Microsoft KB Archive/187598

= WD98: How AutoUpdate Downloads Information From the Internet =

Article ID: 187598

Article Last Modified on 10/4/2002

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q187598



MORE INFORMATION
The information sent for the AutoUpdate process is the minimal amount of information required to perform this check (version and platform information), and is used solely for the purpose of keeping your Web authoring tools up to date.

For additional information about the AutoUpdate Installer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

187586 WD98: AutoUpdate Installer Fails To Run



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date is blank or earlier than the current date, Word queries a Web page on the Microsoft Web site to see if there is a newer version of the authoring tools.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.

Additional query words: Web-authoring pages tool automatic updating

Keywords: kbinfo kbhtml KB187598

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