AppLife Update

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Stay connected with your deployed .NET applications. AppLife Update is an updating solution for .NET software applications.  Using AppLife Update, you can easily enable your applications to discover, download, and apply updates automatically.  It handles all of the challenges of updating .NET software. Update publishing, discovery, download, application shutdown, automatic proxy detection, elevated user privileges, Vista UAC prompt handling, and custom update actions are included.  AppLife Update is fully documented and ships with three Quick Start example applications to get you updating your applications very quickly.

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AppLife Update V1.3.0.23

AppLife Update V1.3.0.23 Software Maintenance Extension

Our prices include ComponentSource technical support and, for most downloadable products, an online backup and a FREE upgrade to the new version if it is released within 30 days of your purchase.  All sales are made on our standard Terms and Conditions and subject to our Return Policy. Please contact us if you require any licensing option not listed above including volume licensing and previous versions.

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New Features in AppLife Update V1.3x

• Suppress Automatic Shutdown - A new ApplyUpdate option allows an update to be initiated without shutting down the hosting application.
• Skip Actions during a Build - Skip actions during a build without removing the actions from the action list. You can include/exclude any action in the list.
• Set More Shared Property Values - Use the Set Shared Property action to add common folder paths, the update version, or any text to the Shared Property collection, allowing the use of these values in other update actions.
• Access Update Package Size (in bytes) - Access update package file size information immediately after checking for updates, and before downloading the update.
• Add Default Network Credentials to the Auto Detected Proxy - Set a property on the Update Controller to add default credentials to the application scoped default web proxy.
• Set a Preferred Download Path - Override the default client update package download folder and set it to a preferred download location.
• Unlicensed Software Can Now Download Updates - The limitation preventing unlicensed AppLife Update software to detect and download updates has been removed.

What's new in V1.x:

• Update Engine User Interface Options - Implementers of AppLife™ Update Action List projects now have more control over the display and behavior of the Update Engine User Interface. You can choose to perform an immediate restart without requiring user intervention, you can choose to restart the hosting application, or you can choose to silently update by not showing an update user interface at all.
• SSL Download Support - Configure your application to check for and retrieve updates from SSL protected network locations. In addition, you can place updates in password secured network locations and configure your application to pass network credentials while checking for and retrieving updates.
• Localized Built-In User Interface - The Update Controller and Update Engine are now localized to seven cultures. Provide update user interfaces for users in english, chinese, french, german, italian, japanese, and spanish. Perform the string translations and you can utilize the AppLife™ Update user interface in any language.
• x64 Operating System Compatibility - Update your applications on both 32 and 64 bit Windows XP and Windows Vista. Explicitly target the 64 bit Registry and File System, as well as register 32 and 64 bit COM components.
• New Database Actions - Update client side databases during your updates. New provider-independent database actions allow you to easily perform transacted database work during updates. New actions include Begin Database Transaction, Commit Database Transaction, Transacted Database Query, Transacted Stored Procedure
• Expansion Variables - Share information between actions with Shared Property expansion variables. New actions designed to set Shared Property variables can be used to read configuration information from xml files, registry keys, and databases. With expansion variables, custom actions are not needed as often. Expansion variables also allow interaction between custom actions and built-in actions.
• Added Command Line Utility features - This feature allows for automating the switch between limited and normal availability of published updates.

AppLife Update is a complete update solution that’s ready for integration into your product.  It is one of the easiest solutions to integrate and use and the pricing and licensing model offers a sound business choice over developing your own.

Using AppLife Update, you can easily enable your applications to discover, download, and apply updates automatically with little or no user interaction. You can use AppLife Update actions to actually perform the update process of your software, or you can use Windows Installer packages. You can even use a completely custom executable to perform the update process.

Create & Publish
Update your software easily using AppLife Update actions, Windows Installer files, or your own updating application.

• AppLife Update Action Lists - Replace files, register COM components, modify Xml documents and more by adding the ready-to-use actions into an update project. Perform any custom actions your application requires with the extremely easy to use custom action infrastructure. Action list updates makes your automatic software update process extremely easy to implement.
• Windows Installer Updates - Deploy your Msi and Msp updates. AppLife Update will package these files into an update package and deploy them to your clients appropriately. Take advantage of the flexible update deployment architecture to accomplish your updates.
• Custom Updates - If you are using a completely custom update utility for your application, use AppLife Update to distribute your updater to your clients. Take advantage of the flexible deployment architecture to accomplish your updates.
• Automated Processes - Using the AppLife Update command line utility, you can easily automate building and publishing your software updates. Integrate building your updates right into your build process. MSBuild Actions and FinalBuilder actions can be downloaded.

The AppLife Update process is very transparent. AppLife Update compiles all of the files that are necessary to update your software into an update package. Information describing each update package is published so that the AppLife update component in your application can discover available updates. Once discovered, AppLife Update will download updates for you. Keep peace-of-mind that your application is secure as each update package is signed using public-private key cryptography. Your software will only apply updates after the package is validated that it is intact and originated from you.

Discover & Download
Integrate automatic update features into your .Net applications using the AppLife Update Controller component. The Update Controller does all of the work of discovering and downloading updates for you. You can serve updates to your software from any file or web server.

• Programming Your Application - AppLife Update features are integrated into your application source code by referencing a single assembly. The Update Controller allows you to easily implement updating features with a single line of code. The flexible AppLife Update architecture also allows you to totally customize the user experience. You can check for updates synchronously or asynchronously from within your own forms. You can handle events during the update process that allow you to perform custom tasks such as checking licensing or saving unfinished work. You are in total control of the process.
• Update From any Server - Any file server can operate as your update server. There are NO specific server requirements to use AppLife Update. Use http, ftp, UNC, or file paths for serving up your updates. Use Windows servers or Linux servers.
• Downloading Updates - Use the standard AppLife Update download form or create your own custom form. AppLife Update downloading is easily customized by using synchronous or asynchronous downloading methods. It does all of the difficult thread handling for you. Automatically detect proxy settings or set them manually. AppLife Update makes it very easy to integrate clean and robust automatic network updating features into your .Net applications.

The Update Controller can be freely distributed without royalties with your software. The Update Controller API is fully documented and the software includes three Quick Start example applications that demonstrate implementation of the most common features.

Validate & Apply
The AppLife Update Controller validates every downloaded update package to ensure integrity and source. After validation, updates are applied using an AppLife Update Action List, the Windows Installer, or your own custom update executable.

• Cryptographic Validation - After the update package is downloaded from your update server, the Update Controller in your application validates the update by checking its signature with the application's public cryptographic key. Only after validating the update, can it be applied.
• Shutdown All Instances - Applying an update first closes all instances of the application being updated so that its files can be replaced. Before closing, you can handle an event to ensure each instance is ready to be closed. You can perform tasks such as saving work in progress, closing other applications, or writing your own logs. If any instance is not ready for closing, you can even cancel the update process.
• VistaUAC Ready - With AppLife Update action list updates, your automatic update process is ready for Windows Vista and the User Account Control (UAC).
• Elevated Privileges - The AppLife Update Service can elevate user privileges during the application of your AppLife Update action list updates. Elevating privileges allows standard users to update your software without administrative support. AppLife Update makes it easy to deploy the service with your software by including a Merge Module (msm) that installs the service and registers your application for elevation. The AppLife Update service will only update applications that are administratively registered.

Applife Update action list updates are applied on your clients with a clean and simple user interface that keeps the user informed of progress during the update process. You can brand the update user interface screen by applying your logo and application name to the form. Each applied update is fully transacted and logged. AppLife Update securely and reliably applies updates to your software on your client computers.

Features:

• Integrates into your application - Integrate AppLife automatic update features into your .Net application by adding a single component
• No server requirements - Host AppLife Update packages on any file server
• Fine grain versioning control - AppLife Update provides fine control over the specific software versions that can apply your updates
• Download and publish updates using Http/Ftp/UNC/Filepath addresses - Use AppLife Update over the internet, on your local network, or both
• Automatic proxy detection - AppLife Update automatically detects proxy settings for you. You can also manually configure proxy server settings
• Public-Private key validation - Have peace-of-mind that your software is secure with AppLife Update. Each update package is signed with your own private key during publishing and verified with the associated public key before it is applied
• Create custom update actions - Perform application specific custom update activities with AppLife Update custom actions. Create custom actions in your favorite .Net language. Patterned after the .Net custom control architecture, building custom actions for AppLife Update is extremely intuitive to .Net developers
• Controlled rollout - Avoid server and network congestion by staggering update rollout over a period of hours with controlled rollouts
• Documented API - Complete and thorough documentation on all of the customizable features of AppLife Update
• Command line utility for automation integration- Integrate AppLife Update directly into your automated build process with the command line build and publish utility
• Replace files, register COM assemblies, edit config(xml) files - Using AppLife Update, you can easily perform most of the actions necessary to update .Net applications by using built in AppLife Update actions
• Build and distribute an AppLife Update, distribute Msi upgrades, or distribute your own update - With AppLife Update, you can implement automatic updates in your software based on an AppLife Update action list, a Windows Installer Msi or Msp file, or you can distribute your own custom updater
• Elevated privileges - Allow standard users to apply updates to your product without administrative support using the AppLife Update windows service
• Easily integrate licensing controls - You can check licensing status or perform any other validation before allowing a client to download and apply an update. Perform this validation for individual updates. Implement fine control over update distribution, allowing some clients to update and denying others based on your specific business needs
• Synchronize assembly version and update version - AppLife Update supports using the .Net assembly version of the host application to identify the current software version. Alternatively, allow wildcard assembly versioning and identify your software version directly through AppLife Update
• Limited availability updates - Publish updates for a limited user group then switch on the fly to normal availability
• Asynchronous update methods - Customize the update process within your application by using synchronous and asynchronous methods to check for and download updates. The threading model used with these methods marshal events back to the calling thread, making it extremely easy for you to create very custom update processes