Auto-Update Check

Controls: Edit Menu >> Start Preferences >> Auto-Update Check
Macro: UpdateCheck

When this box is checked, each subsequent Daqarta startup will briefly connect to the Internet and read the number of the latest version from the Daqarta Website. If it is different from your version, a "New Version Available!" message box will appear. This offers to open your browser to a page showing the two version numbers, with links to download the latest version and/or view the Revision History to see what changes were made.

If the latest version is the same as your version, no message appears.

If no Internet connection is available, a failure message will appear on the main Daqarta status message line above the Generator Title box.

Note that some agressive Internet firewalls may block the Auto-Update Check. Your firewall should notify you if this happens, and ask if you want to allow it. You should tell the firewall to "Always allow" if you set Auto-Update Check on, to avoid having to approve each access.

Otherwise, consider using the manual Check for Updates option in the Help menu when you want to check for updates. Since this just launches your default browser, it is less likely to be blocked by the firewall.

Note: The Auto-Update Check option is not available on Win9x systems, only the manual Help option.

Macro Notes:

UpdateCheck=1 toggles this option on. Note: This does not cause an update check until the next Daqarta startup. UpdateCheck=0 toggles the option off.

To cause an immediate update check under macro control, use the Posn?U Miscellaneous Position Macro. This will return a value of 0 if you have the latest version, 1 if a newer version is available, or -1 if the Internet connection fails.

If the above returns a 1, you can use the HelpUpdate macro to directly open the browser to the version check page. (This is the macro for the manual Check for Updates option in the Help menu.)

You could use the above instead of Auto-Update Check to check only on every Nth startup. Use a fixed-point macro variable Var0-Z (which is preserved across Daqarta sessions) to store the N count. At the start of the First_Run auto-init macro you can add a call to your own macro, which counts down the variable, tests the Posn?U result, and calls HelpUpdate as needed.

See also Start Preferences Dialog, Help Menu - Check for Updates, Miscellaneous Position Macros