SUMMARY
The AutoUpdate feature that is included in Word 98 Macintosh Edition is
designed to help you automatically keep up to date with the latest tools
from Microsoft.
Microsoft will periodically provide updated versions of the Web page
authoring tools to keep up with changing technology. These tools can either
be updated automatically by Word, or you can manually request Word to check
for and download the latest version of the tools.
Steps Used in the Autoupdate Process
The following steps provide a detailed description of how the AutoUpdate
feature works.
Step 1: HTML Authoring Tools Are Loaded
You load the HTML authoring tools by opening an HTML page or by clicking
New on the File menu and selecting Blank Web Page.
The tools are loaded automatically.
Step 2: The HTML Tools Check for a Date in Your Setting File
As part of the HTML tool initialization process, a WLL (Word add-in file)
checks for a date written in your settings file. This date is initially
blank.
Step 3: Word Queries the Microsoft Web Site
If the date is blank or earlier than the current date, Word queries a Web
page on the Microsoft Web site to see if there is a newer version of the
authoring tools. The query that is sent consists of the product name,
the version of the WLL currently on your computer, the language you are
running, and a value for the platform you are running on (either Windows
or MacPPC).
This query is passed to a verifying source (IDC URL), which takes
the values and looks up the right response. Any other information
transferred is part of the standard information passed by any Web
browser (IP address, current user agent, and so on).
Step 4: The Microsoft Web Returns Information About the Latest WLL
If you are already running the latest WLL, the date in step 2 is set to
sometime far in the future, and Word doesn't check again until the date
arrives.
If you are not running the latest version, the server returns a string
to use to prompt you with, and the URL from which to download the
updated WLL.
Word prompts you with the following message:
There is a newer version of the Web authoring tools. Would you like
to download them?
There is also a check box at this point where you can select to never be
prompted again for this information.
If you choose Yes, the AutoUpdater will launch your browser to the
correct page to download the updated tools. If you choose No, the
AutoUpdater will stop the process completely. And, if you choose Cancel,
the AutoUpdater will postpone the entire process for one month. If you
click to clear the check box mentioned above, the AutoUpdater automatically
sets a flag so it never queries the Web server again.
NOTE: All of this can also be initiated manually by choosing AutoUpdate
on the Tools menu while in HTML authoring mode.