Auto update functionality

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Auto update functionality
 
Esteban Astudillo


Guest



I need to add an auto-update feature to my add-in and I?Â?Ð?ém wondering if ADX could have something natively that I could take advantage of for implementing this.

I?Â?Ð?ém planning following the strategy described in this article:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/03/02/BITS/

I?Â?Ð?ém not interested (for now) on the BITS features for downloading the files, but in the ability to replace the assembly while the application is still running using the shadow copy and new name space strategy as described in the article.

Looking at the source code of the Shim project generated by ADX I noticed that you use a similar technique to load dynamically the add-in. Then I realized that maybe what I want to implement you have already done it. Is this correct? In any case, it would make a lot of sense to do this in the Shim project instead of my .Net add-in code to avoid the double (or triple?) dynamic call. I found a post in these forums from Eugene from some time ago hinting that you might include such functionality in the future. Eugene?

Another related question: independently now of my specific goal; what would happen to my customers if I want to release a new version of my add-in and for that I recompile it using the latest version of ADX? Would they need to reinstall the entire add-in if the changes are only in the ADX base code?

Thank you for your comments
Posted 07 Apr, 2006 18:32:55 Top
Sergey Grischenko


Add-in Express team


Posts: 7233
 Joined: 2004-07-05
Hi Esteban.

Thank you for the article. I will read it today.
Now we don't have any special solution for updating of .NET add-ins.
As to the shadow copy of the add-in dll, I like this idea but we will publish a new ADX version in a couple of months. Does it suit you?

Another related question: independently now of my specific goal; what would happen to my customers if I want to release a new version of my add-in and for that I recompile it using the latest version of ADX? Would they need to reinstall the entire add-in if the changes are only in the ADX base code?

There is no need to reinstall the add-in completely. However you will have to replace both the add-in dll and ADX assembly.
Posted 10 Apr, 2006 08:10:54 Top