Product Update

[Freddy Davis]

Every time I load Affinity Publisher, it asks me if I want to update, but it is the same update every time. Is it not updating or is this some kind of flaw? Thanks.

[Oufti]

1 hour ago, Freddy Davis said:

it asks me if I want to update

I assume it's this dialog (in French in my case) but then what do you answer?

Ignore this version shouldn't change anything and the dialog should not reappear; 
Not now shouldn't change anything but it should present you the same dialog next time;
Update should update the app and the dialog should not reappear.

[MikeTO]

Based on previous posts, I assume you're using Windows and sometimes the Windows updater doesn't seem to update. You can work around this by downloading the full installer from Serif's site. Ensure you select the correct installer by clicking the arrow on the right-side of the blue button instead of the button itself. You will most likely need the x64 but select MSIX or MSI/EXE depending on what you already have.

https://store.serif.com/update/windows/publisher/2/

[walt.farrell]

13 hours ago, MikeTO said:

Based on previous posts, I assume you're using Windows and sometimes the Windows updater doesn't seem to update.

The common cause for that is a user who has installed the MSI/EXE version, but when prompted to Download the update they mistakenly select the MSIX version and end up with two copies of the application installed.

[Freddy Davis]

Thanks, you guys. I reinstalled using the MSI/EXE version. Hopefully this solves all the problems. When I reinstalled, it put another icon on my desktop, so now I have two. Should I just delete the first one?

[walt.farrell]

15 hours ago, Freddy Davis said:

Thanks, you guys. I reinstalled using the MSI/EXE version. Hopefully this solves all the problems. When I reinstalled, it put another icon on my desktop, so now I have two. Should I just delete the first one?

Do both icons work? Do they invoke the same version of the program? What do they point to if you look at their properties?

[Freddy Davis]

Both icons work, but the old one takes me to version 2.5.5 and wants me to update. Properties point to SerifEuropeLtd.AffinityPublisher2_3cqzy0nppv2rftSerit... (It won't let me look past this).

 

The second one takes me directly to 2.5.7. Properties point to C:\Program Files\Affinity\Publisher 2\Publisher.exe

[walt.farrell]

You need to uninstall that MSIX version. Don't just delete the icon. Right-click on the application in the Start menu (it will be listed under All), and uninstall. It, uninstall from the Settings app (don't use the Control Panel; that old, deprecated function can't handle newer application technology like MSIX).

[Freddy Davis]

Thanks, Walt. I got it done and everything seems to be working. Appreciate your help.

[Granddaddy]

This discussion implies to me that the Affinity installer programs should alert the user when he is about to install a version different from that already installed. That is, if one is about to install the MSI/EXE version when an MSIX version is already installed, the user should be warned, and vice versa.

It's just common courtesy on the part of software vendors.

Even free software I have warns me when I am about to install a new version and already have an older version installed.

How much more important to alert the user when a completely different version installing in a completely different manner is about to be installed and possibly cause conflicts.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Granddaddy said:

This discussion implies to me that the Affinity installer programs should alert the user when he is about to install a version different from that already installed.

Since for Windows there are two different versions of the same app this seems like something they should add. Perhaps mention it in a feature request?

[MikeTO]

I'm no expert on MSIX, but I believe one of the benefits of sandboxing apps with it is that they can't snoop and find out what other apps are installed on your computer.

[anto]

I think that when you click on the Update button, the program should automatically download the update, and not send the user to the site. 
This issue has already been discussed here. And it is not difficult to do. If only Serif had the will.

[walt.farrell]

6 hours ago, anto said:

I think that when you click on the Update button, the program should automatically download the update, and not send the user to the site. 
This issue has already been discussed here. And it is not difficult to do. If only Serif had the will.

If you have an Update button, you have the MSIX version, and you get the correct version automatically.

The users with the problem have chosen to install the MSI/EXE version, where they get a Download button instead, and it is up to them to choose the version they want, each time. We have previously suggested to Serif that it would be better if they got a Download page with the proper version pre-selected, but Serif has not done that yet.

[anto]

1 minute ago, walt.farrell said:

The users with the problem have chosen to install the MSI/EXE version, where they get a Download button instead, and it is up to them to choose the version they want, each time. We have previously suggested to Serif that it would be better if they got a Download page with the proper version pre-selected, but Serif has not done that yet.

There is no clear division on the page where to download from. I have to check several times to make sure I clicked the right Download button.

[Obscured]

.

[Granddaddy]

20 hours ago, MikeTO said:

I'm no expert on MSIX, but I believe one of the benefits of sandboxing apps with it is that they can't snoop and find out what other apps are installed on your computer.

I'm pretty much ignorant about the limitations imposed by MSIX programs. The disastrous results when Affinity 2 was released imply that I am not alone in my ignorance.

Still, I had assumed that sandboxing only prevented MSIX apps from being interfered with by isolating their operation in protected memory spaces. They also cannot interfere with the operation of other programs I guess, but I don't know.

But what is installed on the computer is known to Windows. I assume all installed programs are listed in the  Windows Registry, with the exception of stand-alone exe files that are not installed but simply executed from wherever you put them on the disk. Portable apps work from anywhere, including from flash drives. They are not installed and not known to exist by Windows.

I use Open Shell and it certainly knows everything that is installed on my computer. It's getting that information from somewhere.

Cannot any program retrieve a list of installed programs from Windows?

[MikeTO]

1 hour ago, Granddaddy said:

Cannot any program retrieve a list of installed programs from Windows?

I don't know how much Windows 11 has locked this down but one of the points of sandboxing is to prevent collection of user data and that includes installed apps, visited websites, etc. If you were to install an app on your iPhone that wanted to collect this data, you would be prompted to grant the app access.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, Granddaddy said:

Cannot any program retrieve a list of installed programs from Windows?

Like @MikeTO I don't know much about Windows security but I have to assume that if any app could get at that info without a users permission or knowledge it could pose a huge security & privacy risk. For instance, what if one could see that you had an app provided by your bank, by any companies you had investments in, etc.? I'm guessing scammers would like very much to have that info.

[anto]

20 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

If you have an Update button, you have the MSIX version, and you get the correct version automatically.

The users with the problem have chosen to install the MSI/EXE version, where they get a Download button instead, and it is up to them to choose the version they want, each time. We have previously suggested to Serif that it would be better if they got a Download page with the proper version pre-selected, but Serif has not done that yet.

This is how the update should be done. This is an exe program. And downloading the update does not distract the user.

 

 

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, anto said:

This is how the update should be done.

Then why does Windows now urge developers to switch to the sandboxed MSIX distributions?