openfl.desktop.Updater - API Reference

The Updater class is used to update the currently running application with a different version. To use it, instantiate an Updater object and then call its update() method.

You can test for support at run time using the Updater.isSupported property.

OpenFL target support: Not supported, except when targeting AIR.

Adobe AIR profile support: The Updater class is only supported in the desktop profile. It is not supported for extended desktop applications (applications installed with a native installer), and it is not supported on the AIR mobile profile or AIR for TV profiles.

Extended desktop application (applications installed with a native installer) can download a new version of the native installer and launch it using the File.openWithDefaultApplication() method.

Static variables

`staticread onlyisSupported:Bool`

The isSupported property is set to true if the Updater class is available on the current platform, otherwise it is set to false.

Constructor

`new()`

The constructor function for the Updater class. Note that the update() method is not a static member of the class. You must instantiate an Updater object and call the update() method on it.

Methods

`update(airFile:File, version:String):Void`

Updates the currently running application with the version of the application contained in the specified AIR file. The application in the AIR file must have the same application identifier (appID) as the currently running application.

Calling this method causes the current application to exit (as if the NativeApplication.exit() method had been called). This is necessary because Adobe AIR cannot fully update an application while the application is running. Upon successfully installing the new version of the application, the application launches. If the runtime cannot successfully install the new version (for example, if its application ID does not match the existing version), the AIR installer presents an error message to the user, and then the old version relaunches.

The update process relaunches the application whether or not the update is successful. Updates can fail for a variety of reasons, including some that the application cannot control (such as the user having insufficient privileges to install the application). Applications should take care to detect failures and avoid reattempting the same failed update repeatedly. The resulting infinite loop would effectively disable the application. One way to check for a successful update is to write the current version number to a file before starting the update, and then compare that to the version number when the application is relaunched.

When testing an application using the AIR Debug Launcher (ADL) application, calling the update() method results in an IllegalOperationError exception.

On Mac OS, to install an updated version of an application, the user needs to have adequate system privileges to install to the application directory. On Windows or Linux, the user needs to have adminstrative privileges.

If the updated version of the application requires an updated version of the runtime, the new runtime version is installed. To update the runtime, a user needs to have administrative privileges for the computer.

Note: Specifying the version parameter is required for security reasons. By requiring the application to verify the version number in the AIR file, the application will not inadvertantly install an older version, which might contain a security vulnerability that has been fixed.