Adobe AIR – common auto-update issues when upgrading your app to AIR 2.0

Earlier this week, I was updating an AIR app originally built on AIR 1.1 to AIR 2.0.   I changed my namespace to 2.0 (so I could take advantage of some new AIR 2.0 specific APIs), built my .airi file, signed it and tried to install it.  I expected it to prompt me to upgrade my existing version but instead, I got the following error:

“Sorry, an error has occurred. The application could not be installed because an application with that name already exists at the selected installation location. Try installing to a different location.”

This also breaks auto-update.  You’ll get the following error:

“This application cannot be installed because this installer has been mis-configured.  Please contact the application author for assistance.“

After doing a bit of research, I discovered that a change was made starting with AIR 1.5.3 with how publisher IDs are generated.  When you switch from a namespace prior to 1.5.3 to 1.5.3 or later, the assigned publisher ID will be different unless you override.

The solution is simple and documented here.

Here’s the quick version of what you need to do:

  1. Determine your application’s current publisher ID. In an installed application, this is found in the META-INF/AIR/publisherid file.
  2. Add a <publisherID></publisherID> element in your descriptor, and copy your publisher ID into it.
  3. Update your application’s namespace to 1.5.3, 2.0 or whatever

Now when I try to install, it recognizes it as a newer version and gives me the dialog and upgrade experience I expected.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

~ by gregorywilson on June 18, 2010.

Posted in Adobe AIR
Tags: , , , ,

15 Responses to “Adobe AIR – common auto-update issues when upgrading your app to AIR 2.0”

  1. Thanks for the summary but now I get this runtime error “Error: EncryptedLocalStore may not use publisher IDs passed in from ADL” when trying to access the EncryptedLocalStore. Adding the publisherID to the run/debg configration does not work since it seems not supported for 1.5.3 and later.

    Sönke said this on June 18, 2010 at 9:59 am | Reply

  2. Thanks for the post. I’m running into the same issues upgrading our app to 2.0.

    I’m looking for the meta-inf dir or where to find my publisherID so I can try this fix. I use the IDE to publish the app.

    Do you know where I might find the pubID?

    Chris Teso said this on June 18, 2010 at 11:55 am | Reply

    • There are two ways to get the publisherID that I know of:
      1) Go to where your application is installed and find the META-INF folder and in there you will see a file called publisherid that contains the ID. On MacOS, you’ll find it in /Applications/YourApp.app/Contents/Resources/META-INF/AIR/publisherid.
      2) Another way to get it is programmatically in your app by printing NativeApplication.nativeApplication.publisherID

      Greg

      gregorywilson said this on June 18, 2010 at 12:07 pm | Reply

      • Thanks.

        1. I dont see the META-INF dir. Is it perhaps hidden?
        2. Tried this (outside of adl)… it does not print it out. Is it possible it would be blank?

        Chris Teso said this on June 18, 2010 at 12:24 pm

  3. On a Mac right click the app and select show package contents.
    I found the bug/solution I ran into here: http://groups.google.com/group/air-tight/browse_thread/thread/3c6b425ad17eb4f1/b6a222f8467518b9?show_docid=b6a222f8467518b9

    Sönke said this on June 18, 2010 at 12:29 pm | Reply

  4. [...] publisherID works differently so you have to add the publisherID to the XML descriptor like also described here. If you are not using EncryptedLocalStore you might be fine by now but otherwise you get this error [...]

    Updating to AIR 2.0 Barriers « Sönke Rohde said this on June 18, 2010 at 12:58 pm | Reply

  5. [...] See the original post [...]

    Adobe AIR – common auto-update issues when upgrading your app to AIR 2.0 | Flash Stock Files said this on June 18, 2010 at 4:20 pm | Reply

  6. Thank you. That really helped :)

    yamalight said this on July 3, 2010 at 12:12 pm | Reply

  7. Nice, fixed my problem…

    David said this on July 6, 2010 at 8:32 am | Reply

  8. Thank you!!, you save my day.

    Robert said this on July 7, 2010 at 5:04 pm | Reply

  9. BTW, Do you know how to tell where the new Runtime 2.0 is?.

    The client machines doesn’t have internet access to update the Runtime when my new AIR 2.0 version app appears, so it would be very usefull if I can publish the new Runtime where they can find it (LAN Area). Ïf so the Runtime update will be made with no user action as well the app does.

    Thank you again.

    Robert said this on July 7, 2010 at 5:18 pm | Reply

  10. Yep….but the clients doesn’t have internet access. You’re right I, and just I, can find the AIR runtime in http://get.adobe.com/air/ but no my users.

    So, How do I tell AIR Runtime 1.5 that the new AIR Runtime 2.0 is not at http://get.adobe.com/air/ but at my own url http://ServerIp/Air2.0?

    Anyone know?

    Robert said this on July 8, 2010 at 9:34 am | Reply

Leave a Reply