DX4WIN Data Updater

• Quick Start
• Features
• Installation
• Options
• Running the Updater
• Update Rules
• Notes
• To Do
• Revision History

The DX4WIN Data Updater (the "Updater Program") helps you update the DX4WIN data files. The Updater Program can update:

DX4WIN.AWD - award database
DX4WIN.CAL - DX calendar
DX4WIN.CTY - country file (including ADIF.PMP)
DX4WIN.MAS1 (DX4WIN.MAS) - master callsigns
DX4WIN.MAS2 - eQSL/LoTW users list
DX4WIN.TCP - DX cluster node internet addresses
fullllist.xml - IOTA islands (island groups are part of the country file)

It does NOT update the DX4WIN program itself!

The Updater Program can be used to help maintain the data files associated with DX4WIN 4.07 and later. You should choose the update options that correspond to the version of DX4WIN for which you are licensed. There are standard configuration files that you can download for DX4WIN versions 6 (and earlier), 7 and 8.

The Updater Program has been tested on all of the Windows "NT" operating systems (2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7) as well as Windows 98.

Version 5.1 of the Updater Program was released on 25 March 2011. Click on this link to see the version history.

• If you have already installed the Updater program, it will prompt you to update itself the next time you run it. If you were running version 4.5 or earlier, you must COPY (not move) the dx4wupd.exe file in your UPDATE directory to your DX4W### directory. This is not required with version 4.6 and later.
• If you have not installed the Updater program, click on this link to download a ZIP file containing the Updater Program and configuration files, and follow the installation instructions below.

NOTE: Here is a link to the old updater (batch file). This batch file is no longer supported or maintained. I encourage everyone to upgrade to the new DX4WIN Data Updater.

Quick Start

• Download the ZIP file from the link above (where it says, "Click on this link to download a ZIP file").
• Unzip the entire contents of this file into your DX4W### directory, so the dx4wupd.exe program is in the same directory as dx4win.exe
• There will three new directories: dx4win6, dx4win7 and dx4win8. Copy the dx4wupd.rc file from the directory that corresponds to your version of DX4WIN, into the DX4W### directory (that contains dx4wupd.exe).
• Double-click on the dx4wupd.exe icon to run the updater.

Features

• Updates DX4WIN data files without user having to download, UNZIP or move data
• Saves previous file versions in a backup directory to preserve your old data
• Only downloads and updates files that have changed since the last update
• User can choose the set of files to update, either on the command line, or in a configuration file. Standard configuration files for DX4WIN versions 6 (and earlier), 7 and 8 are provided
• Updates can be automatic (no user intervention), or the user can be prompted before updating each file
• Country and award databases are downloaded as ZIP files to minimize download time
• Checks that the Updater Program itself has been installed in the correct directory
• Prevents updating if DX4WIN is running
• Backs up your logbook(s) before updating the data files
• Keeps your favorite DX Cluster nodes at the top of the "Select Internet address" list (if they are specified in a separate file)
• User-selectable foreground (text) and background colors
• Notifies you if the DX4WIN Data Updater program has been updated

Installation

After downloading the ZIP file from the link above, extract (unzip) the DX4WUPD.EXE file (program) to your DX4W### directory. This is the directory where DX4WIN.EXE can be found. Do not put it in your SAVE directory or anywhere else. When the Updater Program runs, it will check to see if it's installed in the correct directory.

NOTE: If you have multiple (different) versions of DX4WIN installed on your computer, and you want to keep each of them up-to-date, you must save the DX4WUPD.EXE file in each DX4WIN directory that has a DX4WIN.EXE file. For example, if you have versions 7.07, 8.01 and 8.05 installed, you will have to save DX4WUPD.EXE into the dx4w705, dx4801 and dx4w805 directories. To update a particular version of DX4WIN, you must run the Updater Program that is saved in that version's directory.

The ZIP file also contains configuration files for DX4WIN versions 6 (and earlier), 7 and 8. Each file is in its own directory. If you unpacked the whole .ZIP file into your DX4W### directory, copy the appropriate DX4WUPD.RC file from the dx4win# directory to your DX4W### directory (i.e. one level up). If you only extracted the .EXE file to your DX4W### directory, also extract DX4WUPD.RC from the appropriate dx4win# directory in the ZIP file. You can learn more about configuration files by following this link.

NOTE: The Updater Program can update itself! See the next section on Options, and look for the description of the "-exe" option. Using this option, you'll never need to download and install the Updater Program from a ZIP file again!

The Updater Program needs access to the Internet in order to download the updates. If you have a software firewall or other Internet blocking software running on your computer, you should configure that software to allow DX4WUPD.EXE to access the Internet.

After saving the Updater Program in your DX4W### folder, you may want to create a desktop shortcut to it. Using Windows explorer, navigate to your DX4W### directory and locate "dx4wupd.exe". Right-click on its icon and select "Send To" then choose "Desktop (create shortcut)". You can rename the desktop shortcut to "DX4WIN Data Updater" if you desire by right-clicking on the icon and choosing Rename.

You can also copy this shortcut to your Start menu (for example, inside your DX4WIN folder) by dragging it on top of the word Start (keep holding the mouse button throughout), then moving it on top of "All Programs", and finally on top of the "DX4WIN" folder. When you see the DX4WIN folder contents, continue dragging the icon to the right, into that folder, then you can release the mouse button. The icon will still be left on the desktop, so you may delete it if you wish.

Desktop shortcut icons typically have an arrow in the lower-left hand corner to indicate that they are shortcuts to programs, instead of the programs themselves. This is a property of Windows. There are ways to remove the arrow that involve editing the Windows Registry (not for the faint-of-heart). Such a change affects all icons on the desktop; you can't pick and choose which ones you want to change. Fortunately there are utilities to help you:

• Windows XP: TweakUI from Microsoft. Also see this web post "Install it and Run it, go to Explorer>Shortcut and select 'None'."
   
• Windows Vista and Windows 7: There are at least two tools out there that can accomplish this: Ultimate Windows Tweaker is free, TweakVI (Vista) and Tweak-7 (Windows 7) are not free. You can try out the Tweak programs for fifteen (15) days before they require registration.

IMPORTANT: Because the icon for the Updater Program is similar to the icon for DX4WIN itself (both yellow with red, except with the word Update near the bottom), there may be some confusion trying to tell the two icons apart on your desktop. The Updater Program will try to prevent you from updating any files while DX4WIN is running (see Running the Updater Program below). However, if you feel strongly about making the icons different, you can change the Updater Program desktop shortcut icon. Right-click on the shortcut icon and choose "Properties". When the Properties window comes up, click on the "Change Icon..." button near the bottom (see the Properties example below. If the window does not look like that, then you are probably trying to change the properties of the wrong icon.).

When the "Change Icon" window appears, copy the following file path and paste it into the field labeled, "Look for icons in this file:", just to the left of the "Browse..." button, then type <ENTER>:

%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll

You'll get a display of the available Windows icons (note that the end part of "SHELL32.dll" is not visible because the line is too long to display in the input field):

Choose whichever one you like (note that there are more icons available than shown above, use the horizontal scroll bar to see the other choices).

At this point, you could run the Updater Program, but it would require lots of user intervention, because you will be prompted whether to update each and every DX4WIN file. In the following section (Options), you will see how to streamline this process to require as little or as much user intervention as you desire.

Options

The Updater Program accepts a number of different options. They can be specified on the command line, or in a separate configuration file. The options are not case-sensitive (either lower or UPPER will work). Here is the usage message, showing the available options. Some will be described in this section, others in Running the Updater Program below.

USAGE:  dx4wupd [-option1 [-option2 [etc.]]]

        Options:

        -awd          : update DX4WIN.AWD (awards)
        -cal          : update CALENDAR.TXT (calendar)
        -cty          : update DX4WIN.CTY (country file)
        -exe          : update DX4WUPD.EXE (DX4WIN Data Updater)
        -iota         : update FULLLIST.XML (IOTA islands)
        -mas          : update DX4WIN.MAS (master callsigns)
        -mas1         : update DX4WIN.MAS1 (master callsigns)
        -mas2         : update DX4WIN.MAS2 (eQSL/LoTW users)
        -tcp[=file]   : update DX4WIN.TCP [prepend file] (DX Cluster nodes)
        -kcp[=file]   : update DX4WIN.TCP [prepend file] (with keep-alive)

         Note:  all the options above can be prefixed with
                "no" meaning do not perform the action.

        -auto         : automatically exit when done, without prompting
        -bg=color     : set background color
        -fg=color     : set foreground color
        -debug        : show additional debug messages
        -help         : show this message
        -[no]log=name : back up logbook file before updating
        -prompt       : always prompt before updating
        -restore      : restore file(s) instead of updating
        -version      : show program version and exit

There are two types of options. Options in the first group above let you choose which data file(s) to update. Options in the second group above configure features or display information about or within the Updater Program.

As mentioned at the end of the Installation section above, if no options are specified, the Updater Program prompts the user to update each and every file. If one or more data file options are specified (other than "-exe"), the Updater Program will update only those files, without user intervention. You can add the "-prompt" option to ask before updating the specified data files.

Any time you are prompted for a (y/n/r) answer ('n' or 'N' means "No", 'y' or 'Y' means "Yes", 'r' or 'R' means "Show revision"), type only that single letter; the <ENTER> key is not required, and is in fact ignored.

How to Specify Options

Specify options either on the command line or in a configuration file. To add them to the command line, right-click on the desktop shortcut icon you created during Installation and choose Properties:

The "Target:" field above contains the full path to the Updater Program. This example shows that the "-cty", "-awd" and "-iota" options have been specified. This means that running the Updater Program from the desktop shortcut icon will attempt to update the DX4WIN.CTY, DX4WIN.AWD and fulllist.xml files automatically, without user intervention.

If the Updater Program was installed under "C:\Program Files", or in some other directory path that contains spaces, the Target: path will have quotes around the full path. If you add any options, they must be outside (to the right of) those quotes.

The "Start in:" field contains the path to your DX4WIN installation directory. This is the directory that contains DX4WIN.EXE. If the Updater Program can not find the SAVE and IMPORT directories in this directory, it will report an error such as the following:

ERROR:  Can't find IMPORT and/or SAVE directory(s).
        Is program installed in the correct directory?

If you try to use an illegal option on the command line (one not in the list above) or one that's incorrectly formatted, the Updater Program will report an error:

ERROR: Illegal option: -test

You can also specify the options in a file called DX4WUPD.RC that must be in the same directory as DX4WUPD.EXE. If you don't want to use one of the pre-configured files (see below), you can create and/or edit your own file using a plain-text editor, such as Notepad. Do not use Microsoft Word or any other application that can not create a plain text file! Each option must be on a separate line. Make sure that there are no trailing spaces at the end of a line, otherwise the Updater Program will ignore that option. You may add comments to the configuration file by beginning them with a '#'. Here is an example:

# my DX4WIN 8.05 update configuration
-fg lightaqua
-cal
-cty
-mas1
-mas2
-tcp=local.tcp
-exe
-log=AD1C

If you try to use an illegal option in the configuration file (not in the list above) or one that's incorrectly formatted, the Updater Program will simply ignore it, instead of reporting an error.

You can have both a configuration file as well as additional options on the command line. The Updater Program will read options from the configuration file first, then from the command line. Thus, you can use an option on the command line to override one specified in the configuration file.

Some options can be prefixed with "no", which means "don't do that". For example, "-nocty" tell the Updater Program not to update the country file. So if the configuration file contains "-cty" specifying that the country file is to be updated, you can add "-nocty" to the command line to leave the country file alone.

Below you'll find several pre-configured configuration files that you may download, along with the equivalent command-line options. The configuration files are also included in the ZIP file containing the Updater Program. You can download a configuration file below as DX4WUPD.RC by clicking on the heading hyperlink (i.e. DX4WIN 8.0x) and saving (not opening) the file to your DX4W### directory (that contains DX4WUPD.EXE and DX4WIN.EXE). Choose the configuration file that corresponds to the version of DX4WIN for which you are licensed:

DX4WIN 8.0x:

dx4wupd -exe -cal -cty -awd -tcp -mas1 -mas2 -iota

 

DX4WIN 7.06 and 7.07:

dx4wupd -exe -cal -cty -awd -tcp -mas1

 

DX4WIN 7.05 and older:

dx4wupd -exe -cal -cty -awd -tcp -mas

After you download the correct file, you can customize it as you wish, using a plain-text editor like Notepad. Some people may prefer to leave the configuration file alone and add their own options to the desktop shortcut instead.

How Options are Processed

The rules for processing options are as follows:

• If no options are given, the Updater Program will attempt to update every data file, even those that will update the same data file (like DX4WIN.TCP). It will prompt you before updating each one:

  Do you want to update dx4win.cty (country file) (y/n)?

• If one or more data file options is given, the Updater Program will update only those files, without prompting.

Option Details

Most of the options in the first group should be self-explanatory. The following options require some additional explanation.

–awd : update DX4WUPD.AWD (awards)

The award database is rather large, over 5 MB. To minimize download time, the file is downloaded as a ZIP file. Then the award database itself is extracted from that ZIP file.

–cal : update CALENDAR.TXT (calendar)

The DX4WIN calendar is downloaded from the 425 DX News web site. Click on this link to see an example. Special thanks to Leo, IZ5FSA for adding a DX4WIN calendar download page to the site.

After updating (downloading) the calendar, the Updater Program will remind you to import it into DX4WIN:

*** Import calendar in DD/MM/YY format using Files | Calendar

After the Updater Program exits, choose File | Calendar from the main DX4WIN menu, then File | Import data dd/mm/yy from the Events calendar menu, like this:

Navigate to your DX4W###\UPDATE directory and double-click on CALENDAR.TXT to import it. Then File | Save Changes and exit.

–cty : update DX4WUPD.CTY and ADIF.PMP (country file)

The country file is somewhat large, over 2 MB. Plus it is intimately tied to the file that maps ADIF country IDs to DX entity prefixes. For those reasons, the file is downloaded as a ZIP file. Then the country file and the ADIF mapping file are both extracted from that ZIP file.

–exe : update DX4WUPD.EXE

This option checks to see if the Updater Program itself has been updated. This is the very first thing the Updater Program does, before backing up or updating any other files. If the Updater Program has been updated, you will see a message like this:

Do you want to stop and update dx4wupd.exe (y/n/r)?

You have two choices: either continue with the data file update (and update the Updater Program later), or skip the data file update (and update the Updater Program now). If you choose to update the Updater Program now, then when the download completes, you will see a message like the following:

*** DX4WUPD.EXE was updated on Tue Dec  6 20:57:50 2011

*** The new version will run the next time you start the updater.

*** Type (almost) any key (except <ENTER>) when done ...

The previous version of the Updater Program (the one you just ran) will be named DX4WUPD.~XE

Before running the (new) Updater Program again, check the documentation to see if any options have been added or changed.

If instead you answer "No" to the "Do you want to stop and update" question, you will be asked again the next time you run the Updater Program.

–tcp and –kcp : update DX4WIN.TCP (DX Cluster nodes)

These two options both update the same file (DX4WIN.TCP), so you should choose one or the other, not both, or the Updater Program will report an error:

*** Don't specify both -tcp -and -kcp. Both update the same file (DX4WIN.TCP):

    -tcp specifies the cluster node list without keep-alive.
    -kcp specifies the cluster node list *with*  keep-alive.

    Fix the configuration, then start the DX4WIN Data Updater again.

The difference between the two options is that "-tcp" (with a T) downloads the DX Cluster node list that does not have keep-alive. The "-kcp" option (with a K) downloads the DX Cluster node list that does have keep-alive. Keep-alive is a feature whereby DX4WIN periodically sends a character to the remote cluster node (usually after some period of user inactivity), to signal that the remote node should "keep alive" its connection to DX4WIN. You can learn more about keep-alive by following this link.

Both of these options accept an optional parameter, which is the name of (and path to) a file which contains a list of your preferred nodes. This file can be used to retain these nodes at the top of the "Select Internet address" list in DX4WIN, even after an update. Do not give it the path to the DX4WIN.TCP file in the SAVE directory, or the Updater Program will report an error:

ERROR: You can't use SAVE\dx4win.tcp as your "preferred nodes" file.

Use a plain-text editor like Notepad to create the file of preferred nodes. The format of the file must be exactly the same as DX4WIN.TCP. The best way to get started is to copy and paste from DX4WIN.TCP. Here is an example:

LOCAL>CC User,localhost:7300
JJR>CC User,10.10.220.144:7300
W0MU-1>Castle Rock-CO,w0mu.net
VE7CC-1>Maple Ridge-BC,ve7cc.net

To avoid confusion, choose a filename other than DX4WIN.TCP. You can put the file anywhere as long as the option parameter gives the full path to it. Here is an example showing how to specify this file:

-tcp=SAVE\mylan.tcp

Case doesn't matter (either UPPER or lower will work), and you can use either the forward slash '/' or back slash '\' as the path separator. When the Updater Program downloads the new node list, it will first write your nodes (the nodes from the mylan.tcp file in this example) to the start of DX4WIN.TCP in the save directory, then append the rest of the nodes from the downloaded DX4WIN.TCP file. If there is a node in your local file with the same name (i.e. node callsign) as the one in full list, and if those nodes both have the same IP address, the duplicate node will be ignored. If the nodes have different IP addresses, you will get an error like this:

ERROR:  Node mismatch:  AB5K-4>Bee Cave-TX
        Old address:    dxc.ab5k.net:7273|3 (kept)
        New address:    dxc.ab5k.net:7373|3 (discarded)

Because the Updater Program always uses the nodes from your local list first, this error message should tell you that one of the nodes in the downloaded file has a new (different) IP address than the same node in your local file. It is up to you to resolve the difference; the Updater Program will not do it for you.

–mas : update DX4WIN.MAS (master callsigns)

–mas1 : update DX4WIN.MAS1 (master callsigns)

These two options are mutually exclusive. You should choose one or the other (not both), otherwise the Updater Program will report an error:

*** Don't specify both -mas -and -mas1

    -mas  is the master callsign database for DX4WIN 7.05 and earlier.
    -mas1 is the master callsign database for DX4WIN 7.06 and later.

    Fix the configuration, then start the DX4WIN Data Updater again.

There is no reason to download both files, because your version of DX4WIN can only make use of one of them.

Running the Updater Program

If you created a shortcut icon on the desktop, then double-click on it and the Updater Program will start, using the options you provided.

If you did not create a shortcut icon, you have two other options for running the Updater Program:

1. Using Windows explorer, navigate to your DX4W### directory (which should contain DX4WPD.EXE) and double-click on the DX4WPD.EXE program icon. The Updater Program will start running, prompting you before updating each file (unless that directory also contains a DX4WUPD.RC configuration file).
    
2. Open up a CMD window in Windows and using the "cd" command, navigate to your DX4W### directory (which should contain DX4WUPD.EXE). To run the Updater Program, type DX4WUPD at the command prompt followed by zero or more command-line options (listed above). They can be given in any order, and in almost any combination. The Updater Program will try to read options from the DX4WUPD.RC configuration file if it finds one in the same directory.

Before trying to update any files, the Updater Program will check to see if DX4WIN is running. DX4WIN should not be running while you are updating files! If it is, the Updater Program will let you know:

*** DX4WIN is running!

    Exit DX4WIN, then start the DX4WIN Data Updater again.

The Updater Program is unable to determine whether DX4WIN is running on Windows 98. Instead, you will see this:

Unable to determine whether DX4WIN is running.
Are you sure you want to continue updating (y/n)?

If DX4WIN is not running, answer "Yes" to continue. If DX4WIN is running, you can exit (close) DX4WIN, then answer "Yes" to continue. If for some reason you do not want to exit (close) DX4WIN at this time, answer "No" and the Updater Program will exit.

NOTE: If you are running the Updater Program on Windows 98, you may see an error message like this when the program first starts. You can ignore it:

Use of uninitialized value $ENV{"OS"} in lc at /<DX4WUPD.EXE>Win32/Process/Info.pm line 517."

Updated files are first downloaded to the DX4W###\UPDATE directory (before being automatically copied to the appropriate target directory), only if they are newer than the version already in the UPDATE directory, or if they don't exist. The Updater Program will create that directory if it does not already exist. If you want to force an update of all data files, delete all the files from the UPDATE directory, or delete the UPDATE directory (folder) itself. This will force the Updater Program to download them all again.

Before updating each file, the current file (if it exists) is moved to the DX4W###\BACKUP directory. If the BACKUP directory already contains a file of the same name, the existing file in the BACKUP directory will be renamed, i.e. DX4WIN.TCP is renamed to DX4WIN.~CP

When the Updater Program is done, you will see this prompt:

*** Type (almost) any key (except <ENTER>) when done ...

This is a reminder that the <ENTER> key can not be used to exit the Updater Program.

This is a sample window capture showing the Updater Program running in automatic mode:

Here is another sample window capture showing the Updater Program running in interactive mode:

Additional Options

The following options control the Updater Program operation. Some can be used in conjunction with the data file options described above. Others perform a single action and then exit. Here is a description of them:

–fg=color : set foreground color

–bg=color : set background color

These two options allow you to change the foreground (text) and background (window) colors. The list of valid colors is the same as the set of colors available if you use the "color" command at the Windows command prompt. You can use just one or both options. Spelling counts, but case doesn't matter. Here is an example command line:

dx4wupd -fg=lightyellow -bg=aqua

Here's what the same options look like in a configuration file:

-fg=lightyellow
-bg=aqua

Note that some color combinations look/work better than others. Feel free to experiment until you find a color combination you like:

black		black
blue		blue
green		green
aqua		aqua
red		red
purple		purple
yellow		yellow
white		white
gray		gray
lightblue		lightblue
lightgreen		lightgreen
lightaqua		lightaqua
lightred		lightred
lightpurple		lightpurple
lightyellow		lightyellow
brightwhite		brightwhite

If you try to use a color that is not in this list (or that is misspelled), the Updater Program will report this error:

ERROR:  Illegal foreground color: cyan

If you try to set both the background and foreground to the same color, the Updater Program will report this error:

ERROR:  Can't set both foreground and background colors to green

If you would like more color options than those given above, you can change the window color properties through Windows. Right click on the "DX4WIN Data Updater" shortcut icon you created on your desktop. It should look like the example above. If it does not, you are probably trying to change the properties of the wrong icon. Click on the Colors tab in the Properties window and it should look similar to this:

Using this window, you can select your own Screen text (foreground) and Screen background colors. You will see the screen colors in the "Selected screen colors" portion of the window as you change them. When done, click on the OK button at the bottom.

–log=name : back up log file

If you specify the "-log" option, the first thing the Updater Program will do, before downloading or updating any files (except for DX4WUPD.EXE), is to try to copy your logbook file from the SAVE directory to the BACKUP directory. If there is already a copy of your logbook in the BACKUP directory, that file will be renamed with a ~XL extension.

The parameter given to the "-log" option is the name of the logbook (.DXL) file in your SAVE directory, but without the .DXL extension. For example:

-log=AD1C

Case does not matter. If a logbook file with the specified name doesn't exist, the Updater Program will report this warning:

*** Can't find DX4WIN logbook file SAVE/AD2C.dxl

    Do you want to continue anyway (y/n)?

If you answer "No", the Updater Program will exit. If you answer "Yes", the Updater Program will continue, despite the error. However, you should probably fix the logbook file name before running the Updater Program again.

Unlike the other options, "-log" can be used multiple times to back up more than one logbook, for example:

dx4wupd -log=KK4HD -log=4U1WB

or in a configuration file:

-log=KK4HD
-log=4U1WB

If you are in "automatic" mode, then the logbook backup will occur without prompting. If you are in "-prompt" mode, then you will be prompted first whether to backup each logbook file.

–prompt : ask before updating each file

This option causes the Updater Program to prompt you before updating each file (including your log file[s]). If the data file is already up-to-date, the Updater Program will say this instead of issuing the prompt. Note that the "-exe" option always prompts before trying to update the Updater Program itself, regardless of the other options. If you are asked whether to update a file, typing 'R' (instead of Y/N) will open a web browser with that file's revision history (if available).

IMPORTANT: The only way to interrupt/abort the Updater Program is by typing control-C at a Yes/No prompt. If the Updater Program is running in automatic (non-prompting) mode, there is no way to interrupt it.

–restore : restore file(s) instead of updating

This option allows you to restore selected files, instead of updating them. This means moving the file from the BACKUP directory back to its original location. If there is also a file of the same name in the BACKUP directory with a ~ extension, that file will be restored to its original name, without the ~. Files to restore are selected by the same options and policies used to update files:

• no options means restore all files
• some options means restore only those files

Parameters given to the "-tcp" and "-kcp" options are ignored.

To restore your logbook file(s), you must also use the "–log=" option, specifying the logbook file name. You can use "-log" multiple times (as shown above) to restore multiple logbook files.

You can not restore the Updater Program while it is running. If you are prompted to restore the Updater Program, and you answer "Yes", you will see this:

Do you want to stop and restore dx4wupd.exe from BACKUP (y/n)? y

*** Moved BACKUP\dx4wupd.exe to UPDATE\dx4wupd.exe

*** After exiting the updater, copy (don't move) dx4wupd.exe
***     from the UPDATE directory to the DX4W### directory.

*** Then start the DX4WIN Data Updater again.

Other than moving files back to their original directories, the only difference between updating and restoring is that "-restore" always prompts you before restoring each file.

Update Rules

These rules define how/when files are updated:

DX4WIN.AWD - award database

DX4WIN does not modify this file.

It is downloaded when there is a new award database on this web site.

It is downloaded as a ZIP file, then extracted from the ZIP file to the SAVE directory.

 

DX4WIN.CTY - country file

DX4WIN re-writes this file every time you save your logbook or exit DX4WIN.

It is downloaded when there is a new country file on this web site.

It is downloaded as a ZIP file, then extracted from the ZIP file to the SAVE directory.

 

DX4WIN.MAS1 (DX4WIN.MAS) - master callsigns

DX4WIN does not modify this file.

It is updated when there is a new master callsign file on this web site.

 

DX4WIN.MAS2 - eQSL/LoTW membership list

DX4WIN does not modify this file.

It is updated when there is a new membership list on this web site.

 

DX4WIN.TCP - Internet addresses

DX4WIN re-writes this file every time you connect to a different DX Cluster node.

It is updated when there is a new DX4WIN.TCP file on this web site.

 

ADIF.PMP - ADIF mapping file

DX4WIN does not modify this file.

It is always updated at the same time as DX4WIN.CTY (see above).

 

fullllist.xml - IOTA islands

DX4WIN does not modify this file.

There is no way to check the file version without downloading it first. However, the fulllist.xml file in the SAVE directory will not be updated unless the file downloaded from the RSGB IOTA web site is newer.

Notes

• The update process does not do any merging. You still have the option of manually merging the new country file from your old one, which was moved to the BACKUP directory.
   
• If you edited the awards database, you will have to copy those changes to the new file. You can find the previous one in the BACKUP directory.

To Do

Version History

5.1 - 25 March 2012

Don't pop up message box on completion when running in –auto mode

 

5.0 - 16 March 2012

Another Daylight Savings Time fix

 

4.6 - 8 December 2011

New: the Updater Program can now update itself in-place; there is no longer any need to copy or move any files after an update

Fix: the DST fix caused the IOTA fulllist.xml to download every time

 

4.5 - 7 December 2011

Fix: updater could update unnecessarily due to Daylight Savings Time

 

4.4 - 12 September 2011

Fix: IOTA fulllist.xml wasn't updating

Fix: Removed warning message when trying to update DX Calendar

 

4.3 - 5 September 2011

New: –cal downloads the DX calendar from the 425 DX News web site

 

4.2 - 27 August 2011

New: –auto exits the program, without prompting.

Change: fulllist.xml (IOTA Islands) updated more intelligently (faster). NOTE: you must delete fulllist.xml from the UPDATE directory before running this version for the first time.

 

4.1 - 7 June 2011

New: when prompted to update a file, you can check its revision history first by answering 'R' or 'r'.

Change: Fewer error messages if a downloaded .ZIP file is corrupt.

 

4.0 - 23 May 2011

New: –restore option returns data files to their previous versions.

New: –tcp and –kcp options take an optional file name of "preferred" nodes.

New: many options now have –no<opt> versions, meaning don't perform the action.

New: –debug shows all specified options and values.

Change: you will only be prompted to update files that have actually changed.

Change: –log can be specified multiple times to back up multiple log files.

Change: downloads DX4WIN.TCP from real file, less frequent changes.

Change: fulllist.xml (IOTA Islands) always downloaded, but more intelligently updated.

Change: can't use both –mas and –mas1 options at the same time (shows warning, prompts to exit).

Change: ignore unrecognized options in configuration file instead of reporting them as errors.

Change: removed –all option.

 

3.1 - 3 May 2011

New: –log option backs up DX4WIN logbook before updating data files.

New: –exe option downloads DX4WUPD.EXE program if it's newer than the current version.

New: can't use both –tcp and –kcp options at the same time (shows warning, prompts to exit).

Fix: –fg and –bg inhibited all updates if used by themselves.

Fix: –prompt caused prompts for all files to update, not just the ones specified in options.

Fix: –prompt and –all together should prompt before each file update.

Fix: –prompt showed "Working on ..." message when it shouldn't have.

Fix: when updating keep-alive version of DX4WIN.TCP, say so.

Fix: better handling of errors when trying to backup data files.

Fix: on exit, remind user that <ENTER> won't exit the program.

 

3.0.1 - 2 May 2011

Either ' ' (space) or '=' (equals) can be used between –fg/–bg and color. '=' wasn't working in RC file, fixed.

Configuration files can have comment lines beginning with '#'

–mas1 and –mas2 options weren't recognized in configuration file, fixed.

 

2.13 (test release) - 1 May 2011

Changed method to determine whether DX4WIN is running.

Added –fg and –bg options to specify window foreground and background colors, respectively.

Added –prompt option to force prompts before updating files.

Options can be read from DX4WUPD.RC file. Command-line options can override those read from the file.

 

2.12 (test release) - 30 April 2011

Check that DX4WIN is not running.

"Update (y/n)?" prompt now requires a SINGLE keystroke: Y/y, N/n or control-C. Don't use <ENTER>!

Exiting the program requires a SINGLE keystroke other than <ENTER>.

Program no longer generates error messages when control-C is typed at a prompt. Instead, it goes gracefully to the Exit prompt.

Fixed spurious "Could not create directory" errors, even when the directory was really created.

Less output when running in Interactive mode.

 

2.11 (test release) - 29 April 2011

y/N prompt now accepts <ENTER> (by itself) to mean No (now works as documented).

Program looks for SAVE and IMPORT directories (instead of DX4WIN.EXE) to check installation.

Better error checking/handling.

Program is associated with DX4WIN icon.

Help option displays URL of this web page.

Program banner also includes time as well as date.

 

2.10 (test release) - 28 April 2011

Complete re-write of the program in Perl. The program is self-contained and does not need any other programs installed to work.

Supports command-line options to specify files to be updated.

Checks that it's installed in the correct directory by looking for DX4WIN.EXE.