Quick start: Define an update

You can push out an update at any time. The update can consist of new files, registry modifications and the creation of shortcuts.

The notes that follow relate to items you will find in the panel hyperlinks once you have created a new update.

Create an update

To define a new update click on the panel icon Create Update and specify the version of the new update.

Update tasks

It is typical to start an update by specifying all the files necessary for the update. This will typically involve adding new versions of files to your Application Directory. The update client can deploy files to most common Windows folders and will automatically create any necessary sub folders.

The following update tasks are available:

· Files. The actual files to push to the client

· Shortcuts. Any new shortcuts you wish to create

· Execute. Launch a file at any part of the update process.

· Services. Stop and start Windows services. This is necessary if you are updating a service executable.

· Registry. Create or update registry keys or values.

Dynamic messages

You may also wish to set custom text to be displayed by the update client. Dynamic messages allow you to define screen text as part of the update process. You can also enable/disable certain update screens (such as the Terms & Conditions screen) by ticking the box next to the message.

Update type

Note that the update client is very flexible. The update type option allows you to remotely define an update to be critical, disabling the cancel buttons, or make the update silent. A silent update will be completely transparent and the user will only know an update took place after restarting your application.

Build and upload

When you are ready, build and upload the update to your file, FTP or HTTP server. Note that the core update instructions are defined in UpdateConfig.xml. This file will be automatically processed by the update client when communicating with the server.