GEDCOM Viewer is still under active development
(December, 2008) and I expect to issue relatively frequent updates
to the program in the near future. To facilitate the distribution
of those updates, periodically when GEDCOM Viewer is
launched it queries the server site to find out if a newer version
is available. If there is a newer version available, you will be
informed and given the opportunity to download and install the
new version. Installation of a newer version of the program
does not delete the version you already have, nor does it affect
its functionality in any way, so there is no harm in trying the
newer version.
You can also check for updates manually at any time by selecting
the Check for updates item of the Updates
menu.
For the near future, I plan to make updates to the basic program, including some new features I have planned, available to you free of charge if you already have a standard license for an earlier release. There are some new features I have in mind that I plan to release as add-ons. These will require an additional purchase, in which case you will be informed and given the option to choose. Under no circumstances will downloading a new version of the program or add-ons obligate you in any way and you can always continue to use the version you already have and paid for.
Downloading and installation of a new version of the program involves several steps, some of which occur automatically:
You are presented with a screen that informs you of the availability of a new version and asks whether you want to download it.
If you click on Yes, the program will first
attempt to upgrade your license key file to incorporate
the new product version. This step occurs automatically.
If it succeeds, then license key file in the sub-folder
of the installation folder corresponding to the old
version of the program will be updated. The old license
key file will be renamed as a backup.
The new license key file can then be used to enable both
the old and new versions of the program.
If for some reason the license key file cannot be updated, the subsequent steps below will still be performed, but when you finally launch the new version of the program it will be necessary to first obtain a new demo license and then attempt to obtain a standard license using the transaction ID from your original purchase acknowledgement.
Once an attempt has been made to update the license key file, the program attempts to download the new version from the server. If it is successful, the existing program window will lose and the installer window for the new version will open. Installation of the new version then proceeds as described here.
When the new version of the program is launched, it will search for the license key file that was updated at the outset. If it finds such a license key file, it will copy it into the new installation directory. If it does not find any updated license key file, you will be asked if you want to try to obtain a demo license, just as if you had downloaded the program for the first time.
Any add-ons that you may have installed are not automatically
updated to versions compatible with the new version of the
main program. To update your add-ons, you must use the
Get add-ons item of the Update menu.
The program will automatically attempt to update your license
key file to incorporate the new version of an add-on before
downloading and installing it.
If it is unable to update your license key file, then the add-on
will be installed in demonstration mode.