diff --git a/etc/genapplist-yad.c b/etc/genapplist-yad.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e3eeaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/genapplist-yad.c
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/* ========================================================= *
+ *      Pi-Apps app preloader for YAD GUI app list style.    *
+ *        Written by Itai-Nelken 09/09/2021 (MM/DD/YY).      *
+ * --------------------------------------------------------- *
+ *  gcc pi-apps_app-prel.c -o prel -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic  *
+ * ========================================================= */
+
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <dirent.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+// check if a file exists
+int fileExists(const char *path) {
+	FILE *file=fopen(path, "rb");
+	if (!file) {
+		return 1;
+	}
+	fclose(file);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+// fill a string with nul characters ('\0')
+void str_zero(char *str) {
+	char *s=str;
+	while(*s++) {
+		*s='\0';
+	}
+}
+
+// get a single line from a file
+void getLine(const char *filename, char *out, size_t size) {
+	FILE *f=fopen(filename, "r");
+	if(!f) {
+		perror("getLine(): fopen()");
+	} else {
+		fgets(out, size, f);
+		fclose(f);
+	}
+}
+
+// get the status of a app in pi-apps
+void get_app_status(const char *app, char *status, size_t size) {
+	char path[250]={0}, st[4096]={0}, *directory=getenv("DIRECTORY");
+	snprintf(path, 250, "%s/data/status/%s", directory, app);
+	if (!fileExists(path)) { //if 'path' exists
+		getLine(path, st, 4096);
+		st[strlen(st)-1]='\0';
+		assert(strlen(st)<=size);
+		snprintf(status, size, "%s", st);
+	} else {
+		snprintf(path, 250, "%s/apps/%s/uninstall", directory, app);
+		if(!fileExists(path)) {
+			assert(strlen("uninstalled")<=size);
+			snprintf(status, size, "uninstalled");
+		} else {
+			fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: get_app_status(): No such app: \"%s\"!\n", app);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// get the status of a app in pi-apps but print 'none' if the app has no status file
+// but it exists (it has a uninstall script)
+void get_app_status_with_none(const char *app, char *status, size_t size) {
+	char path[250]={0}, st[4096]={0}, *directory=getenv("DIRECTORY");
+	snprintf(path, 250, "%s/data/status/%s", directory, app);
+	if (!fileExists(path)) { //if 'path' exists
+		getLine(path, st, 4096);
+		st[strlen(st)-1]='\0';
+		assert(strlen(st)<=size);
+		snprintf(status, size, "%s", st);
+	} else {
+		snprintf(path, 250, "%s/apps/%s/uninstall", directory, app);
+		if(!fileExists(path)) {
+			assert(strlen("none")<=size);
+			snprintf(status, size, "none");
+		} else {
+			fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: get_app_status(): No such app: \"%s\"!\n", app);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// get the path to the status icon for a app based on the it's status
+void get_status_icon(const char *app, char *icon, size_t size) {
+	char path[300]={0}, *directory=getenv("DIRECTORY"), status[30]={0};
+	get_app_status_with_none(app, status, 30);
+	snprintf(path, 300, "%s/icons/%s.png", directory, status);
+	if(!fileExists(path)) {
+		assert(strlen(path)<=size);
+		strncpy(icon, path, size);
+	} else {
+		//fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: get_icon_name(): icon \"%s\" doesn't exist!\n", path);
+		assert(strlen(directory)+15<=size);
+		snprintf(icon, strlen(directory)+15, "%s/icons/none.png", directory);
+	}
+}
+
+// get the path to a app's icon
+void get_app_icon(const char *app, char *icon, size_t size) {
+	char path[4096]={0}, *directory=getenv("DIRECTORY");
+	snprintf(path, 4096, "%s/apps/%s/icon-24.png", directory, app);
+	if(!fileExists(path)) {
+		assert(strlen(path)<=size);
+		strncpy(icon, path, size);
+	} else {
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: get_app_icon(): app \"%s\" doesn't have a icon-24!\n", app);
+	}
+}
+
+// get the status and first line of the description of an app in a format like this:
+// "(<STATUS>) <SHORT DESCRIPTION>" 
+void get_app_status_and_desc(const char *app, char *out, size_t out_size) {
+	char path[4096]={0}, buffer[out_size], status[30]={0}, *directory=getenv("DIRECTORY");
+	str_zero(buffer);
+	snprintf(path, 4096, "%s/apps/%s/description", directory, app);
+	if(!fileExists(path)) {
+		getLine(path, buffer, out_size);
+		buffer[strlen(buffer)-1]='\0'; // remove newline from end
+		get_app_status(app, status, 30);
+		snprintf(out, out_size+33, "(%s) %s", status, buffer);
+	} else {
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: get_app_status_and_desc(): app \"%s\" doesn't have a description!\n", app);
+	}
+}
+
+// collect and print all the data
+void print_all(const char *app) {
+	char st_icon[300]={0}, app_icon[4096]={0}, desc[4096]={0};
+	get_status_icon(app, st_icon, 300);
+	get_app_icon(app, app_icon, 4096);
+	get_app_status_and_desc(app, desc, 4096);
+	printf("%s\n%s\n%s\n%s\n%s\n", st_icon, app_icon, app, app, desc);
+}
+
+int main(void) {
+	if(!getenv("APPS")) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: \"APPS\" environment variable isn't set!\n");
+		return 1;
+	}
+	if(!getenv("DIRECTORY")) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: \"DIRECTORY\" environment variable isn't set!\n");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
+    char *separator="\n";
+    char *parsed;
+    
+    parsed=strtok(getenv("APPS"), separator);
+    while(parsed!=NULL) {
+		print_all(parsed);
+
+        parsed=strtok(NULL, separator);
+    }
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*** REQUIRED OUTPUT ***
+ * 1) status icon
+ * 2) app icon
+ * 3) app name
+ * 4) app folder name (in ~/pi-apps/apps)
+ * 5) status and short description
+***********************/
+
+/* LOOP OVER EVERY APP IN $HOME/PI-APPS/APPS *
+char *home=getHomePath();
+	char path[strlen(home)+20];
+	str_zero(path);
+	snprintf(path, strlen(home)+20, "%s/pi-apps/apps", home);
+	DIR *dir;
+	struct dirent *d;
+	dir=opendir(path);
+	if(!dir) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: failed to open directory \"%s\"!\n", path);
+	} else {
+		while((d=readdir(dir))!=NULL) {
+			if(strcmp(d->d_name, ".")&&strcmp(d->d_name, "..")&&strcmp(d->d_name, "template")) {
+				print_all(d->d_name);
+			}
+		}
+		closedir(dir);
+	}
+**************************************************/
+
+/*********************************************
+void remove_all_chars(char* str, char c) {
+	char *pr = str, *pw = str;
+	while (*pr) {
+	    *pw = *pr++;
+	    pw += (*pw != c);
+	}
+	*pw = '\0';
+}
+***********************************************/
diff --git a/preload b/preload
index ff564fd..a0ffa33 100755
--- a/preload
+++ b/preload
@@ -31,22 +31,43 @@ listfile="${DIRECTORY}/data/preload/LIST-$(echo "$prefix" | tr -d '/')"
 
 mkdir -p "${DIRECTORY}/data/preload"
 
+{ #compile the genapplist-yad.c program
+if [ ! -f "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad" ] && [ -f "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad.c" ];then
+  echo "Compiling genapplist-yad program..." 1>&2
+  
+  command -v gcc >/dev/null || sudo apt install -y gcc 1>&2
+  gcc "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad.c" -o "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad" 1>&2 || failed=1
+
+  #Test the program and make sure it outputs 5 lines
+  if [ "$(APPS=Arduino DIRECTORY="$DIRECTORY" "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad" | wc -l)" != 5 ];then
+    failed=1
+  fi
+
+  if [ "$failed" == 1 ];then
+    rm -f "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad"
+    echo "The genapplist-yad program failed to compile." 1>&2
+  else
+    echo "Success! The genapplist-yad program has been compiled." 1>&2
+  fi
+fi
+}
+
 mktimestamps() {
   #these directories are checked for changes
   checkdirs="${DIRECTORY}/apps
 ${DIRECTORY}/data/settings
 ${DIRECTORY}/data/status
+${DIRECTORY}/data/update-status
 ${DIRECTORY}/etc"
   
   timestamps=''
-  PREIFS="$IFS"
-  IFS=$'\n'
+  local IFS=$'\n'
   for dir in $checkdirs
   do
     timestamps="$timestamps
 dir $dir $(stat -c %Y "${dir}/$(ls -t "$dir" | head -n1)")"
   done
-  IFS="$PREIFS"
+  
   #remove first empty newline and check a few other things for changes too
   timestamps="prefix: $prefix
 format: $format
@@ -89,21 +110,13 @@ if [ $reloadlist == 1 ];then
   
   #for app_categories() and app_status() functions
   source "${DIRECTORY}/api"
-  vfiles="$(app_categories)" #generate paps within categories as folders
-  
-  #generate a virtual file system with apps in folders represented as subdirectories
-  
-  
-  vfiles="$(echo "$vfiles" | grep . | sort | uniq)"
-  #echo "$vfiles" 1>&2
-  
+  vfiles="$(app_categories | grep . | sort | uniq)" #generate a virtual file system with apps in folders represented as subdirectories
   
   if [ ! -z "$prefix" ];then
     echo "Showing apps within $prefix/" 1>&2
     
     vfiles="$(echo "$vfiles" | grep "^$prefix/" | sed "s+$prefix/++g")"
   fi
-  #echo "$vfiles" 1>&2
   
   #remove apps within categories - show this layer of stuff only.
   vfiles="$(echo "$vfiles" | sed 's+/.*+/+g' | sort | uniq)"
@@ -114,6 +127,18 @@ if [ $reloadlist == 1 ];then
   #get list of folders - excluding apps - and hide the hidden folder.
   DIRS="$(echo "$vfiles" | grep '/' | tr -d '/' | grep -vx "hidden")"
   
+  #If updates available, show special Updates category
+  if "${DIRECTORY}/updater" get-status &>/dev/null;then
+    DIRS="Updates
+$DIRS"
+  fi
+  
+  #shuffle the list if enabled
+  if [ "$(cat "${DIRECTORY}/data/settings/Shuffle App list")" == 'Yes' ];then
+    APPS="$(echo "$APPS" | shuf)"
+    DIRS="$(echo "$DIRS" | shuf)"
+  fi
+  
   #remove apps that are not compatible with OS architecture
   PREIFS="$IFS"
   IFS=$'\n'
@@ -128,12 +153,6 @@ if [ $reloadlist == 1 ];then
   done
   IFS="$PREIFS"
   
-  #shuffle the list if enabled
-  if [ "$(cat "${DIRECTORY}/data/settings/Shuffle App list")" == 'Yes' ];then
-    APPS="$(echo "$APPS" | shuf)"
-    DIRS="$(echo "$DIRS" | shuf)"
-  fi
-  
   if [ "$format" == yad ];then
     PREIFS="$IFS"
     IFS=$'\n'
@@ -152,17 +171,27 @@ $i
 $i/
 App folder
 "
-    done
+    done #finished preloading categories
     
-    for i in $APPS
-    do
-      LIST="$LIST$(echo "${DIRECTORY}/icons/$(cat "${DIRECTORY}/data/status/${i}" 2>/dev/null || echo "none").png")
+    #set to false to disable genapplist-yad program - use the original bash version
+    if true && [ -f "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad" ];then
+      LIST="$LIST$(DIRECTORY="$DIRECTORY" APPS="$APPS" "${DIRECTORY}/etc/genapplist-yad")
+"
+    else
+      for i in $APPS
+      do
+        status1="$(cat "${DIRECTORY}/data/status/${i}" 2>/dev/null || echo "none")"
+        status2="$(echo "$status1" | sed 's/none/uninstalled/g')"
+        
+        LIST="$LIST$(echo "${DIRECTORY}/icons/$status1.png")
 ${DIRECTORY}/apps/${i}/icon-24.png
 $i
 $i
-"\("$(app_status "$i")"\)" $(echo "$(cat "${DIRECTORY}/apps/${i}/description" || echo "Description unavailable")" | head -n1)
+"\("$status2"\)" $(head -n1 "${DIRECTORY}/apps/${i}/description" || echo "Description unavailable")
 "
-    done
+      done
+    fi #finished preloading apps
+    
     IFS="$PREIFS"
     
   elif [ "$format" == xlunch ];then
@@ -186,7 +215,7 @@ ${i};$diricon;${i}/"
     for i in $APPS
     do
       LIST="$LIST
-${i} "\("$(app_status "${i}")"\)";${DIRECTORY}/apps/${i}/icon-64.png;${i}"
+${i} ($(app_status "${i}"));${DIRECTORY}/apps/${i}/icon-64.png;${i}"
     done
     IFS="$PREIFS"
   fi
@@ -215,5 +244,5 @@ IFS="$PREIFS" ) &
 
 echo "$LIST"
 
-#re-preload all categories in background
+#preload all categories in background
 "${DIRECTORY}/etc/preload-daemon" "$format" &>/dev/null &