Creating a New Updates File

This tutorial will guide you step by step in creating and maintaining an Updates Configuration File that is used by the Auto Updater.

We will create an Update Project that will have as result the updates file used in the Updater Tutorial.

1. Create the project
2. Adding the first update
3. Adding the second update
4. Adding the third update
5. The End

Create the project

If Advanced Installer is not currently running, launch it by double-clicking a desktop icon or selecting it from the "Start" menu. When the application starts, you will see a dialog where you can choose the type of the project you want to create.

Select Updates Configuration and press the OK button. The new project has been created and from now on you will edit it.

Save the project and give it the same name used in the updater tutorial - "StoryUpdates".

Adding the first update

After completing the first part of the updater tutorial you will need to manage the first update. So it is time to configure the project to add information on "story1.1.msp" update.

Use the [ New Update ] toolbar button. A dialog will pop out allowing you to choose the location of the update file on the disk. Select the story1.1.msp patch file.

Select the update in the tree and rename it to "story1.1"

Configure this update a follows:

The description of the update is specified in the Description tab.

Modify the code with your own URL location and size for the files.

As a criteria for detecting whether the patch is installed or not, it is used the size of the file found on the user's computer.

For detailed description of the all the INI entries that are available please see updates configuration file.

For an example on how to configure the updates file if you are using an EXE file please see: Updates for an EXE.

Build the project. The created update file should look something like:

;aiu;

[story1.1]
Name = Story 1.1
Description = This fixes some spelling mistakes in the story.txt file.
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story1.1.msp
Size = 12345
FilePath = [APPDIR]story.txt
FileSize = 1234

Adding the second update

In the third part of the updater tutorial it is managed the second update patch "story1.1.msp". So you will have to add and configure the new update.

Use the same steps as above to add the update to the project.

This second update cannot be installed if the first one isn't already present on the target computer. In other words this second update depends on the first one so you will have to create this dependency.

Use the [ Add > Dependency ] toolbar button. A dialog will pop out allowing you to specify the update on which the current update depends on.

Modify the URL location and the size of the files and upload the updates configuration file.

For an example with an EXE file please see: Updates for an EXE.

Build the project. The updates file should look like this:

;aiu;
        
[story1.2]
Name = Story 1.2
Description = This adds a new paragraph
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story1.2.msp
Size = 23456
FilePath = [APPDIR]story.txt
FileSize = 2345
Depends = story1.1
      
[story1.1]
Name = Story 1.1
Description = This fixes some spelling mistakes in the story.txt file.
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story1.1.msp
Size = 12345
FilePath = [APPDIR]story.txt
FileSize = 1234

Adding the third update

The last update that is described in the updater tutorial is a major one. Add it to the project and configure it in the same manor as before.

Being a major upgrade it means that all the changes present in the first two updates are contained in it. So this update can be installed without the need of installing the previous ones before. It replaces them. You will have to configure the project to add this setting.

Use the [ Add > Replaces ] toolbar button. A dialog will pop out allowing you to specify the replaced updates.

Again make the necessary changes to the URL.

The File Size criteria is not used anymore. Simply the presence of the contents.txt file on the target machine will be enough to see that the second version has been installed. So clear the "Expected Value" field.

For an example that uses an EXE file visit the link: Updates for an EXE.

Build the project.

The End

This concluded the tutorial. After building the project in it's final state the updates configuration file will look something like:

;aiu;
        
[story2.0]
Name = Story 2.0
Description = Version 2.0 of the story
Feature = Two more files
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story2.0.msi
Size = 7034245
FilePath = [APPDIR]contents.txt
Replaces = All

[story1.2]
Name = Story 1.2
Description = This adds a new paragraph
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story1.2.msp
Size = 4034245
FilePath = [APPDIR]story.txt
FileSize = 713345
Depends = story1.1

[story1.1]
Name = Story 1.1
Description = This fixes some spelling mistakes in the story.txt file.
URL = http://www.myupdateslocation.com/download/story1.1.msp
Size = 12345
FilePath = [APPDIR]story.txt
FileSize = 1234