Removing backward compatibility in version 1.17 and 1.18

[pellelil]

Up until now FV have been fully backward compatible with all previous versions, so even if you skipped a version or two you could always install the latest version of FV without fearing your personal imported flightplans, or user settings would no longer load. But with version 1.17 I will be removing some of that backward compatibility and with version 1.18 I will be removing even more.

 

During the +2 year development cycle a lot have changed below the surface as new functionality have been added to the program and a lot of code have been added to make the program stay backward compatible with even the oldest versions (e.g. the flightplan file-format is currently in its 11th format-version). I would like to stream-line the code and remove much of this code that ensures this backward compatibility, as it has recently started to get in the way of things I want to do.

 

As a result I urge all users who have not yet updated to version 1.16 to do so, and likewise when version 1.17 releases I urge all users to update to this version as well. Version 1.17 will forcefully update all (active) flightplan-files to ensure these are fully updated to the latest format-version. This will ensure all flightplans will load into version 1.18 and later without any issues.

 

If you have spread your flightplans across multiple sub-folders I urge that you both in version 1.16 and 1.17 enables each of your sub-folders (only one at a time) as this will ensure ALL of your flightplans gets updated to the latest format-version, even if multiple sub-folders contains flightplans with the same name. The way you do this is to go into the "Enable/Disable flightplans" form that can be opened from the "Flightplan" main-menu item. In the top right side of the form you go through all of your sub-folders and make sure that the "Enable flightplans in this sub-folder" check-box is only checked for a single of your sub-folders. Then you click close to return to the main form, and all flightplans in that sub-folder will be reloaded and re-saved if necessary. Then again you open the "Enable/Disable-flightplans" form, disable the folder you previous enabled, and then enable the next of your sub-folders (rinse and repeat). If you have any flightplan in the [ROOT] folder you should ideally move these to a sub-folder PRIOR to performing the instructions listed before. If you are (100%) sure that you don't have same named flightplans in multiple folders you don't have to do it one at a time, and you can simply activate all sub-folders at once. Likewise if you don't import flightplans yourself, or have all your flightplans in the [ROOT].

 

To clarify: version 1.17 will be fully compatible with version 1.16, but not fully compatible with version 1.15 or previous (hence why I urge all to update to versions 1.16 now). Likewise version 1.18 will be fully compatible with version 1.17, but not with version 1.16 or previous (hence why I urge all to update to version 1.17 when it releases). Going forward future versions should (at least for a long time) be fully backward compatible with prevous versions back to version 1.17.

 

So a user updating from version 1.15 (or previous) to version 1.18 (or later) here is the process to go through:

• Install version 1.16 (don't skip this version)
• Start version 1.16 and enable all flightplan sub-folders (one at a time).
• Install version 1.17 (don't skip this version)
• Start version 1.17 and enable all flightplan sub-folders (one at a time).
• Install version 1.18 (or later)

[pellelil]

The video for version 1.17 was uploaded last night. I suggest that you at least have a look at the first part as it shows how to make sure all of your flightplans gets updated in case you have them in multiple sub-folders. Remember that both version 1.16 and 1.17 are considered being mandatory. So if you have not yet been enabling all of your 1.16 flightplan sub-folderes you should do so prior to installing version 1.17 (when it becomes available).