Updating an application at run-time via the web.

Unregistered · 03-09-2002

Greets,

As time goes on, I like to (try to) bring my application one step closer to perfection. However, if somebody already has the original, and wishes to update to a the newest version, *how might I allow them to do this at runtime?*

Basically they would click an update button. This would download, from a static URL, the newest version of the EXE that I have uploaded. I understand that they would have to restart the application - that's not a problem.

But I would like for users to be able to update from within the program, hence not having to open IE, open the site, download, etc.

I couldn't find any help files on this, as it isn't a basic C++ operation.

Thanks for your time

John

Unregistered · 03-09-2002

Ack! I forgot to mention that I'm using Borland C++Builder 5 and running WinXP if that's at all relevant

**Betazep** · 03-09-2002

well the HTML portion of it is rather easy... You could open a .html file in the TEMP directory and write your data to it from the program and close...

Then open that .html file.

In the file you would have something like this...

Code:

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="1; url=your.html">
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Where the 1 is the autorefresh time and the url is your website address including the executable (like http://www.mysite.com/myexe.exe). It would refresh and ask the user if they would like to save the file to disk or run from current location.

This is a low tech way of doing it, but it is quite functional.

**Betazep** · 03-09-2002

I have an even better idea... I am writing it right now...

Unregistered · 03-09-2002

I really appreciate this. Thanks a LOT

**Betazep** · 03-09-2002

I looked at the favorites lists to find out that there was .url files. That makes it really easy. Consider the following code. I have tested it on two platforms (NT and 98) and it works. Utilize something similar as a function in your code.

Code:

#include <fstream>
#include <stdlib>
using namespace std;

int main()
{

	ofstream url;
	int i=0;

       // Open file to write url.  
       // Needs to support many different 
       // file structures. (last ditch... write to C drive)

	url.open("C:\\windows\\temp\\myurl.url");
        if (url.fail())
	{
	  ++i;
	  url.open("C:\\temp\\myurl.url");
	  if (url.fail())
	  {
	     ++i;
             url.open("C:\\myurl.url");
	     if (url.fail())
		return 1;
	   } // end inner if
	} //end outter if

	url << "[DEFAULT]\nBASEURL=http://www.yahoo.com\n"
	    << "[InternetShortcut]\nURL=http://www.yahoo.com";

	url.close();

        // Use any file run command here... 
        // I used system, but some people 
        // frown on that.

	if(i==0)
	system ("C:\\windows\\temp\\myurl.url");

	if(i==1)
	system ("C:\\temp\\myurl.url");

	if(i==2)
	system ("C:\\myurl.url");

return 0;

} // end main

**Liam Battle** · 03-09-2002

that is a good idea above...
but also you could just make a quick VB app, and add a winsock component... i dont know if you do VB at all. but its quite simple...

I write my programs in C++ , but my updaters i write a small VB app...

just a suggestion.

if not a simple C++ console prog can do it.

Unregistered · 03-09-2002

Thanks a lot!

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