How do I make "check button" in XML?

[m_kovanen]

How do I write "check button" in XML?

I would like to make a button to html help, which would check updates when pressed. So user would have an oppotrunity to press that button and see if there is software updates available. The button could even automatically check updates when internet access is available.

The output is html help (or web help).

Thanks,

[RamonS]

My recommendation is to add a simple HTML button that opens a new window that links to a script on your web server. The link attached to the button passes on the current system version (either hard coded or retrieved using JavaScript) so that the script has something to compare against.
Is this intended for updates to help or the entire software package? In case for help only, you may want to entertain the idea to have a local help and a permanently updated help on a web server. The users can choose a setting within the software which help source they like to use. From a development aspect this is a piece of cake and can be done by a developer within a few hours....assuming they wrote a routine for making help calls.

[m_kovanen]

Thanks for the answer.

My intention is to create check button, that checks software update from our internet page. I have a web help also, but that is in our intranet page and totally separated from the software itself.

Do you have any examples how to make a button in XML, that would take me to a internet page where I can create script?

[RamonS]

Well, you do not make the button in XML. XML is just a convention on how to note structured content. The button itself uses standard (X)HTML commands. XHTML is a form of XML. So much for the hair splitting.
For the button itself, the easiest way to do this using an HTML form that consists only of a submit button (see for example here: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/bu ... hp/3478871). The value for action is the URL to the script with a parameter passing the current version of your help/software. For example:

Code: Select all

http:\\my.webserver.com\checkversion.php?version=12-3a

The script that I called here checkversion.php is located on your web server and does the checking. Based on the results it produces output and tells the user if there is something new to download or not.

The above example will replace the current help with the output of the check script. You can do that a bit nicer by using a simple a link that opens a small HTML page in a new window. That HTML page has nothing else in it than some code for redirecting to the check script. Or, to the same effect without the extra file for redirecting, you can use some JavaScript right in the form using a regular button and the OnClick event.

The check script itself is something you need to put together based on the source for the version information and the server side scripting you have available (PHP, Perl, CGI, ASP....). I recommend PHP because it runs on most web servers and is easy to learn (unlike ASP). There are also tons of guides and tutorials online and hundreds of local user groups.

If you need any additional help your best bet is to look at http://www.w3schools.com or ask in forums specializing in web design. This leaves the area of help authoring a bit.

Hope this helps.

[m_kovanen]

Thanks again,

Your answer is helping a lot!