WWTWeb/Login.aspx

Windows clients invoke this API when they boot up. They send advisory version information to the server. The server returns compatibility information that the clients use to recommend or require updates.

Query Parameters

The WWTWeb/Login.aspx endpoint processes the following URL query parameters:

Name

Type

Required?

Summary

user

GUID

No

A GUID associated with this user

Version

Version string

No

The version number of the client logging in

Equinox

Existential

No

If present, indicates a non-ancient client

The user and Version are purely advisory and are not verified in any way. In particular, the GUID is not coordinated with WWT Communities activities. These values may be logged for diagnostic purposes.

The Equinox parameter should always be set to true. The WWT “Equinox” release came out in 2008, and all subsequent Windows client versions set it to true.

Reponse Format

The reponse is plain text. For Equinox clients, the response may look like:

ClientVersion:5.5.3.1
DataVersion:330
Message:
WarnVersion:5.5.0.1
MinVersion:2.2.32.1
UpdateUrl:https://wwtweb.blob.core.windows.net/drops/WWTSetup.5.5.03.msi

For ancient clients, the response looks like:

ClientVersion:2.2.32.1
DataVersion:225
Message:

WarnVersion:2.2.31.1
MinVersion:2.2.32.1
UpdateUrl:http://content.worldwidetelescope.org/equinox/wwtequinoxsetup.msi

Modern (post-Equinox) Windows clients parse the response in the following way:

  • The response is split on \n characters.

  • The first line must start with ClientVersion:; the text after the colon is the “latest version”. This version, and all others, have four dot-separated components as in the examples above.

  • The second line must start with DataVersion:; the text after the colon is the “data version”.

  • The text after the colon on the third line is the “message”.

  • If there are more than three lines, the text after the colon on the fourth line is the “warn version”; otherwise the warn version is the latest version.

  • If there are more than four lines, the text after the colon on the fifth line is the “minimum version”; otherwise the minimum version is the latest version.

  • If there are more than five lines, the text after the colon on the sixth line is the “update URL”; otherwise the update URL is http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/wwtweb/setup.aspx.

These pieces of data are then acted upon in the following way by the Windows client:

  • If the message is non-empty, it is shown to the user in a dialog box.

  • If the version of the running client is less than the minimum version, the user will be prompted to download an MSI installer from the update URL. The installer will be automatically run if consent is given and successfully downloaded. Either way, the Windows client will exit.

  • If the warn version is newer than the running client and automatic updates are turned on, the user will also be prompted to download an MSI installer from the update URL. But if they do not update, the program continues running.

  • If the user has explicitly asked to check for updates and the latest version is newer than the running client, the behavior is as above.

  • When the Windows client first logs in, it records the data version with its local cache. If the server-provided data version changes, the client will consider its cache out-of-date and re-download all data. Note that this comparison is purely for textual equality, unlike the software version checks.