445 to Version 19.0 Build 14047, and only the build number changed, that usually means there were improvements, enhancements, or bug fixes, but no major changes to the application itself. The [Update 2601] that appears below the version and build number is the catalog update number, and it refers to the catalog that is installed in the application. That number can also be different for other languages. It is for the publications and other content inside the app. It does not change the application itself, such as its interface, features, or functions.

To update the Watchtower Library application itself, you normally need to download the installer again from the website and reinstall the app. To update the contents of the app, you simply install the update package. This could change, however, in the future, and the package may eventually be able to update the app itself, but for now it is mainly used for the catalog.

 

The JW Library follows the same basic idea. If you open Settings and scroll to the bottom, under the About section, you will see the version number and the build number in parentheses. Below that, you will also see the catalog date, which shows when the catalog content was last updated.

To update the JW Library application itself, you normally go to the app store and start the app update process there. For the catalog, you simply swipe down on the home page to trigger a catalog refresh.

 

The main difference between these two apps is that JW Library gets catalog updates on demand. When new catalog updates are released and become available on the server, the app can fetch them immediately. The Watchtower Library catalog updates, however, are done through an update package, not on demand. Because of that, they do not happen as often, and the update packages are usually much larger.

 

So when you see that the UI or functionalities, including the app icon, changed in Watchtower Library without any new update package, that is because it is an application update, not a catalog update. You can still keep using the same application you already have installed and continue getting the latest catalog updates as normal, even if the UI you currently have is different from the latest app version.

One thing to keep in mind is that because the apps are still actively maintained, you may eventually need to install a newer application update in the future if the catalog update starts failing to install. That can happen because the catalog identifier logic may have changed, and older application versions may no longer recognize it. But for now, you should be fine.

 

Lastly, as I mentioned before, this year you will likely see many changes across the website and apps, and some of them are already showing. So the next time you notice changes, you will know that the research tools are still being actively improved.

[bvr]

Officially, Watchtower Library is only supported on Windows computers running Windows 10 or later.

However, it can also be used on macOS just like what I am doing at the moment, but this requires more advanced setup and is not officially supported.

macOS (Intel Macs)

If your Mac is running an Intel chip, you have a few options:

• Boot Camp
  You can install Windows directly on your Mac and run Watchtower Library natively.
• Parallels Desktop (paid)
  This allows you to run Windows inside macOS.
• Wine / Whisky / CrossOver (advanced)
  These allow you to run Windows applications without installing Windows, but setup can be more complex and may not always work perfectly.

macOS (Apple Silicon – M1, M2, M3, etc.)

If your Mac is running Apple Silicon (ARM), your options are more limited:

• Parallels Desktop (paid)
  This is currently the most reliable way to run Windows and install Watchtower Library.
• Wine / Whisky / CrossOver (advanced)
  Possible, but more experimental and may require additional setup.

Future (macOS 28 and later)

For Macs running Apple Silicon with macOS 28 and later (expected around mid to late 2028), support for some current methods may change.

At the time of writing, the only reliable option is:

• Parallels Desktop (paid)

However, this may change in the future, and new solutions could become available for running Windows applications on macOS.

 

 

Here is the Image of Watchtower Library app beside the Watchtower Online Library web app.

[dannysharedstuff]

@bvr I have there macOS 26.4 and watchtower is working fine (and syncing between two libraries (languages)) on wine, crossover, vmware and parallels desktop.

 

I've used the WTL while attending the SKE and was a life saver. Much faster to find the references the instructors gave us.

[dannysharedstuff]

But, one of the advantages of WOL at the moment, since I have a login account, is to access older publications and other publications not available to the general public. Just wished I had access to those offline in jw library or WTL.

[More4me2do]

Thanks for your detailed explanation as this will definitely help many especially some Apple users.

 

The update procedure of updating the app and also the library/catalog works similar with anti virus programs. Like my Bitdefender software does regular AV protection updates and then also separately the app itself and when it updates a restart is required but not for the signature updates.

 

What I was not expecting was this pop up message after a power up and clicking on the new WT Lib installer:

 

 

On my Surface Pro 11 with Windows 11 it went straight into the uninstall cycle and then installed the new version. Because for me the WT Lib is essential for serious research I hoped this would help others that might be perplexed about this pop up message box. To correct this you have to manually uninstall the original WT Lib.

Edited 5 hours ago by More4me2do

[bvr]

You can go to the Task Manager and locate the WTLIB Installer that may still be running in the background and kill it.

This seem to be an isolated case and I can't seem to reproduce this issue. 

 

 

28 minutes ago, More4me2do said:

Thanks for your detailed explanation as this will definitely help many especially some Apple users.

 

The update procedure of updating the app and also the library/catalog works similar with anti virus programs. Like my Bitdefender software does regular AV protection updates and then also separately the app itself and when it updates a restart is required but not for the signature updates.

 

What I was not expecting was this pop up message after a power up and clicking on the new WT Lib installer:

 

 

On my Surface Pro 11 with Windows 11 it went straight into the uninstall cycle and then installed the new version. Because for me the WT Lib is essential for serious research I hoped this would help others that might be perplexed about this pop up message box. To correct this you have to manually uninstall the original WT Lib.

 

[More4me2do]

Nope nothing running to kill in the task manager that has to do with WT Lib. The only hunch I have is that this was an update from win 10 to win 11 and WT Lib was installed under Win 10. It looks like an isolated case but I will wait with the uninstall until the next content update and if they update both then I wait until there is a compelling reason to uninstall.