ComponentSource Topic | Kinetic Jump Software

AppLife Update adds WPF update controls

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:08:00 GMT

Creating a new action list project with AppLife Update.

Version 4.0 lets you install the .NET Framework 4.0 during an update and offers automatic update chaining.

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.

Updates in V4.0.2.14

Improved Update Publishing and Management
Publish to multiple update locations from your AppLife Update project, manage and compare update locations, move updates between locations, and more. Each configured update location can be managed and maintained independently. This is a significant shift from the behaviors of previous AppLife Update versions. Information about previous updates is no longer maintained within the AppLife Update project. Instead, this information is retrieved from each update location individually.
New Visual Controls for More Options in Update Process Integration
AppLife Update 4.0 comes with four new visual Windows Forms controls that you can use to quickly and easily implement automatic updating in your applications. Choose from an in-line style, system tray style, or details panel style updating experience. All of the controls use background update downloading so users have a simple, unobtrusive update experience. These controls can be dropped in and configured in an instant, and with optional settings such as static text and image replacements, automatic fade and repeated update checking, you can tune the behavior just the way you want. These controls are available with a limited license, providing UI flexibility not previously available with a limited license.
New WPF Update Controls
New WPF controls that provide drop-in automatic update integration. These controls provide the same property-based customizations as the new Windows Forms controls, but being true WPF look-less controls, can be re-templated to match your application.
Improved Visual Studio Design Time Support
Integrating AppLife Update into your new applications has never been easier. With new design-time support, you can set up a new project from Visual Studio and be publishing updates in seconds!
Automatic Update Chaining
Updates that target intermediate versions can now be downloaded and applied in a single update process, improving the update experience for infrequent application users.
Install the .Net Framework 4.0 during an Update
With the new Install .NET 4.0 update action, you can easily migrate your current application to the newest Microsoft .Net framework. This action checks for the presence of the .NET 4.0 framework, then installs the framework if necessary. The action can be configured to include the framework in your update, download it from Microsoft, or download it from a location on your internal network.
Patch Folder Contents for Smaller Updates
The new Patch Folder update action processes and compares an entire folder's contents with that of a baseline and creates patches for files with differences between the target and baseline. Using patching technology, updates can be significantly smaller than using the file actions that replace entire files.
Improved AppLife Make Update User Interface
The Make Update application user interface has been redesigned to improve usability. A new build and publish update wizard, new project configuration window, and new update location management dialogs help you more intuitively accomplish your goals with AppLife Update.
Update Log Viewer Utility
The new update log viewer makes it easy to troubleshoot updates. With an automatic listing of log files and filters to quickly drill down into specific update stages, actions, and errors, the log viewer will quickly let you verify your updates are performing as expected and help identify the issue when an update fails.
Windows Update Service Utility
The new Windows update service utility helps in developing updates that utilize the AppLife Update windows service for permissions elevation. While in application development, you can easily register your applications with the service for testing updates.
Full .Net Framework 4.0 Support
The Microsoft .NET 4.0 framework installs side-by-side with previous versions of the framework. AppLife Update already supported updating deployed clients running the .NET Framework 2.0 and higher. Now all aspects of the AppLife Update solution provide full .NET 4.0 support. Specifically, Dynamic Code actions can now target the .NET 4.0 Framework, and the AppLife Update tools can operate on any system with the .NET 2.0 and/or .NET 4.0 Framework installed.

For more information visit:
http://www.kineticjump.com/PressReleases/AppLifeUpdate40.aspx

About Kinetic Jump Software

Kinetic Jump Software was founded to bring the AppLife vision to reality. The AppLife vision is a suite of reasonably priced products that are designed to improve communications and collaboration between the three primary groups of software application stakeholders. Management - Engineering - Users. This vision is derived from many years of custom application development and application lifetime support. The Kinetic Jump mission is to build great software solutions and provide fanatical support to its clients.

AppLife Update now supports .NET 4.0

Tue, 18 May 2010 09:24:00 GMT

Creating a new action list project with AppLife Update.

Version 3.2.x adds full support for .NET Framework 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010.

Updates in V3.2.x

.NET Framework 4.0 Support
The AppLife Update Controller, Update Engine, and Windows Service now fully support the Microsoft .Net 4.0 Framework. Applications that target the 4.0 Framework can integrate AppLife Update and successfully discover and apply updates from deployed systems with only the .Net 4.0 Framework or the .Net 4.0 Client Profile installed. Note: The AppLife Make Update application and build tools still require the .Net 2.0 Framework to be present on update build machines.
Visual Studio 2010 Support
The AppLife Update Controller and designers are now fully compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.
Prevent System Shutdown during Update Execution
If a system shutdown or restart is initiated during the execution of an update, the AppLife Update engine will cause a prompt to confirm shutdown.

About Kinetic Jump Software

Kinetic Jump launches AppLife DNA

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:29:00 GMT

Adding iteration details to a roadmap with AppLife DNA.

Generate functional specifications and/or iterative comparison documents on-the-fly, with a single click.

AppLife DNA helps users focus squarely on identified requirements, write iterative functional specifications, and effectively communicate change over the duration of their project. With AppLife DNA, users can rapidly produce a "living" requirement specification document on-the-fly during any stage of an application development project. AppLife DNA advances iterative software development by transforming requirements analysis and specification authoring from a task to be completed, into a continuous iterative process.

Features

Manage Requirements

Use AppLife DNA to add, categorize, group, sort, filter, search, and report on your application requirements. Customize your requirement views and even add customized requirement properties. Requirements are the center of your specification authoring work in AppLife DNA and the requirement management features allow you to keep up with your ever-growing list of requirements.

Add Requirements
Categorize Requirements
Version Requirements
Add Custom Properties
Create Requirement Reports
Define Requirements into Sections
Add Categories
Prioritize Requirements
Group, Sort, Filter
Search Requirements
Export to PDF, DOC, RTF, HTM
Export Requirements Lists to Excel

Author Specifications

In AppLife DNA, specifications are written in Sections. The Section Editor is a full-featured text editor designed to provide a rich text editing experience.

Easily Identify Related Content
Add Requirements from the Editor
Revision Section Text to Software Versions
Print/Draft Layout
Spell Checker
Insert Images
Find and Replace
View Requirements Defined in the Section
Change Section Order and Indent Levels
Use Styles
Text Zoom
Add Tables
Export to PDF, DOC, RTF, HTM

Software Versions, Iterating, and Snapshots

As you author section text in AppLife DNA, your work is versioned based on the software version you are currently working on. Write and maintain all of your software version specifications in one place. You can even write sections for multiple versions at the same time. Compare versions to quickly identify and communicate the changes to your specifications between versions. You can also snapshot your work for easy comparison of iterations within the same software version.

New Versions Inherit Section Text
New Versions Inherit Requirements
Mark Shipped Versions to Identify Implemented Requirements
Version and Unversion Requirements
Take a Snapshot at Any Time for Later Comparison
Write an Abstract for Each Version

Specification Options and Comparisons

AppLife DNA provides many different ways to communicate with your stakeholders through specification generation options. Generate specifications for any version of your software. Generate comparison specifications between versions and snapshots that highlight the differences between them.

Compare Versions
Compare Snapshots
Take Snapshots
Include Only Changed Sections
Show/Hide Deleted Text
Add Page Breaks Between Sections
Include Links Between Sections with Common Requirements
Include a List of Requirements Defined in Each Section
Include a Draft Watermark
Export Specifications as PDF, DOC, RTF, HTM