Setting Up Visual Update Express

Introduction

This article provides step-by-step instructions to set up Visual Update Express for your own application within the InstallForge Builder Environment.

Configurating VUE in InstallForge

Thanks to the integration of Visual Update Express into InstallForge it is possible to create your update package directly within the InstallForge environment (see picture below). When building your setup with IF your update instance will be added to the setup package.

Specific information on the various input options is provided below.

1. Product Name
This field specifies the name of your product which will displayed in the update user interface.

2. Update Address
These three fields specify URLs Visual Update Express will use to download the script file and updates for your software. You are able to define two alternative addresses. Note that the URLs do not specify your script file but the path your script file and updates are located in (e.g. http://www.[…].com/MyProductUpdates/)

3. Current Product Version
This field takes the current version of your product you ship together with the update package. This version (defined as a string) will be used by Visual Update Express in order to determine whether a new version of your software is available or not.

4. Language
The language you want to be used by your update package. The express version does not allow you to change the language of your update system once it has been generated.

5. Program File
Use this field to specify the main executable of your software. Visual Update Express can use this information to terminate (6) your program before updating and restarting (6) it again when an update progress is finished.

6. Run Program / Terminate Process
These options will make your update system terminate your program before starting an update and restarting your software after updating.

7. Update File Name
This field specifies the file name of your update instance.

Creating Configuration Files

Once you have created your update package, you are ready to set up your update script file. This file has to be located in the path you have specified in the InstallForge environment (see 2. Update Address) whereas it must be named as updatescript.ini. You also have to create a folder named Updates containing all current program files to be downloaded by Visual Update Express within the same path.

Creating Your Update Script

The update script language is declarative making it very easy for you to create your own scripts. Generally it looks like this:

releases{
1.0
1.1
}

release:1.0{

}

release:1.1{
DownloadFile:MyProgram.exe,
DownloadFile:Builder.exe,bin
}

As you can see the script makes use of “blocks” containing all the necessary information. Within “releases” you have to list all available releases of your software you want to be supported by VUE for updates beginning with the first release (here: 1.0). For each in this way defined release you have to create a block with a command set VUE has to execute when updating (for the first release (here: 1.0) the block has to be left empty).

Below you will find all commands available in Visual Update Express.

The following Windows path constants are supported be VUE which can be used for the parameters: