Forward Compatibility?

[LaRetta]

I've been used a trial version of FM Pro 6 which expires in two days, and I still haven't received the registered version. I currently have a copy of FM Pro5. Will I be able to open my Pro 6 program and still work on it? I've read that 6 has some features 5 doesn't, and I'd be okay with holding on off on some things. I just don't want to be 'dead in the water.' Any thoughts?

[LiveOak]

FM 5 will open FM 6 files without any problems. The only limitations will come in if you have used FM 6 features not available in FM 5.

-bd

[falkaholic]

I used 6 for a bit, before opening the same database in 5.5.

I fould that one script i made that uses the Perform Find step which has changed to something slightly different in 6 did not show, it was a step not found. Haven't done much research into anything else.

[the walker]

so what happens if you use the new dialog boxes in six in a script, then open it in five or five.five, will the script just fail?

[CobaltSky]

What happens is that steps (such as the new "Show Custom Sialog [ ]") are ignored - which may or may not be very inconvenient, depending on the nature of the script. Other steps within the same scripts will still attempt to execute (with possibly hazardous results if key inputs are missing...).

If you are wanting to anticipate an .fp5 file being used on several versions, it is possible to use the Status(CurrentAppVersion) function in an "If" test to determine which environment the file is running in and adapt the script steps accordingly (ie provide for alternate scenarios).

...or take the conservative route and develop around the limitations of v5, since it is only backward and not forward compatibility which is at issue.

At least you can take some comfort from the fact that the majority of features in v6 are supported in v5.

[Anatoli]

Or you can go for the Simple Dialog from http://www.24u.cz, which is great and cheap. That is better than the new one in v6 and will work without problems in 5, 5.5 and 6, maybe 7-8-9.

And it is fully Xplatform compatible, the same for Win-MacOS-X, just great!

[CobaltSky]

True, Anatoli!

... and the offerings from a few other third-party providers such as TroiDialog (from Troi Automatisering) and Atomic Dialog (from PracticeMaker) deserve a mention also.

However whilst they deal with the function that I used as an example - eg custom dialogs - they will not address the miriad of other features of v5.5 and/or v6 which are not supported in v5.0.

A few others can be reproduced in v5 by using other plug-ins (eg the "Set Next Serial Value" script step and the Status(CurrentFilePath) function can be substituted in some cases with functions from the DialogMagic plug-In).

But the list goes on, and there are others - such as the 'Allow Toolbars [Off]' script step which are not to my knowledge offered by any of the well-known X-plat plug-ins.

So on balance, backward compatibility is still an issue, thus testing for version (and scripting alternatives) in any .fp5 file that will be used in a mixed version environment is probably still a good idea, even for those of us who have licenses for SimpleDialog...

[Anatoli]

Sure there are many new features to be considered.

I've mentioned the 24u plugin because:

1. I know those guys

2. It is the only company producing single Mac-Win-X plugin -- cool

3. They are Czechs like me

4. It looks to me like the most powerful dialog plugin.

I am using 14 days the Dialog Magic and that is excellent also. But that is different cup of tea and with misleading name.