Date: 02-16-2022
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created by gbSnippets
'Allowing a user to download a new version of software is very common. Here's one way to do it,
'based on using the TCP capabilities of PowerBASIC. This approach provides download status information.
'See the snippet http://gbl_00050 For a second approach that uses the URLDownloadToFile API.
'This approach only addresses online updating of the application EXE. As written, it does not
'include code to download secondary/support files.
'The approach is pretty simple, requiring only the following steps:
'1. Place your latest EXE on your server, renamed as "yourapp.new". Using .new for an
' extension bypasses download constraints on downloading files with .EXE extensions
' and avoids downloading a file with the same name as your application.
'2. On your server, place a text file which contains a single line, containing only the
' version/build number of the latest EXE. Name it "yourapp.ver".
'3. In your app, place a menu item (I suggest Help\CheckForUpdates) which calls the
' CheckForUpdates procedure given below
'4. Run "CheckForUpdates" - it will download "app.ver", read the content, and compare the local
' and server EXE versions. If a newer version is on the servers, and the user agrees, the function will
' download the latest version of "yourapp" (a file called "yourapp.new"). CheckForUpdates also deletes, if
' they exist, the files "yourapp.exe.old" and "yourapp.new", to make room for the new downloadable version.
' CheckForUpdates then starts a second application, gbOnlineUpdate, passing it the name of the application
' to be updated plus the position/size for displaying gbOnlineUpdate.
'gbOnlineUpdate source code is included in snippet http://gbl_00051. Put the gbOnlineUpdate.exe
'file in the same folder as your application EXE.
'This approach, based on the PowerBASIC TCP statements, is capable of providing download
'status information.
'Primary Code:
'To initiate an online update, a single procedure is all that must be added to your application. That
'procedure includes a local variable containing the current version/build# of the application.
'Because of length, the CheckForUpdates procedure is shown only once, in the compilable example below.
'Compilable Example: (Jose Includes)
'This code uses a menu item under HELP to call the CheckForUpdates routine. The routine verifies that
'a new version of the application is available from the server, downloads the new version file, and starts a
'second program called gbOnlineUpdate. The second program, gbOnlineUpdate, backs up the original EXE by
'renaming it as xxx.exe.old, then renames the download file as xxx.exe and optionally restarts the new program.
#Compiler PBWin 9, PBWin 10
#Compile EXE
#Dim All
%Unicode=1
#Include "Win32API.inc"
#Include "CommCtrl.inc"
#Include "WinINET.inc"
%ID_MenuHelpCheckForUpdates = 100 : %ID_DownloadTimer = 300
%ID_Label = 400 : %ID_ProgressBar = 500
Global hDlg As Dword, hMenu As Dword, hMenuHelp As Dword, hWait as Long
Function PBMain() As Long
Dialog New Pixels, 0, "Test Code",300,300,200,200, %WS_OverlappedWindow To hDlg
Control Add Label, hDlg, 500, "I am the original EXE", 20,20,140,20, %WS_Border Or %SS_Center
AddMenu
Dialog Show Modal hDlg Call DlgProc
End Function
CallBack Function DlgProc() As Long
If CB.Msg = %WM_Command AND CB.Ctl = %ID_MenuHelpCheckForUpdates Then CheckForUpdates
End Function
Sub AddMenu
Menu New Bar To hMenu
Menu New Popup To hMenuHelp
Menu Add Popup, hMenu, "&Help", hMenuHelp, %MF_Enabled
Menu Add String, hMenuHelp, "&Check For Update", %ID_MenuHelpCheckForUpdates, %MF_Enabled
Menu Attach hMenu, hDlg
End Sub
Sub CheckForUpdates
Local app$, LocalVer$, LocalFilePath$, URLSite$, URLVerPath$, URLFilePath$, Buffer$, ServerVer$
Local ServerFileSize&, AllBytes$, x As Long, y As Long, h As Long, w As Long, Style&, pid As Dword
Local LocalFilePathZ As Asciiz*%Max_Path
'local information
app$ = "gbsnippets" 'the name of your application, without the EXE - use lowercase!
LocalVer$ = "1.0" 'use a string representing a numerical value
LocalFilePath = Exe.Path$ + app$ + ".new" 'location to put file on local PC
LocalFilePathZ = LocalFilePath 'one of the API requires an AsciiZ version of the LocalFilePath
'server information
URLSite$ = "www.garybeene.com"
URLVerPath$ = "http://www.garybeene.com/files/" + app$ + ".ver" 'get the new app from the server
URLFilePath$ = "http://www.garybeene.com/files/" + app$ + ".new" 'get the new app from the server
'clear the cache for the .new file
DeleteURLCacheEntry(LocalFilePathZ) '1 = success clear the cache
'read the .ver file from the server (not save, just read content into buffer$)
'if cannot get it tell user there was a problem and then exit Sub
Tcp Open "HTTP" AT URLSite$ AS #1 TIMEOUT 60000
Tcp Print #1, "GET " + URLVerPath$ + " HTTP/1.0"
Tcp Print #1, ""
Tcp Recv #1, 4096, ServerVer$ 'this gets the Header + Body
Tcp Close #1
ServerVer$ = Remain$(ServerVer$, $crlf + $crlf) 'this returns just the body
'if ServerVer$ not newer, tell user and then exit Sub
Select Case Val(ServerVer$)
Case 0
MsgBox "Update information not available!", %MB_Ok Or %MB_IconInformation, "Online Update"
Exit Sub
Case <= Val(LocalVer$)
MsgBox "You have the latest update!", %MB_Ok Or %MB_IconInformation, "Online Update"
Exit Sub
End Select
'server version is now verified as newer than local version
'ask user for permission to proceed with download
Style& = %MB_OkCancel Or %MB_IconQuestion Or %MB_TaskModal
If MsgBox ("Update available. Download and install?", Style&, "Online Update") = %IDCancel Then Exit Sub
'before downloading, remove the existing .old and .new files, if they exist
If IsFile(LocalFilePath$ + ".old") Then Kill LocalFilePath$ + ".old" 'kill .old to clear the way
If IsFile(LocalFilePath$) Then Kill LocalFilePath$ 'kill .new to clear the way
'Get file size to use in download display status
Tcp Open "HTTP" At URLSite$ As #1 TimeOut 60000
Tcp Print #1, "HEAD " + URLFilePath$ + " HTTP/1.0"
Tcp Print #1, "" : Tcp Recv #1, 4096, Buffer$ : Tcp Close #1
Buffer$ = Remain$(Buffer$, "Content-Length:")
ServerFileSize& = Val(Extract$(Buffer$, $CrLf))
'Exit Sub if filesize is zero (tell user of the problem)
If ServerFileSize& = 0 Then
MsgBox "Download file Not found!", %MB_Ok + %MB_IconExclamation, "Online Update"
Exit Sub
End If
'Display a Downloading ... PleaseWait dialog with a download status progress bar
Dialog Get Client hDlg To w,h
Local locX As Long, locY As Long, sizeX as Long, sizeY as Long
sizeX = 170 : sizeY = 90
locX = (w-sizeX)/2 'gets left position of WaitDialog to center over app
locY = (h-sizeY)/2 'gets top position of WaitDialog to center over app
Dialog New Pixels, hDlg, "", locX, locY, sizeX, sizeY, %WS_Popup To hWait
Control Add Label, hWait, %ID_Label, $crlf + "Downloading ... please wait !", 0, 0, sizeX, sizeY, %SS_Center Or %WS_Border
Control Set Color hWait, %ID_Label, %Black, %White
Control Add ProgressBar, hWait, %ID_ProgressBar,"", 10,sizeY-40,sizeX-20,20 'bottom of dialog, but on top of label
Dialog Show Modeless hWait
'Download the file
Tcp Open "http" AT URLSite$ AS #1 TIMEOUT 60000 'connect
If Err Then Beep : Exit Sub
Tcp Print #1, "GET " & URLFilePath$ & " HTTP/1.0" 'send the GET request
Tcp Print #1, ""
Do 'get bytes until no more available
Tcp Recv #1, 4096, Buffer$
AllBytes$ = AllBytes$ + Buffer$
ProgressBar Set Pos hWait, %ID_ProgressBar, (100*Len(AllBytes$)/ServerFileSize&)
Loop While IsTrue Len(Buffer$) AND IsFalse Err
Tcp Close #1 'done, close the connection
Dialog End hWait 'Remove the download status dialog
If Len(AllBytes$) = 0 Then
'download failed. tell the user then exit sub
MsgBox "Download of updated version failed!", %MB_Ok Or %MB_IconInformation, "Online Update"
Exit Sub
End If
'Save the file, but first take off the HTTP header from the received bytes
AllBytes$ = Remain$(AllBytes$, $CrLf + $CrLf)
Open LocalFilePath$ For Binary As #1
Put$ #1,AllBytes$
Close #1
'the new application was successfully downloaded, so start gbOnlineUpdate.EXE, passing app.exe
'dialog dimensions /top /left /width /height are passed so gbOnlineUpdate can be centered on currently running app.EXE
'note: use 1 or more spaces to separate gbOnlineUpdate command line arguments
Dialog Get Loc hDlg To x,y : Dialog Get Size hDlg To w,h
pid = Shell (Exe.Path$ + "gbOnlineUpdate.exe " + app$ + " " + Str$(x) + " " + Str$(y) + " " + Str$(w) + " " + Str$(h))
'now close the appliciation and let gbOnlineUpdate do its work
Sleep 350 'strictly for effect - gbOnlineUpdate appears briefly on top of app
Dialog End hDlg 'quit this application - gbOnlineUpdate is now running
End Sub
'gbs_00381
'Date: 03-10-2012
http://www.garybeene.com/sw/gbsnippets.htm