Built-in support of the installer

[Slavic]

TC already has almost all the code needed to download the update files from the main source like totalcommander.ch (both the update program and main *.cab file), so the usage of web browser for this becomes excessive and is supported only because of long tradition.

I suggest to add this option to main TC code, so after the version check TC will be able to directly download the web installer (and maybe also *.cab needed by default), then run the installer. From the user side, this option can be implemented with minimal additions, maybe one more dialog and a couple of buttons. The reference to the source may be either built-in or configurable in a line in wincmd.ini. In the last case, it will be possible to update TC via corporate intranet. More deep changes may be needed to integrate the web installer code into TC, it may be a boon for users but not very good for consistency of the code, so it's more a wish rather than suggestion.

Alternatively, the web installer may be added to the installation as another component in the TC directory. This (most simple) way, after version check TC may run the installer instead of the web browser like now.

Of course, for PCs without Internet connection the update will work in traditional way, nothing changes.

[Slavic]

Currently the list of available beta versions is hardcoded in the totalcmdbetainst.exe. I see this because the "old" 9.50b2 installer doesn't show the beta 3 version, while the last 9.50b3 does (versions of installer in their properties are the same). Users may not realise that the installer should be updated as well. Would it be better to download the new config instead of hardcoding it?

You might already have the plans to update the installer a bit later, this way or another. If so, it would be nice to test it before release.

[umbra]

Currently the list of available beta versions is hardcoded in the totalcmdbetainst.exe.

That's not what I see. totalcmdbetainst.exe is identical for both beta 2 and 3. The only difference is in the downloaded tcmain.inf. So it already behaves the way you would expect.

[Slavic]

Well, while I haven't checked the exact difference between these two installers, different versions are shown on the first screen. Beta 2 downloads tcbeta.inf, while beta 3 downloads tcmain.inf, and these names are hardcoded. As a result, totalcmdbetainst.exe should be downloaded every time. Would the names be the same, re-downloading will not be needed (and installer could be placed in the TC directory during the installation for future use).

[umbra]

I think you are confusing beta 1 with beta 2. Beta 1 indeed had different installer which downloaded different configuration file. But I don't see any difference between beta 2 and 3. Ghisler actually did some changes in beta 2 installer so that it could be used to install any beta version.

[Slavic]

This may be. The problem is, they have the same name, size and version number, but the internal code is different. I know that I have unexpectedly re-written it once after downloading (I couldn't imagine that installer may be changed and supposed to delete them like all temporary files). I have now only two versions, last and previous one. The previous may be the first, not the second as I suppose, even though it shows version 2 on the start screen.

[ghisler(Author)]

Indeed the installers for beta 2 and 3 are 100% identical. The installer for beta 1 was different: It could only download one inf file (tcbeta.inf), so I would have to add all older beta versions to that single inf file. The installer for beta 2 and newer can now download as many inf files as necessary.
This is controlled by a line like this:
5=+ beta 1,tcbeta1.inf

The + tells the installer that the line links to a different inf file. This way the individual inf files can be kept small.