Olá Futura.
Já trabalhei numa empresa onde usávamos das duas formas. Particularmente eu prefiro que o exe fique no micro (estações).
Quanto a atualização, você pode procurar informações sobre GetFileVersionInfoSize.
Eu fiz um Chat, uma determinada vez e atualizava da seguinte forma:
Para exemplificar vamos chamar de ProgPrincipal e ProgUpdate
Quando o usuário abria o ProgPrincipal.exe o mesmo comparava sua versão com a versão que estava numa pasta de atualização no servidor, se ela fosse inferior o programa local o ProgPrincipal chamava o ProgUpdate e ele mesmo matava sua própria execução, o ProgUpdate.exe fazia uma cópia pela rede da nova versão chamava novamente o ProgPrincipal.exe e matava sua própria execução.
O que eu digitei ficou um pouco confuso mas a lógica é simples.
Isto ocorria de forma automática, para o usuário só mostrava uma mensagem:
- Aguarde, o sistema esta sendo atualizado... (algo assim)
Eu li o post indicado pelo ghost_jlp e lá se falava em atualizar via web, é uma boa opção. (http://www.macoratti.net/atual_vb.htm )
Eu ainda não testei nada assim.
No seu caso, eu procuraria uma forma de também deixar os rpt´s locais, e se tiver imagens ou algo do tipo também deixaria local.
Eu usei este código:
'Para verificar a existência de nova versão
Const VS_FFI_SIGNATURE = &HFEEF04BD
Const VS_FFI_STRUCVERSION = &H10000
Const VS_FFI_FILEFLAGSMASK = &H3F&
Const VS_FF_DEBUG = &H1
Const VS_FF_PRERELEASE = &H2
Const VS_FF_PATCHED = &H4
Const VS_FF_PRIVATEBUILD = &H8
Const VS_FF_INFOINFERRED = &H10
Const VS_FF_SPECIALBUILD = &H20
Const VOS_UNKNOWN = &H0
Const VOS_DOS = &H10000
Const VOS_OS216 = &H20000
Const VOS_OS232 = &H30000
Const VOS_NT = &H40000
Const VOS__BASE = &H0
Const VOS__WINDOWS16 = &H1
Const VOS__PM16 = &H2
Const VOS__PM32 = &H3
Const VOS__WINDOWS32 = &H4
Const VOS_DOS_WINDOWS16 = &H10001
Const VOS_DOS_WINDOWS32 = &H10004
Const VOS_OS216_PM16 = &H20002
Const VOS_OS232_PM32 = &H30003
Const VOS_NT_WINDOWS32 = &H40004
Const VFT_UNKNOWN = &H0
Const VFT_APP = &H1
Const VFT_DLL = &H2
Const VFT_DRV = &H3
Const VFT_FONT = &H4
Const VFT_VXD = &H5
Const VFT_STATIC_LIB = &H7
Const VFT2_UNKNOWN = &H0
Const VFT2_DRV_PRINTER = &H1
Const VFT2_DRV_KEYBOARD = &H2
Const VFT2_DRV_LANGUAGE = &H3
Const VFT2_DRV_DISPLAY = &H4
Const VFT2_DRV_MOUSE = &H5
Const VFT2_DRV_NETWORK = &H6
Const VFT2_DRV_SYSTEM = &H7
Const VFT2_DRV_INSTALLABLE = &H8
Const VFT2_DRV_SOUND = &H9
Const VFT2_DRV_COMM = &HA
Private Type VS_FIXEDFILEINFO
dwSignature As Long
dwStrucVersionl As Integer ' e.g. = &h0000 = 0
dwStrucVersionh As Integer ' e.g. = &h0042 = .42
dwFileVersionMSl As Integer ' e.g. = &h0003 = 3
dwFileVersionMSh As Integer ' e.g. = &h0075 = .75
dwFileVersionLSl As Integer ' e.g. = &h0000 = 0
dwFileVersionLSh As Integer ' e.g. = &h0031 = .31
dwProductVersionMSl As Integer ' e.g. = &h0003 = 3
dwProductVersionMSh As Integer ' e.g. = &h0010 = .1
dwProductVersionLSl As Integer ' e.g. = &h0000 = 0
dwProductVersionLSh As Integer ' e.g. = &h0031 = .31
dwFileFlagsMask As Long ' = &h3F for version "0.42"
dwFileFlags As Long ' e.g. VFF_DEBUG Or VFF_PRERELEASE
dwFileOS As Long ' e.g. VOS_DOS_WINDOWS16
dwFileType As Long ' e.g. VFT_DRIVER
dwFileSubtype As Long ' e.g. VFT2_DRV_KEYBOARD
dwFileDateMS As Long ' e.g. 0
dwFileDateLS As Long ' e.g. 0
End Type
Private Declare Function GetFileVersionInfo Lib "Version.dll" Alias "GetFileVersionInfoA" (ByVal lptstrFilename As String, ByVal dwhandle As Long, ByVal dwlen As Long, lpData As Any) As Long
Private Declare Function GetFileVersionInfoSize Lib "Version.dll" Alias "GetFileVersionInfoSizeA" (ByVal lptstrFilename As String, lpdwHandle As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function VerQueryValue Lib "Version.dll" Alias "VerQueryValueA" (pBlock As Any, ByVal lpSubBlock As String, lplpBuffer As Any, puLen As Long) As Long
Private Declare Sub MoveMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (dest As Any, ByVal Source As Long, ByVal length As Long)
Dim FullFileName As String
Dim StrucVer As String, FileVer As String, ProdVer As String
Dim FileFlags As String, FileOS As String, FileType As String, FileSubType As String 'Fim para verificar nova versão
Private Declare Function GetVolumeInformation Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetVolumeInformationA" _
(ByVal lpRootPathName As String, ByVal lpVolumeNameBuffer As String, ByVal nVolumeNameSize As Long, lpVolumeSerialNumber As Long, lpMaximumComponentLength As Long, lpFileSystemFlags As Long, ByVal lpFileSystemNameBuffer As String, ByVal nFileSystemNameSize As Long) As Long
Private Sub DisplayVerInfo() 'Para verificar nova versão
Dim rc As Long, lDummy As Long, sBuffer() As Byte
Dim lBufferLen As Long, lVerPointer As Long, udtVerBuffer As VS_FIXEDFILEINFO
Dim lVerbufferLen As Long
'*** Get size ****
lBufferLen = GetFileVersionInfoSize(FullFileName, lDummy)
If lBufferLen < 1 Then
MsgBox "No Version Info available!"
Exit Sub
End If
'**** Store info to udtVerBuffer struct ****
ReDim sBuffer(lBufferLen)
rc = GetFileVersionInfo(FullFileName, 0&, lBufferLen, sBuffer(0))
rc = VerQueryValue(sBuffer(0), "", lVerPointer, lVerbufferLen)
MoveMemory udtVerBuffer, lVerPointer, Len(udtVerBuffer)
'**** Determine Structure Version number - NOT USED ****
StrucVer = Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwStrucVersionh) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwStrucVersionl)
'**** Determine File Version number ****
FileVer = Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwFileVersionMSh) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwFileVersionMSl) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwFileVersionLSh) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwFileVersionLSl)
'**** Determine Product Version number ****
ProdVer = Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwProductVersionMSh) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwProductVersionMSl) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwProductVersionLSh) & "." & Format$(udtVerBuffer.dwProductVersionLSl)
'**** Determine Boolean attributes of File ****
FileFlags = ""
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_DEBUG Then FileFlags = "Debug "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_PRERELEASE Then FileFlags = FileFlags & "PreRel "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_PATCHED Then FileFlags = FileFlags & "Patched "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_PRIVATEBUILD Then FileFlags = FileFlags & "Private "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_INFOINFERRE Then FileFlags = FileFlags & "Info "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VS_FF_SPECIALBUILD Then FileFlags = FileFlags & "Special "
If udtVerBuffer.dwFileFlags And VFT2_UNKNOWN Then FileFlags = FileFlags + "Unknown "
'**** Determine OS for which file was designed ****
Select Case udtVerBuffer.dwFileOS
Case VOS_DOS_WINDOWS16
FileOS = "DOS-Win16"
Case VOS_DOS_WINDOWS32
FileOS = "DOS-Win32"
Case VOS_OS216_PM16
FileOS = "OS/2-16 PM-16"
Case VOS_OS232_PM32
FileOS = "OS/2-16 PM-32"
Case VOS_NT_WINDOWS32
FileOS = "NT-Win32"
Case other
FileOS = "Unknown"
End Select
Select Case udtVerBuffer.dwFileType
Case VFT_APP
FileType = "App"
Case VFT_DLL
FileType = "DLL"
Case VFT_DRV
FileType = "Driver"
Select Case udtVerBuffer.dwFileSubtype
Case VFT2_DRV_PRINTER
FileSubType = "Printer drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_KEYBOARD
FileSubType = "Keyboard drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_LANGUAGE
FileSubType = "Language drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_DISPLAY
FileSubType = "Display drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_MOUSE
FileSubType = "Mouse drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_NETWORK
FileSubType = "Network drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_SYSTEM
FileSubType = "System drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_INSTALLABLE
FileSubType = "Installable"
Case VFT2_DRV_SOUND
FileSubType = "Sound drv"
Case VFT2_DRV_COMM
FileSubType = "Comm drv"
Case VFT2_UNKNOWN
FileSubType = "Unknown"
End Select
Case VFT_FONT
FileType = "Font"
Select Case udtVerBuffer.dwFileSubtype
Case VFT_FONT_RASTER
FileSubType = "Raster Font"
Case VFT_FONT_VECTOR
FileSubType = "Vector Font"
Case VFT_FONT_TRUETYPE
FileSubType = "TrueType Font"
End Select
Case VFT_VXD
FileType = "VxD"
Case VFT_STATIC_LIB
FileType = "Lib"
Case Else
FileType = "Unknown"
End Select
End Sub
