Front end auto update - please advice!

[paulsteigel]

Hi guy!
Wondering a suitable mechanism to keep a mass-deployed application updated using Internet, I am thinking of 2 options (that I will describe briefly below). My application is in mdb format (I don't expect to hide code as I want more curious people access it and revise. My application is for community used and password protected with VBA code, however, password for accessing code is supplied on demand)
Please advice me on what would be best:

1. Create a split front-end with self updating mechanism.
+ Using this, the application will have a core module for removing/Adding of form/macro...
+ By accessing a certain web site frequently (1 check per day), it found a new version e.g a new report, a new form or new cls module. It will download the file (already compressed) to a temporary folder.
+ The downloaded will then be extracted, old module/form will be removed and replaced with the new one.
All such work will be done first before any other work. After the successfully update, the application may require restarting or be ready for use.
[[I tested this method and feel fine with result on my computer/ yet testing on other]]

2. Use a third party FE updater (this is good for copy and replace) and quite abundant out there.

How do you guy think about this? Please advice me.

 

[boblarson]

I like the idea of an internet based updater. I've wanted to design one myself but never have enough time to think about it to get to a proper design. I would, however, make a suggestion. I would replace the entire frontend file instead of doing it by pieces. Of course if you have user settings then you might need to create a way for it to save those before replacing the file (or use a separate database file as your settings repository and link to it from the frontend).

If you don't then you can not have a compiled version (MDE / ACCDE) in order to protect your code, forms and reports from potential changes, or intrusions.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Dairy Farmer]

Many install compliers have the ability to read the registry and act on what they find.

For the full install, write HKLM\MyApp\Version\0.2 to the registry.
For the updated DB first check the registry for the installed version. If <0.2 then install and change registry. If >=0.2 then do nothing.

User settings, use a second BE on the local computer as boblarson suggests.