Advanced Installer User Guide

Structure of the Updates Configuration File on the Server

In order for the Updater to be able to download the newest versions of your program it has to know about them. The way to do that is by using a configuration file located on your server. The location for this file is designated when the package is build, in the Updates URL field.

The first line of the updates configuration file must contain the following signature: “;aiu;”. If this entry doesn't exist the file will not be recognized by the Auto Updater.

This file can be edited and maintained manually or it can be build using Updates Configuration Projects. It should be in the standard Windows INI format and it should be composed of one or more sections. There is a section for each available update and, optionally, a special section for general configuration, named General. The name for a section must be unique; the comparison is done case insensitive. A section name must contain only letters and digits, no special characters. The updates should be placed in descending order, with the newest first.

It is required to place each new update data in a section with a new and different name from the others. This is because the Updater will download the update file in a folder with the same name as the section.

The keys inside each section describe the update. Some of the keys are necessary for the correct functioning of the updater. Other are optional, used to better inform the user about the characteristics of the update.

See Updates Configuration Examples for sample files using these settings.

Some of these strings can be localized. All you have to do is edit the file using an ANSI code page supported by the language in which the localization is done.

The keys are grouped in several categories: