hollister design Studio Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 So I'm an idiot... I thought I could download and look round VW 2022 with out it changing anything on my current setup. What can I say, I like new toys... It (of course) changed my file associations (without asking) - no a big deal - I just reset .vwx to VW2021 But it also seems to have reset my preferences. So far it's changed my user data and prefenaces folder location and deleted my workgroup and project folder locations: It's also locked out my ability to change any preferences so I can't reconnect to my workgroup or to my data folder. Also can I connect 2022 to the same preferences folder? Will that allow me to use the same plant symbols (i realize there are changes to plant symbols in 2022) and workspaces (probably changes here too)? I've turn off 2022 and am trying to get back to work with 2021 for the rest of the day. What did I do wrong? Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 So even worse on start up I now get this: And This: Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 The more I look, the more went wrong... ALL my settings are back at default. All my select similar presets are gone. All my favorites have been disassociated - the files are still there so I can re do them at least. All my double click does this action setting have to be redone. Small things maybe, but I keep using my normal workflow and realizing that it didn't work and then have to figure out what the VW 2022 install changed on my VW 2021 Not cool Vectorworks. Quote Link to comment
Jeff Prince Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 My condolences. I remember experiencing something similar when test driving 2019. Now, everytime I customize something from the standard installation of a software, it goes into a spreadsheet so I have a reference for recreating things. It's so frustrating to have these kinds of changes reveal themselves for weeks after the initial breakage due to the workflows used to define a project. 2 Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 36 minutes ago, jeff prince said: My condolences. thanks. I just don't see why installing the new version has to reset the old version. How can that possible be by design? I up date Adobe products all the time and this never happens. Auto CAD was a mess to update, but that was expected! 1 Quote Link to comment
Andy Broomell Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Did you either: Point VW2022 to your VW2021 user folder under VW Prefs? Use the Migration Manager, and perhaps set the destination to your VW2021 user folder? Aside from that I see no reason that what you're describing should've happened. 4 hours ago, hollister design Studio said: Which version is this screenshot from? 4 hours ago, hollister design Studio said: It (of course) changed my file associations (without asking) - no a big deal - I just reset .vwx to VW2021 What exactly do you mean by "reset .vwx to VW2021"? Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 Andy - I closed 2022 and left it alone until I had some time. I was wondering if I could point it to 2021 or use the migration manager? I know there are quite a few changes in 2022 (Plant Objects have extra features - root ball and drip zone - for one) and I wonder if they are backward compatible? I looked around the 2022 page and didn't see anything about this - but I also didn't see anything saying Installing 2022 was going to reset all my 2021 setting to default. I don't want to frag my working setup any more than I already have... 14 hours ago, Andy Broomell said: Which version is this screenshot from? That was from 2021 when I was trying to get back to work. That is not the location of my 2021 data - I had it pointed to a different drive where it was backed up and shared between computers. I did reset the location and most everything is working now. 14 hours ago, Andy Broomell said: What exactly do you mean by "reset .vwx to VW2021"? I reset my "open with" settings so when I click on a .vwx file it opens with 2021 1 Quote Link to comment
Tom W. Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 @Andy Broomell I am on VW2021 + am downloading VW2022 as we speak... Could I ask what you consider to be the best procedure for transferring workspaces/settings/templates/libraries over from one version to the next? I just want to have a look at VW2022 at this stage + get to know the new features whilst carrying on the bulk of my work in VW2021. I've only attempted to migrate once before - from VW2020 to VW2021 - and I seem to remember there were a couple of hiccups in the process. Some things were fine but I think I had to open each of my Favorites files one by one + save them as VW2021 files in order to migrate them over which can't have been right... And I certainly don't want to mess up any of my current VW2021 settings in the process like happened to @hollister design Studio. Thanks Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Workspaces > migrating > - checking if they still work - checking if all new feature's Icons are there - maybe do some rearrangements if your habits have changed Settings > Omit (when I have the time) - as VW settings aren't that many - Set again and get used to potential new Settings - or when migrated, check for the new Settings Workgroup Folder > - create new 2022 Folder beside the previous - copy and past an empty VW Folder Hierarchy, e.g. from User Folder into Workgroup Folder - Batch Convert with subfolder option all VW 2021 into VW 2022 - Assign Workgroup Path in VW 2022 Settings. Templates > - are in my Workgroup Folder so will have been converted already - create New Files from them - check if they still work or update them with potential new features - resave the Templates STAs 4 Quote Link to comment
Tom W. Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Thanks @zoomer I don't use Workgroup Folders but is there an advantage in doing so? Is that where you store all your resources, as opposed to in Favorites in the User Folders? Last time round, my settings + workspaces migrated over fine but my Favorites files + Templates files I had to copy over manually: I was expecting this to happen automatically as part of the Migration Manager process but I was wrong to think this right? You have to copy them manually then resave them in the new format? But do it in one fell swoop using Batch Convert? I have never used this before. At any rate none of this should affect anything in 2021 should it? It didn't when I went from 2020 to 2021. Quote Link to comment
MarcelP102 Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 I would also appreciate a good explanation of the workgroup folders. Quote Link to comment
Popular Post Andy Broomell Posted September 24, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 24, 2021 @Tom W. - Here's what I do which seems to work (note I don't use Workgroup folders though). If done correctly there shouldn't be any cross-contamination between Vectorworks versions. And if you only use default locations it should be pretty easy. 1. First, make sure you know what files you want to migrate. For example, if you're transferring everything from an old User Data folder, you might want to open that version of Vectorworks, go to Vectorworks Preferences, User Folders pane, and take a look at where your user folder is (especially if you've manually chosen to put it somewhere other than the default location). Once you've noted this location you can close the old version of VW. 2. Open the new version of Vectorworks. Go to Tools > Migration Manager. Click Next. 3. Choose which folder to migrate, then which folder to migrate to. Do not re-use the same folders between versions. 4. Next you get to choose specifically which files to transfer over. One tip is to hold Opt/Alt, then click on the triangle in front of "All User Data" then continue holding Opt/Alt and click the triangle again. This will expand ALL flyouts so you can see each and every thing that's available. I prefer this because I like total control, along with just being "aware" of what's transferring. Once you've reviewed everything, click Next. Here's what I chose, but yours might be different: Note this can transfer any Favorites & Libraries so you shouldn't ever have to do that manually. 5. Choose workspace migration options. Note that if you're migrating a workspace, you should later go into the Workspace Editor and place new tools from the "New" menu into their proper places, and generally review everything in your workspace. Best practice is actually to re-create your custom workspace each year starting with one of the default workspaces, but I don't usually get to this until a few weeks into using a new version. 6. On the last tab, click Migrate when you're ready. 7. If you chose a custom folder to migrate to in Step 3, go into Vectorworks preferences in the new version, User Folders pane, click Choose, and direct it to the folder that you migrated everything to. If you used the default location you can skip this step. You'll have to restart Vectorworks. 8. Once migration is complete and you're back in the new version of Vectorworks, double check which workspace you're using under the Tools menu. 9. I've found that in each new version I need to go into the Color Palette Manager and re-activate any custom palettes I use so that they show up in the Attributes Palette. Hope this helps, and I'm open to suggestions if anyone sees any reason to do something differently. Let me know if you have any questions. 4 1 Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 2 hours ago, Tom W. said: Is that where you store all your resources, Yes 2 hours ago, Tom W. said: as opposed to in Favorites in the User Folders? a) I never used Favorites Folders (?) These are not for me. I think I have no Favorites ... And I think everything that I store in my Workgroup Folder - should at least be "Favorite". (In fact there isn't that much in my Workgroup Folder. A few external Object Libraries, My Templates, the old legacy "larger File" order of the Arrow RW Textures (Materials !) b) User Folder is accessible to a single user only. Workgroup Folder is accessible for the whole team and can be centrally managed, backup-ed and updated. 2 hours ago, Tom W. said: I don't use Workgroup Folders but is there an advantage in doing so? As I am basically a one man show, the main reason may be Apple's SSD taxes. User Folder is on you local SSD while Workgroup is on your Server, external Data or NAS drive. I strictly separate System Disk and my Data. Everything local or things that some Apps decide to save in "Documents" is Trash and volatile. (If you ever lost your Windows Installation completely, directly after setting everything up for weeks because of a Win Upgrade or lost large parts of you Linux installations because of changing your GPU manufacturer, you may know what I mean) And I can use my Workgroup Templates from any Mac or the PC ! 2 hours ago, Tom W. said: But do it in one fell swoop using Batch Convert? I have never used this before. With VWs complex, not always logical or legible Resource Folders Structure, it would be very tedious to open and save to new VWX by hand. (Subfolder option) And it is comfortable to choose Source and Target Folders, to be sure that you don't destroy something accidentally 2 hours ago, Tom W. said: At any rate none of this should affect anything in 2021 should it? It didn't when I went from 2020 to 2021. . That is why I use Batch Convert manually. (Take care of your Source vs Target Folders. Or just copy and rename the previous WG Folder and do Batch Convert only inside of this Duplicate) Don't know what Migration Manager will do (?) Just upgrading and overwriting the old Workgroup Folder ? Usually I want to keep those for several VW legacy Versions. BTW I am not sure if just migrating VW Settings is (as) dangerous (as it was e.g. in Modo App or Bricscad in the past) But every Migration has a risk of causing instabilities. If I have the time I try to do it from scratch. For me Workspace feels much more risky. I one time had large problems and had to redo my migrated Workspace in earlier versions of VW, thankfully everything worked pretty well with the last 3 Migrations. And my custom Workspace is meanwhile so tedious to recreate that I went on taking the risk of migration. I have to live now with losing my "direct numeric input" or "Render Long" setup in Quick Settings and Top Bar - every few days though. 3 Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 5 minutes ago, Andy Broomell said: Here's what I do which seems to work Perfect ! 1 Quote Link to comment
Tom W. Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 @Andy Broomell + @zoomer thank you that's all really helpful. It's funny because I could swear there was no option in Migration Manager to migrate over my favourites when I did it last time. I knew it should have been there so even retraced my steps to look again + still couldn't see it the second time. But it's clear as day in your screenshot so that's very strange. But good to know it should be there for this time! So Andy does the Migration Manager convert the Favorites + Templates files from VW2021 to VW2022 versions automatically as part of the process? And I'd only need to use Batch Convert if I wasn't using Migration Manager + I was moving stuff over + converting it to VW2022 manually which I think is what Zoomer's describing? Thanks again. I will do the migration to 2022 in the morning... And will make a note of all this for next time as I'm bound to forget it all... Quote Link to comment
Andy Broomell Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Tom W. said: So Andy does the Migration Manager convert the Favorites + Templates files from VW2021 to VW2022 versions automatically as part of the process? Yes. 16 minutes ago, Tom W. said: And I'd only need to use Batch Convert if I wasn't using Migration Manager + I was moving stuff over + converting it to VW2022 manually which I think is what Zoomer's describing? Yes, I believe so. Batch Convert pre-dates the Migration Manager; it simply takes a folder of VW files and migrates them. Migration Manager does that and more. Not sure how one would go about migrating Workgroup folders, perhaps using the Migration Manager and just pointing it to the workgroup folder instead of the user folder? Edited September 24, 2021 by Andy Broomell 1 Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Tom W. said: And I'd only need to use Batch Convert if I wasn't using Migration Manager I used both. Just for more control or where I was unsure about reliability. 19 minutes ago, Tom W. said: So Andy does the Migration Manager convert the Favorites + Templates files from VW2021 to VW2022 versions automatically as part of the process? AFAIK Migration Manager will just bring over everything from your VW 2021 User Folder to the VW 2022 User Folder. Not so for the Workgroup Folder I think, as it doesn't even Migrate (+update) the Workroup Path in VW Settings. Which you have to redo manually. So when all custom data and settings in User Folder, I think there is no need for starting anything Batch Convert. Beside that you want to migrate whole Projects with some complicated Folder Hierarchy. I have about 1-5 VW Files and maybe 3-15 References per Project. When I just open these too look if they work in the new VW Version, these are basically already converted when I just hit save as .... I never do migrate all (old) Projects to a new Version. I do so on the fly if a Project gets back in use or because I want it for testing. I mostly don't even upgrade my old Reference Files (as they are save in the File) until I get new client files. Edited September 24, 2021 by zoomer 2 Quote Link to comment
Andy Broomell Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Note the Migration Manager can include workspaces, xml files for settings, etc., while Batch Convert is just for VWX (and probably MCD) files. At the same time, Batch Convert has additional options for "Convert in place" and archiving the previous version, so this is clearly geared more towards migrating project files rather than libraries. 3 Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Andy Broomell said: Note the Migration Manager can include workspaces, Yes Workspaces are no problem - as long as they don't corrupt while migration. But I meant the Workgroup (or Office Standard) Folder. I looked at your screenshots and did not find Workgroup mentioned here. Edited September 24, 2021 by zoomer 2 Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 There was previous advice, for preventing loss during migration, to store custom items and resources in a non default location and point vwx to that. So I have a User Resources folder a vwx folder I created in Documents>vwx20xx titled Favorites. This one has vwx files (and a readme) containing my custom stuff. Each release, I convert to new, make aliases which go in the Application Support Favorites file. Seems really cumbersome. Might not even be safer than just placing such resources in the applications>vwx> App support>Library>favorites. ??? But more importantly @zoomer& @Andy Broomell Big thanks for responses on this thread! I probably will have forgotten the details by next release, so, see ya in September. -B 1 Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 23 minutes ago, Benson Shaw said: Might not even be safer than just placing such resources in the applications>vwx> App support>Library>favorites. ??? not sure. I think that Favorites Folder in Application won't ever be overwritten (!?) While most Application Resource file could with Updates and SPs. On the other hand if you overwrite, or better prioritize such a file in App Folder by a custom modified Version copy of that File in Workgroup or User Folder, you would never realize or see when the App Resource gets updated by VW at some point. 29 minutes ago, Benson Shaw said: Each release, I convert to new, make aliases which go in the Application Support Favorites file. Seems really cumbersome. Isn't that basically the same as using a (separate) Workgroup Folder for each VW release (?) 1 Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 2 hours ago, zoomer said: ...I never used Favorites Folders... I, oddly, have to use the favorites folder right now. My 'user folder' isn't accessible from any of the "reduced size" Resource Managers that come with tools. i.e. I can't get to my plants library from the plant tool unless I've favorited the plants library file. I can get to the premium and vectorworks libraries, but not to user and workgroup. screen grab: I must have things set up wrong. I'm going to try and reproduce @Andy Broomell's file hierarchy example above! Quote Link to comment
zoomer Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 9 minutes ago, hollister design Studio said: I must have things set up wrong. Ahm, Maybe I never tried if my User or Workspace Resources would ever show in standard PIO selection dialogs !? I know that my Resources in File are available. And I use Workgroup or Online Folders only to search for resources in Resource Manager. And when I find something interesting I immediately "imported" these, directly into my file ...... Edited September 24, 2021 by zoomer 1 Quote Link to comment
hollister design Studio Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, zoomer said: ... when I find something interesting I immediately "imported" these, directly into my file ...... Probably a much better way to do it - you get to chose the resource folder that way too. I just get all Veruca Salt sometimes... "I want Salvia chamaedryoides, and I want it now!" 1 Quote Link to comment
Andy Broomell Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 38 minutes ago, hollister design Studio said: I'm going to try and reproduce @Andy Broomell's file hierarchy example above! Don't match the hierarchy from the Migration Manager screenshot - it doesn't necessarily reflect the exact folder structure necessary for the RM to work properly. And unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with how Plants work to be able to help out - I know they're their own beast. Can you confirm whether Resource Selectors (which is the name for the mini-Resource Manager) for OTHER tools doesn't show your favorites files? For example, choosing Hatches, Linetypes, Door styles, Textures, etc. uses the same Resource Selector interface. Note also Resource Selectors will only show files which contain the relevant resource type. So if none of your Favorite files contain actual Plant styles, for example, that could be a reason why the Favorites category appears empty. Edited September 24, 2021 by Andy Broomell Quote Link to comment
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