Re: Replacing a running file programmatically

From:

"Jim Langston" <tazmaster@rocketmail.com>

Newsgroups:

comp.lang.c++

Date:

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:12:46 -0700

Message-ID:

<c4lFi.2517$eX2.465@newsfe03.lga>

"Pvt Ryan" <ryan1_00@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1189431968.024736.85260@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

Hi,

Can anyone either tell me how or give me an idea where to look to do
the following?

I want to download my updated exe from my server and then replace the
current one that is in use with the newly downloaded one.

Pseudo code:

Connect to server,
if (version newer download new exe) {
close current process
move old exe
rename new exe
start new exe
}
continue execution.

I am just unsure on how to go about closing my app and reopening it
programmatically.

I think i have to create a new thread to do this but if I do will the
new thread not get killed when i kill my own exe?
Also how do i find my current instance in order to kill it? or am i
better off using exit();?

Create thread
exit(0);
then thread does
x
y
z
restart exe.
terminate thread.

Please no RTFM.. If i knew where to look and in what manual i wouldn't
be asking here.

Not sure if this is strictly a C++ question, because you'd run into the same
problem in any langauge. However. It so happens I had this same situation
in a program I wrote where it checked for updates via the internet, and it
was possible the updater program itself was being updated. Since it is
extremly OS specific, I will just give pseudo code.

Basically I wound up wring 2 programs, the updater, and something that
copied the updater.
Pseudo code:

Init:
   if exists "updater.exe.new"
      copy updater.exe.new updater.exe

   run updater.exe in own process
   exit.

Updater:
   download any updates.
   if exists "updater.exe.new"
      run init in it's own process
      exit

   launch real program