WebStart application

I've been having a play with Andy's WebStart package and have come up with
what is, I think, a useful application - it makes things easier for me
anyway. It's a way of updating my goodies that allows you to select the
goodies you want and then only download the packages that you need (i.e.
haven't already got or have ones that have been updated).

File up WebStart (see Andy's earlier post if you haven't already got it) and
enter the following in the "Application\Install New" dialog

http://www.idb.me.uk/installer/IdbInstaller.zip

When WebStart has done it's thing you can open the new IdbInstaller
Application.

The first thing you must do (you can't do _anything_ else until you have) is
to select a download folder.  This would normally be the Dolphin image
folder but you can select any folder.  The app will create my normal goodies
folder structure below the folder you specify and copy any downloaded files
there.

You can then select any goodies you want to download by ticking the box.
When you do all the required packages will be added to the list on the
right.  If you already have the correct version of the package then the file
will still be listed but it's size will be shown as 0.

When you have selected all the goodies you want click on "Download".  You
should then be prompted to go online (if necessary) and the required files
will be downloaded.  NB  If you are using a dial-up modem it is _your_
responsibility to go off-line afterwards

I should stress that this app doesn't actually install the goodies into your
Dolphin image, it just downloads the files to your machine.  You will have
to install them as normal using the PackageBrowser.

Now, if I need to update a goodie I have only to upload the changed
package(s) and replace the IdbInstall.zip file.  Should make things a lot
easier!

Notes:

- The icon and bitmap files (22 files - around 66Ks worth) are always
downloaded.  I couldn't think of an easy way of versioning them so I took
the easy way out.

- Any of my goodie packages that you currently have will be seen as old
versions and replacements will be downloaded.  This is because the originals
don't have the version info stored in the package and this will (should) not
happen again once you have the new version.

- I haven't got around to working out how the Win2000 and 98/ME Printer
goodies will fit in yet.  This application only downloads the XP version of
the Printer goodies.


Comments, suggestions, problems?

--
Ian

Use the Reply-To address to contact me.
Mail sent to the From address is ignored.

Hi Ian,

> When you have selected all the goodies you want click on "Download".

I did run into a problem when running this, i.e., when I press the
'Download' button (after selecting folder and choosing 'Select All') I get
WinInetLibrary DNU #internetAttemptConnect:.

To other users out there - Does this work for you (or am I just lucky)?

A cosmetic issue - I think there should be a splitter between the left and
right views (or arrangements changed if you're using a ProportionalLayout).
As it is now, the right view is too small and resizing doesn't help much.

-- Louis

Louis,

> I did run into a problem when running this, i.e., when I press the
> 'Download' button (after selecting folder and choosing 'Select All')
> I get WinInetLibrary DNU #internetAttemptConnect:.

That's strange.  #internetAttemptConnect: is a loose method defined in the
package so it should be present.  I don't quite know what to suggest...

> A cosmetic issue - I think there should be a splitter between the
> left and right views (or arrangements changed if you're using a
> ProportionalLayout). As it is now, the right view is too small and
> resizing doesn't help much.

OK, thanks.  I'll add a splitter between the two views.

--
Ian

Use the Reply-To address to contact me.
Mail sent to the From address is ignored.

Ian,

> That's strange.  #internetAttemptConnect: is a loose method defined in the
> package so it should be present.  I don't quite know what to suggest...

That rang a bell for me.  Because of the "Invalid format for Date" problem
that I reported in my 4/22 post, I was trying to run your app from the
development image.  However, as the Education Centre says, "... the
BinaryPackage class will only install loose methods if the current session
manager answers true to #isBinaryLooseMethodInstallationAllowed. The default
is for run-time session managers and the plug-in session manager to answer
true from this method but the DevelopmentSessionManager class implements
this to answer false."

When I changed #isBinaryLooseMethodInstallationAllowed to return true it
worked fine in the development image.  Then I redeployed WebStart as a ToGo
app, with the change to fix the date problem, and your app worked fine there
too.

Bottom line is your app is fine, but I think anyone using WebStart itself
might run into that Date problem (depending on their Locale settings).

-- Louis