Updating a module.
Development and Programming
When does the update() method in upd.my_module.php actually get called?
From what I can tell:
- Modules are not updated when you view the module index.
- Modules are updated if you view their CP backend.
Is there are workaround for modules that do not have a cp backend?
To test this:
- open the jQuery module and change the version number to 1.1.
- return true in the update method
- Visit the module index
meep.
I think you’re right, to update a module you need to access the module page. So I guess if you need this functionality you’ll have to provide a backend as well with a big green UPDATE button on it.
That would be a bit stinky. I personally think that they should be updated on the module index page. Even better would be to have an alert that a module is ready to update…. Maybe I could add that to NSM Addon Updater…. thinking
I personally don’t like the idea of modules doing updates without my knowledge. The Discussion Forum Module from EllisLab will do that; update silently the first time you visit it’s control panel after uploading new files. How do you know it’s updated? You don’t. SolSpace Tags for instance will disable itself (you get a big error message) and then force you to visit the CP and click the big update button there. That’s better IMO.
But yeah, I agree, best of all would be to display an update status on the module index page. Or even better, “Update available” and then being able to just hit update and have it download and update the module.
It would be great if this functionality (NSM Addon Updater?) was bundled in, and then could contact Devot-EE or something to retrieve the latest module info / download. Of course one would have some challanges with downloading/auto-uptdating commercial modules but nothing that couldn’t be solved.
Personally, I kinda like the silent update idea. Although an indication on the Modules page that the module is ready for an update would be nice, I guess.
Shouldn’t be to difficult to make an extension or accessory that does this, no?
for what its worth it doesn’t appear to be possible to update a fieldtype (although they have install/uninstall methods of their own). I could make it a module but it’s a similar kludge to the situation mentioned here of needing to have a module CP backend in order to update a module.