Scripting compatibility 2021 <-> 2023

[lucioing]

Hi!

I wrote a simple point object under VW2021 Mac (Hight Sierra). Then I moved it to my Macbook M1 Pro (VW2023) to improve and finish it.

Ok, it works very nice, but I'm unable to install back in 2021 VW: the .vso file is in the right folder but I can't edit (script manager) and can't install in my workspace...

Anyone knows why?

Thank you.

 

L.

 

P.S. here's my simple object

 

Container_02.vso

[Fuge]

Hello-

 

Yeah like most files,  plugins are not backward compatible.  As you're seeing,  VW 2021  won't recognize the edited plugin file from 2023.   The best you can do is keep the plugin file native to each version and create your scripts in an include file and use calls that work in the older version, but you'll still have to keep both plugin files up to date.    Or only create your plugins in the older version, but use them in both versions of VWs.

 

HTH

[lucioing]

Thank you, Fuge!

Yes, maybe the 'include file' could be the most clever choice!

Thank you again.😃

 

L.

[Jesse Cogswell]

I keep an old copy of VW2019 around that I use strictly for plug-in development to maintain backward compatibility as best as possible.  Because Vectorscript really hasn't changed much in the last few years, I think there's only one or two of my plug-ins that require something newer than VW2019, and I can use the {$IF} compiler directive to skip blocks of code that correspond with newer versions.

 

The real hurdle is keeping the plug-ins up to date across all installed instances of VW.  I currently have 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 all installed due to different clients being on different versions (I 100% prefer to keep a drawing native to what the client is using rather than backsaving from a newer version), so when I make an update I have to remember to copy that plug-in over to the other user folders.  I've also been known to make adjustments in an immediate drawing on a newer version, then copying and pasting the code back in to the VW2019 plug-in to update the "base."  As long as you're not making drastic changes to the plug-in definition (changing parameters or plug-in strings), it's very quick and straightforward.

[lucioing]

Thank you again, Jesse!

 

L.