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Xpatcher Documentaion
These docs are divided into two sections, the first section
covers the Xpatcher-Server side application and the second section
covers the Xpatcher-Client side application.
Index
A.1 Xpatcher Overiew
a.2 Usage
a.3 Licnese and distribution
B.1 Xpatcher Toolbar Options
b.2 Configuration
b.3 Tools
b.4 Status C.1 Exclude List D.1 Zip Exclusion List E.1 Ascii List
A.1 - Xpatcher Overview
Xpatcher Overview
Xpatcher is a single application that handles multiple duties. Software developers, media deisgners, musicians, web devleopers, game developers and many more - will find this tool invaluable to their work.
What does Xpatcher do?
Xpatcher simplifies the process of 'keeping track of' and 'distributing updated files and directories' inside the developers work area. It's a complete project organizer and manager with the ability to keep all your clients, beta testers, customers or development team files; up to date - exactly matching your development directory!
How does Xpatcher work?
Let's take a game developer for example, the developer has a directory on their harddrive labled C:\GameDev\SpaceSim. The devleoper would simply copy the xpatcher.exe file into their developement directory, execute 'xpatcher', setup a one-time configuration file ( less than 7 questions ) and then launch the application. Xpatcher would then scan the developer directory and record directory names, filenames and modification dates. Xpatcher then examines any exclusion lists the developer has set up and prepairs the master.update list. Xpatcher then connects to the remote ftp site, creates directories, compresses local files and uploads them. The master list is sent as well and Update.Notes or Announcements are uploaded. Now each time the developer runs the xpatcher utility it will scan for new or modified files and new directories and recreates the master list. The upload process is executed again but only uploading the new additions.
Files and lists sent to the remote ftp are heavily compressed, for maxium transfer rates. All master lists and text files are compressed and encrypted as well to provide top notch security for your remotely stored files.
What else does Xpatcher do?
Xpatcher is a complete developer file manager. You can keep update history notes, set announcement bulletins even control the access to the remote ftp site by setting status flags such as "Offline", "Updating" etc...
How easy is it for the users to use the client side patcher?
Simple, the end user simply runs the client and the file list is downloaded. Direcotires are created and files are download, uncompressed, decrpyted and installed into ther proper directories identically matching the developers directory. After the process is complete the user simply clicks the "continue' button to launch your main executable. How do i distribute the user client?
Any way you wish. Download, email, CD etc.. You may not howveer distribute the Xpatcher Server application.
Can I configure the user client?
Certainly, you may define a htnml page to display, located on your remote ftp. You may also change the window style, colors and text coloring.
a.2 Usage
Xpacther has no current limitations, you may operate Xpacther under any developement situation.
a.3 License and distribution
You may distribute the client application to as many customer as you like.
The server application ( patch maker ) is bound to your purchased license; meaning you may NOT distribute the patch maker to any.
You may use this license on as many products as you like as long as the control of xpatcher is under your purchased license.
B.1 - Xpatcher Toolbar Options
The toolbar options can be found across the top panel of the main patcher program.
The are labeled: File | Configuration | Tools | Status | About
The following passages document the functionality of these key options.
b.2 Configuration
Within the Configuration panel we find two key selections; 'Edit/Create Patch Configuration File'
and 'Create Client Configuration File'. Let's begin with 'Edit/Create Patch Configuration File'
Upon selecting this option a dialog panel will appear with several blank fields within it.
It is important to know that these fields must be filled out entirely or the patcher will
no compile the configuration file. 'FTP Address' this field must contain the internet address of the site you wish to store your
updated files onto. Do not enter the http:// or www characters in this field but do yeild the address
extension, such as .com or .org. An example would be: themadlab.com 'FTP Port' this is the port your ftp server runs connections on, commonly the port is 21 but some servers
may have it set to a diffrent number. Enter that number here. 'FTP Login Name' this is your ftp account login name. Enter it into this field. 'FTP Login Password' the password required for you to login to your FTP account. 'FTP Path' the is the path to the directory on your ftp that you wish to store the files onto.
The directory does not have to exist, xpatcher will create it for you. But the parent directory of your FTP
must exists and match the first part of this setting. example would be public_html/Games/Thrasher, while Games/Thrasher is does not have to exist public_html does. Check with your FTP hose to find out the parent directory on your ftp server or login with one of the many ftp client applications and see for yourself.
Note: no leading trailing backslashes should be entered here! 'Compression Password' this is your unique password key used to encrypt the files being sent to your ftp server. Select any password you wish here. 'Transfer Mode' is how your ftp recieves the files. 99% of the time you will want to have this set to binary but if for any reason your files seem to be currupted once uploaded you may wish to try the diffrent options. Thats it for the patch maker configuration file, this file is local to Xpatcher and need not be distributed.
Now let's discuss the fields under the Create Client Configuration File panel. 'Website the client patcher will load for viewing' this field contains the full internet address of an html file you wish to be displayed with the client utility upon loading. This path and file must exist or else the clients will see a 404 screen when loading the updater. Example would be: http://themadlab.com/Games/Thrasher/thrasher.htm 'Location of patched files' this field contains the full internet address of the uploaded files.
This filed should be the same as your patch makers setting for uplading to the ftp, only diffrence is this
field must be the complete http:// path to the directory where the uploaded files start. No trailing backslash is required here. Example: http://themadlab.com/Games/Thrasher, since we told the patch maker to upload the files to Games/Thrasher we tell the clients to get them from there. 'Window title' this field contains the name you wish to display on the clients patcher utility, usually this is the name of the software you are developing. 'File to execute' this field contains the execution filename of the software the clients are downloading/patching. The path should be relevant to the install directory. example: bin\Game.exe 'Parameters' - pass any parmameters to your software here, you could for example pass a parameter that tells your software the client handled the execution, this way you could force your software to load only through the client patcher - much like the MMO games do today. 'Force update notes' if checked, the client will forcefully display your UpdateNotes.txt file upon launching. If unchecked the client user must press the 'UpdateNotes' button to view the text file. 'Window color' defines the color you wish the client window to appear as. 'Window text color' defines the color you wish the client's text to appear as.
b.3 Tools
'Start update' begins the patch process.
'Rescan directory' rebuilds the current patch session update list. 'Edit exclude list' opens the exclude list dialog window ( see section Exclude list ) 'Edit update notes' opens the Updatenotes dialog window, here you can edit your UpdateNotes list. You may also save the notes from here or save and send the notes to the ftp server. ( once notes are uploaded to the ftp they are availble for view by your clients ) 'Edit special announcements' opens the Edit Special Announcements dialog window. Here you may edit your special announcements bulletin, save or save and send. Special announcmements are forcefully dispalyed to the clients when the client is launched or ececuted. You may set 'how many' times a specific annoucement is to be displayed. For example, setting the display variable to 3 would cause this announcement to be displayed each time the client is launched for 3 straight launches.
b.4 Status
'Status selector' this special selector determines the state of your updating system. Depending on what you have this set to clients will either be able to update or not update.
Status Offline - clients are informed the service is currently offline. Client exits. Status Offline ( patching ) - this selector is automatically engaded when you begin a server update process. During this time clients attempting to login to the update site will be informed that the service is currently updating.. please try back later. The client then exits. ( note, when a server patch process has ended the selector is returned to the previous state, what ever you previsouly had it set to ) Status Offline Maintenance - clients are informed that maintenance is being preformed... try back later. Client exits. Status Offline User-defined - this selector allows you to define a short message to send to clients then the client exits. ( note, this could be used for anything, "Im out of town for 3 weeks, will put the server back up next month") etc. Status Online - this selector gives clients the green light to begin their patch update process. If clients don't recieve this flag then they cannot patch and will abort. In normal operations you will want to keep this flag on so your client applications can login to the http site and process any avialble updates. C.1 Exclude List
The exclude list can be accessed via the server application toolbar under 'Tools > Edit Exclude List'
This special list is imporant to developers as it allows them do, as you would guess, exclude certain files or directories from the patch processes. For example a devleoper would not want to upload their source code files to the ftp server, so they would enter the filenames here and the patch builder would skip adding these files to any patch process.
You may add entire directories as well, excluding a directory from the patch process will ultimately exclude all files and direcotires listed under that particualr directory as well. By selecting file or directory from the buttons on the Exclude window you may view your current 'excluded' selections. If you wish to remove a selection simply highlight it and click the 'remove from list' button. This would allow the patcher to view the file or directory as patchable matrerial once again. You may use wildcards when excluding files as well. Lets say our developemnt direcotry had 40 source code files in it with the extension *.bb, entering a wildcard of *.bb would exclude any file in the entire developement path ;ending in .bb; from the patch builder. This comes in handy when you wish to keep your dvelopement materials local only. To add a specific file or directory to the exclude lists you need to be on the main builder window ( two windows listing current direcotry and patch needed files ), from there you may highlight a directory or a filename and add it to the exclusion list. To add multiple files use the built in 'Add wildcard' selection box.
D.1 Zip Exclusion List
This special list is not automatically generated by the patch builder; mainly because it dosent have any usefulness towards the builder until a compression problem occurs. Some files, expressly those compacted with an exe cruncher, may not take compression algo's very easily and hence become corrupted. This is a rare case, but none the less it could arise. You may define filenames within this file to prevent the patch builder from compressing the files within.
Open a blank file with wordpad, or notepad, and enter the filename of the file you wish to exclude from zip compression. You need not worry with pathnames within this file; and filename matching the list will be excluded from the compression algorythms automatcially. Once you have finished editing the file, save it as 'zipexclusion.list', ;the file must be saved in text format.
This file should be placed in the directory that contains the xpatcher.exe.
E.1 Ascii List
This special list is generated by the patch builder on initial run. This list contains all the file extensions that should be uploaded via 'ascii' mode within the patcher. The list comes with several common file insertations that require ascii mode for uploading. You shouldn't have to deal with this file at all but in the case you have some files that are needing ascii mode trasnfers, you can add them to this list.
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