Make a patcher program.

I find that it's just easier to patch by replacing the EXE with a new EXE...  Do you have a specific reason for wanting to patch the EXE directly??


Cheers!®©

The best way to do this is during the initial programming stages is to create your forms but instead of placing the code with the forms you create classes for each of the forms with the code inside. When you have completed your form, build the class into a DLL.

When you have an update you simply replace the DLL. *This will only work if you change coding not the Form it self. But with no code in the forms other than the Class Calls it make the EXE very small and flexible. If you do change a form for any reason you would submit the changed EXE and if any coding you submit the DLL. I have found it makes updates very easy for myself and my clients..

As for File Dates and so forth play with the following example.

    Dim fso As New FileSystemObject, FileDef As File
    Set FileDef = fso.GetFile("c:\tmp.txt")  '<--- Your file
    Debug.Print FileDef.DateLastModified
    ' FileDef has a more options to use

Although I use jonder's technique myself, pathcher programs are available if you have a search around. It's a lot less effor than writing one yourself.
Check out http://www.funduc.com/pamain1.htm
for just one example.

another one .... a bit better I think.
http://www.clickteam.com/web/pm/about_cadre.htm

just a note: neither of these two seem to really 'patch' the original file - they just replace it, albeit compressed, with a nice setup program.
I'd be interested too if anybody finds a patcher program which does a proper patch, ie just replace the changed bytes within the original. I'd love to be able to patch my setup.cab file to save my client downloading 2MBs worth.

mcrider:
the reason is: sometimes I need to write a program that some functions are not available before somebody register it,after registering, I can patch the EXE to a full version. And there's only a little diference between the two version. Replacing an EXE with a new one I don't think it's OK if the new EXE if too big.

mcrider:
I need a source program to do that, give me a example? I know I can do like you said, but I don't know how to implement.
Come on...OK?

Here you go... In the above example, we used a hex dumping program like "Quick View Plus" to find the "NOP!" definition at offset hex 000840.  You would manually locate this string in your program, and then set the "PatchOffset" constant below.  in the example, I am using the hex 840. This will patch  the "YEP!" string over the "NOP!" string...

    Const PatchOffset = &H840
    Dim fNum As Long
    Dim FileName As String
   
    fNum = FreeFile
    FileName = "c:\windows\desktop\testfile.exe"
    Open FileName For Binary As #fNum
    Seek #fNum, PatchOffset + 1
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H59)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H0)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H45)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H0)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H50)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H0)
    Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H21)
    Close fNum



Cheers!®©

Yes,great!
But I don't why must "Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H0)" and "Put #fNum, , Chr$(&H21)". What are their meaning?




Cheers!
   

Well, you don't have to do the last two... the &H21 is the exclamation point (!) on "YEP!"

Thanks for the points...


Cheers!®©

But the &H0? Why to put it?

In the EXE, "NOP!" is actually stored like this:

4E 00 4F 00 50 00 21
 N     O     P     !    



Cheers!®©