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PA, manual update checker, always reports my apps are up to date , regardless how far behind they are.

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December 5, 2013 - 7:25pm
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bkjr
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PA, manual update checker, always reports my apps are up to date , regardless how far behind they are.

I use the PA apps FireBird(FB) and FileZilla(FZ) mostly, and a few other PAs.

I knew the FB and FZ were a bit behind, and wanted to use the PA platform software / manager to mange updates.
But any time I asked it to check if any apps needed updates, always reported that they were all up to date.

My FB PA was at 17.x , the latest release was 24.x ,,, (didn't realize my FB PA was that far behind).

My FZ PS was 3.7.1, latest 3.7.3 ,,,

I don't have the automatic update checker turned on..
just leave it me to manually use the update checker utility / function built into the PA Platform app.

????

TIA

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December 5, 2013 - 7:29pm
John T. Haller
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Changed Directory Names, Wrong Location

Most likely, you renamed the directories the apps are in. Something like turning the FirefoxPortable directory into Firefox or Firefox26. Those renamed directories are skipped by the platform's updater. If you
rename them back, they'll be found and updated.

If it's not that, then they're not in the right location. The platform creates a PortableApps directory on install and places itself in a PortableApps.com directory inside there. All your apps must be in that PortableApps directory. So you'd see folders like FirefoxPortable inside the PortableApps folder.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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December 5, 2013 - 8:03pm
(Reply to #2)
bkjr
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Ah, ok.I love the PApps's

Ah, ok. You hit the nail on the head, with the non-default directories...

I love the PApps's cause I can have more than one install of them, and set them up for their use... personal stuff VS business/Work.

Like FZ, I have my personal one and one for the work servers.
I manage a bunch of hosting accounts in my spare time, and responsible for all our outsourced hosting servers at work.

When I update the one for the work servers... I can easily share/replace the installs of FZ PA at the required workstations at my work's NOC , and not have to deal with my personal ones being exposed... since they are two different installs / instances , in differently name directories...
So hence I wont be changing the install directories back to the defaults...

Thank you for answering and solving the mystery.
The update function/utility was the big reason for me using/trying the PA Platform app.

I love PA's / transportable software... hate being tied down to an installed instance that has all sorts of hooks into the OS.

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December 5, 2013 - 9:52pm
(Reply to #3)
John T. Haller
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2nd Profile

Firefox and Thunderbird support a feature called Second Profile. You can get it here:

https://portableapps.com/support/firefox_portable#second_profile
https://portableapps.com/support/thunderbird_portable#second_profile

This allows a secondary profile to be used with Firefox with a separate set of bookmarks, extensions, passwords, cookies, etc. It's completely separate from the main profile. But it works with the same copy of Firefox. And the platform will update both Firefox and the 2nd profile launcher. That would be a great way to keep work and personal separate without needing to manually move apps around.

We'll be introducing the ability to make 2nd and more full copies of apps and have them all up to date at some point in the platform as well. The platform can create them and then update them automatically by right-clicking and selecting to make a 2nd Copy. They get directory names like FirefoxPortable_Copy_1, etc. I'm not sure it'll make it into 12.0 which I'm working on now but should be soon after. I built the tech into the PA.c Installer already and most apps are already using that version.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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December 5, 2013 - 11:21pm
(Reply to #4)
bkjr
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tnx, but the 2nd profile in

tnx, but the 2nd profile in the same app sort of complicates it, I truly prefer and feel safer / securer with a totally separate 2nd install of the PApp.

Having the PA platform app supporting custom directories, and multiple installs would be great for me.

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December 5, 2013 - 11:43pm
(Reply to #5)
John T. Haller
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Separate

The way the Firefox Portable launcher works, they're just as separate as if you had two installs. Each profile stays within the separate directory and each gets its own FirefoxPortable.exe. They just both point to the same copy of Firefox. Nothing in the profile is comingled at all. You can run two copies if you prefer, of course, though.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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December 6, 2013 - 1:25pm
(Reply to #6)
bkjr
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uhm, didn't realize it worked

uhm, didn't realize it worked that way.
i'll have to play with it.
but still seems the 2nd install is much simpler , more full proof.
in the past when I used profiles for FF (full install version, not PA), once there was a "problem" with a profile, things sort of fell apart.
So stopped trying to use "profiles" back than, and haven't looked back.

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December 6, 2013 - 1:54pm
(Reply to #7)
John T. Haller
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Profiles

You might be referring to the profile manager. Firefox always uses a profile, which is their terminology for a set of settings (bookmarks, cookies, extensions, passwords, etc). For Firefox Portable, it's located in FirefoxPortable\Data\profile. We point firefox to it on launch using a command line switch

When using the 2nd Profile feature, the 2nd Profile launcher copies the FirefoxPortable.exe launcher from your main install (so you always use the current one for both installs) and then configures it to use the copy of Firefox in your main FirefoxPortable install but use the profile within FirefoxPortable2ndProfile\Data\profile using the same command line switch.

It's an easy way to handle it without needing two full copies of the app or to mess about with the Firefox Profile Manager (which is not portable). All the source code is there if you'd like to check it out for yourself as well Smile

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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