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Code snippet:

navigator.plugins.refresh(false);

var a = new ActiveXObject(collab.axName);
if (a) {
  version = parseVersion(a.version);
}

I run something very similar to the above to check the version of my installed FB plugin. If it is out-of-date, I replace it with a newer version (Firebreath bog-standard Windows installer). However, if I run the snippet again, the newer version is not detected - the new ActiveX object has the old version number.

The ActiveX object creation seems to be the key - installing an update before creating an object will work correctly, and the update is detected if the browser is restarted. And updates work fine in NPAPI browser (which do version detection using navigator.plugins).

Internet Explorer 10, Windows 7.

My question:

Is this expected behavior (or indicative of a bug in my code)? If it is expected, is there is known workaround or alternate approach to accomplish the same goal of installing an update without restarting the browser (e.g., version detection without instantiation, forcing ActiveX update detection)?

BenOfTomorrow
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  • FireBreath itself has nothing to do with it (as far as I can tell). navigator.plugins.refresh isn't supported by IE, of course. I have used the method you describe successfully, but it has been several years; in the mean time, I have determined that in-place update isn't worth the hassle of troubleshooting and I don't do it anymore. – taxilian Jun 04 '13 at 21:27
  • Thanks for the response. I'd seen similar answers from you elsewhere (http://stackoverflow.com/a/16423202/204376) - was hoping for something more promising with a more specific query, but c'est la vie. Good to know the approach has at least worked at some point in the past. – BenOfTomorrow Jun 05 '13 at 01:19
  • It is possible that there is something in firebreath that is keeping it from unloading, I suppose; you could experiment with releasing objects and such in FBControl.h. I know it should be possible, but I don't know of anyone who has actually had it working with Firebreath itself – taxilian Jun 05 '13 at 01:53

0 Answers0