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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 10:48 |
Hi everyone,
I'm using WD12 and am about to start deploying a software application to my first three customers.
I've read the various threads in this forum concerning deployment, and it appears several people include a call to WDMODFIC in their code rather than letting Windev check for newer versions of software automatically.
I can see how to do this from the threads, but I can't pick out why some people go this way. What are the Pros and Cons of using each method? I'd be grateful to get some of your experiences to help me choose which way to go.
Cheers
Reg |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 10:51 |
Hello Reg
We only run WDModfic when it is required. To achieve that we send a new wdd file along with any updates and our project initialization tests for the presence of a wdd file at each startup. If the file is available, then WDModfic is run and the wdd file is deleted.
There is an issue with running WDModifc from code. If you use the backup option it creates numbered file copies of the original files and these must be deleted at some stage or they will build up. As a rule I do not like deleting files from my clients data folders so I do not use this option and create a full backup prior to running WDmodfic. By contrast, running WDModfic manually will create a datetime stamped folder and the backups are placed in that folder automatically.
To me there is no logic behind PCSoft's purpose in having two totally different backup methods in WDModfic, and that they depend on how WDmodfic is initiated, especially when the numbered files option is such a bad process and the separate folder is perhaps the best method ? Why not use the same backup method regardless of how the program is started ?
Regards
Al |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 10:51 |
Hi Al,
So given your misgivings about the way backups are done if you run WDMODFIC manually from code, why don't you just let Windev update the data files itself when you issue an update? Why both coding a call to WDMODFIC into your project initialization code at all?
Cheers
Reg |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 11:22 |
Hello Reg
We have never used the Windev inbuilt installer, which I presume does an auto file update,so coding or manual are the only choices for WDModfic.
Regards
Al |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 12:11 |
I see.
Thanks for the input Al.
Cheers
Reg |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 12:14 |
Hi Reg,
we call WDMODFIC in code because we can update one administration and let the others as is on that moment. In our software a client can use more than one administration, but one at the time. Only when you use this same structure with HF Client/server, thus with more administrations in one database, then WDMODFIC converts all (changed) files in all administrations.
An important pro is the fact that a call of WDMODFIC in code does not need the .FIC file. You can specify a directory that will be updated (HF Classic). .FIC files becomes messed up some times with files that are deleted later or complete administrations (in our case) that are deleted. That was in our case the reason of troubles with automatic update via WinDev installations.
Hope this helps you a bit. |
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| Posté le 05 juillet 2010 - 12:31 |
Hi, I do not like to let WDMODFIC being run automatically too. There's one big danger! If your customer 'updates' to an older version of your software, which happens more often than you'd believe, then the automatic file updater (using WDMODFIC) will run indefinitely! It 'sees' a different file structure but isn't able to decide whether it's older or newer. From that point on - nothing will work anymore until a second update is done - at least with the previously installed version.
The key to handle exactly that situation for your customers lies in finding out the generation number of the actual file and compare it to the generation number of this file in the current analysis (in the .wdd file). Which is not as straightforward as you'd think because there's no explicit W-language command to retrieve the wdd-internal generation number!
Solution: http://www.windev.at/html/intgennumber.html
Kind regards,
Guenter |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 11:24 |
Thanks for all the input people...
The responses beg another question though. Why avoid using WD's built-in installer? It can provide an automatic way to keep client versions in sync, which would seem to be a good thing? |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 13:23 |
Hello Reg
PCSoft try their best to provide us with every tool we may need in developing software and on a few occassions they miss the mark and this was the case with the installer and also the Help system. In the early days the installer was plagued with problems, so I assume that most of us just moved away from it and used other tools, I know a number of forum members use Lindersoft as an install program.
I must admit that I haven't even bothered to look at the Windev installer over the last few versions so it may have improved, but I am happy with my current solution. If it works for ok you that's a bonus.
Regards
Al |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 13:23 |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 16:10 |
I have always used the installer and find it suitable for my needs. Obviously, no mater what you do, you can't meet everyone's needs. Give it a go first before you decide. Find a clean machine and have a try it out.
regards
issah |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 17:26 |
Hello Reg,
I use the installer with the automatic update of HF CS and I do have issue.
When It is a Network install every time I send an update out and the user is updating their client it will ask them (Every User) to update the HF CS.
This is a problem because some machines it will ask in French and some in English and the user needs to know the Admin user name and password.
I only have about 30 users so I had to explain to them what to do but it could be a problem.
I have sent in a request with tech support and they confirmed it, so now it is in the black hole. |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 17:51 |
Hi DW,
I read something about this recently. The advice given was to set up all the tables in your Analysis as Classic rather than HFCS, then use code to connect to one or more HFCS database(s) in your Project initialisation code.
cheers
Reg |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 18:09 |
Yes,
That is the method that I use.
DW |
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| Posté le 06 juillet 2010 - 18:39 |
| Have you tried using WDINSTto play around with your setup configuration? There are options in there regarding HFCS etc... |
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| Posté le 07 juillet 2010 - 09:34 |
Thanks for all the input people...
>
The responses beg another question though. Why avoid using WD's built-in installer? It can provide an automatic way to keep client versions in sync, which would seem to be a good thing?
>
As I did describe the situation - in some cases the automatic restructuring can turn against its masters and bites ! You CAN use PC Soft's installer - in v15 it's better than ever! - and you can click off the automatic restructuring. Regards, Guenter |
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| Posté le 12 juillet 2010 - 15:39 |
Just to thank everyone who contributed to this. I have included the code to run WDMODFIC at system launch and it works very well.
Note to DW: re your prompting problem, I was initially still getting that, even using WDMODFIC in code. I solved it by editing the Analysis and deleting any connections defined within it. Maybe that'll help?
cheers
Reg |
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