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Call for Update checker

doctorb
Registered: Jul 11 2007
Posts: 4

Is there any code in the API that would allow me to call Adobe's update checker? Specifically for those who might have acrobat reader 7.0 or lower so that I could have them upgrade to the latest version 8.1...

Thanks

jim_merry
Registered: Jul 18 2007
Posts: 58
There is a mechanism for executing menu items such as 'check for updates' within the Javascript APIs. It is a method of the app object (see: app.execMenuItem). However, there are security restrictions depending on whether or not you are executing this method in a priviledged context or not and 'Check for Updates' is not on the list of 'safe menu items'. The following is excerpted from the Acrobat 8 Javascript reference manual:

(excerpt)
To see the list of safe menus, create a form button, and in the Button Properties dialog box, select the Actions tab. From the Select Action list, select “Execute a menu item”. Finally, click the Add button to see the Menu Item dialog box with the list of safe menus.

The app.execMenuItem method may be executed, without restriction, in a privileged context, such as in the console or in a batch sequence. For folder JavaScript, app.execMenuItem can be executed, again, without restriction, through a trusted function with raised privilege. See Example 4, below.

Another approach to executing app.execMenuItem without restriction is through Sign & Certify. When the document author signs and certifies the document, privileged methods can be executed from a non-privileged context provided the document consumer lists the author’s certificate in the list of trusted identities and the consumer trusts the author for execution of embedded high privilege JavaScript.
(/excerpt)

Jim Merry, VP 3D PDF, Tetra 4D, jim [dot] merry [at] tetra4d [dot] com