InstallAware

I have few questions regarding web update dialogs:

In both Choose updates to download and Choose updates to install dialogs, details filed is always empty. I assume it should be populated with description to selected update pack from updates.ini file.
In the next dialog The updates are being installed the Installation status field is always empty as well. As far as I am aware, it should be populated with info lines, similar to standard installation process.
Is this setup behaviour correct?

Just another question: How can I localize fields from updates.ini file i.e. Update pack title and Decription, to display them in the user's language?

Thanks a lot if you can help me on the way

Dariusz Kalita

Hi,

can't help you with the first question. This always worked correctly for me. Maybe check your translation files again?

To the second question. I made this small modification to the update script to be able to put localized descriptions into the updates.ini file:

label: Form Description
Parse String $UPDATE_AVAILABLE_TEMP$ into Variables UPDATE_NAME and UPDATE_AVAILABLE_TEMP (Split at first occurrence of pattern)
UPDATE_COUNT = $UPDATE_COUNT$ + 1
Comment: try to get localized description, otherwise fallback
Get INI $SUPPORTDIR$\\updates.ini, [$UPDATE_NAME$] Description_$LANGUAGE$ Value into Variable UPDATE_DETAIL_TEMP
if Variable UPDATE_DETAIL_TEMP Equals
Get INI $SUPPORTDIR$\\updates.ini, [$UPDATE_NAME$] Description Value into Variable UPDATE_DETAIL_TEMP
end


Rgds
Richard

Hello Richard,

I've already tried it out and it works fine!
I still cannot resolve the problem with missing texts within all update dialogs though. So I was not able to see the proper description "live" during the update process, but the localized text of $UPDATE_DETAIL_TEMP$ displayed as a MessageBox was correct!

Many thanks for your advice, it was really useful for me.

Rgds,
Dariusz Kalita

P.S.
Just in case, I am willing to comunicate in German, as well.
[email protected]

I am still searching for the solution of the missing texts in web update dialogs issue. And it seems to be related to the localization process.

That's how it works:

I begin with starting a new project with web updates enabled. I build it, go online for updates, web update client starts his job, finds updates and shows dialogs. In the first dialog Choose updates to download the Details field is filled with description from updates.ini to selected Update Pack. Following dialogs work properly as well - everything is fine till now.

Next, let's assume we want to localize our resourcess; To imitate the localization process I export strings to an external folder and soon after I import the same untouched strings back into my project. Then, the same procedure with building project, going online for updates and so on. But this time it turns out that Details to Update Pack are gone - the field appears empty somehow. Why? Similar issues appear in the following dialogs: Fields: Download status in The updates are being downloaded and Details in Choose updates to install remains unfilled and show no reaction to the update progress.

After importing strings some files are added as Support Files to the project - it's obvious. They are, in the simplest case: <Product>.mtx, translations.English, translation.Map and translation.Original. If I remove them from the project in the Project Manager apparently everything works fine again.

I find it very odd.

Is there a workaround for this issue?
Can anyone assist?
Many thanks.

Rgds,
Dariusz Kalita

IA 8.01 (102208)

Hi,

just a few thoughts:
- do you manually set the LANGUAGE variable?
- do only the dialogs loose the translated texts or also the script?
- is everything on the same machine (dev and build)?
- does <Product>.mtx (the filename) include some non 7bit ascii characters?

Rgds
Richard

Hello Richard,

- No, I don't set the LANGUAGE variable manually. The script is unchanged from its original state.
- Only dialogs loose texts, both variables UPDATE_DETAIL and UPDATE_DETAIL_TEMP in the script behave correctly. They store proper description strings from updates.ini.
- Yes, development and build share the same machine.
- <Product>.mtx is just "WebUpdate_test" with no spaces. This is the same value as property Product Name.

I think, the problem occurs during passing strings from the script variables to the dialogs.

Rgds,
Dariusz

The problem is definitely caused by translation.English or any other translation.<Locale> file. If this file(-s) is removed from the project everything goes fine. If it is included - the problems occur again.

I've tried it out on two different machines: under Vista with IA 8.01 and XP with IA 8.00. The behaviour is exactly the same on both of them.

If Anyone could reproduce this case on his local machine and let me know how it works, I would really appreciate!
Thanks for your time.

Rgds,
Dariusz Kalita

Hi Dariusz,

just found out that I also have the same problem now.

The details field stays empty no mater what. The value of the variable $UPDATE_DETAIL$ is correct, as checked with a message box. I tried replacing the control with another RichEditControl or with a MemoControl, but to no avail.

This used to work in previous versions of InstallAware. So this looks like a bug to me.

Rgds
Richard

Hi Richard,

it's good to know that there are two of us with the same problem .

I hope that IA team will fix the bug as soon as possible. Web update is a quite crucial feature for my clients.

Rgds,
Dariusz

Are you able to reproduce this with a generic project? We'll need you to send us exact steps which reproduce the issue, starting off with a generic project. Since we have many customers using these features successfully, its not a bug that we can easily reproduce.

Hi sinan,

- create a new project with the basic template
- check "receive application updates"
- enter an url of a prepared updates.ini
- leave the radio button at manual update checking
- enter a product version that can be found in the updates.ini
- compile the project
- run it with the /update commandline argument
-> the download selection form appears with the detail information as expected.

- export localizations
- import localizations (with or without modifications). Check german, english and dutch or whatever.
- check or uncheck "display language selection dialog" (doesn't matter)
- compile the project again
- run it with the /update commandline argument
-> the download selection form appears, but this time, the lower half with the details stays empty.
As stated earlier in the post, the variable $UPDATE_DETAIL$ holds the correct value, but it doesn't display when localized.

- remove all support files from the project
- compile the project
- run it with the /update commandline argument
-> the download selection form appears with the detail information as expected.

Rgds
Richard

Hi Richard,

thank you for providing this step by step explanation.

Rgds,
Dariusz

Hi,

new IA version 9 is out there, many interesting features included - automatic localization, caching, Win 7 support, to mention only some of them. Really great job!

Unfortunately, it seems that in terms of missing details in web update dialogs nothing has happened The problems are exactly the same as in the Ver. 8. After importing localized strings in to the project, detail fields in the web update dialogs remain empty during runtime.

Following dialogs are affected from this issue:
update_notify_download - the variable $UPDATE_DETAIL$ doesn't display
update_notify_install - $UPDATE_DETAIL_INSTALL$
update_install - $UPDATE_INSTALL_PROGRESS$
update_download - $UPDATE_DOWNLOAD_PROGRESS$

I think, with the automatic localization that is so easy to use many users will run this issue.

Rgds,
Dariusz

R&D will be issuing a hotfix update for this problem within the next 24 hours. Please log on to your customer account, regenerate and reinstall your license file - this will update your InstallAware engine to the fixed version.

Hi Darek,

I'm from Poland too and I had the same problem couple of months ago. What I did was to add Language line to every single update in updates.ini file. Something like this:

[Update Packs for Versions]
4.0.6.7=Aktualizacja do wersji 4.0.6.8
[Aktualizacja do wersji 4.0.6.8]
Languages=Polish,English
URL=http://my_web page/patch4068.exe
Description=Nowości w wersji...
Reboot=No
Silent=No
Parameters=


However I'm not 100% sure whether that was the real solution because I made some changes to update script as well.

I'm glad that R&D will definitely solve that irritating error!