Wishes
Post your wishes about Graphisoft products: Archicad, BIMx, BIMcloud, and DDScad.

Free the Libraries! No more version control of library.

Anonymous
Not applicable
Free the libraries!

I'd like to post a wish that the Libraries not be tied to a version number. I want libraries to be version blind, one library for all versions!

For example, many companies have spent time and money to create an AC-6,7, 8, 9,10, or 11catalog, but they sure aren't going to spend the resources to keep doing that every single year! Therefor there are quite a number of orphan catalogs out there that simply aren't going to evolve due to the unending problem of version incompatibility.

Plus I am annoyed that the prime limiting factor in being able to continue to work on a project from one version to another is that library parts just don't have a seamless transition path. I mean a "Look Ma!- No hands!", universality of use in any version.

I frequently don't start a new project in the latest version for at least 6 months after release because of the inability to cleanly migrate my current projects, ALL due to the library insanity.

Why can't this Library situation be fixed? Imagine the sound of nails scratching on a blackboard!
21 REPLIES 21
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
If GDL is developed then a new version will have commands in it which earlier version can not interpret.
For example, the User Interface Script is continually updated. If you have a Library Part that uses a command that is available only in AC13, then that part of the Library will not work in any earlier versions.

How would you solve that problem?
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac27
sityu
Booster
It's not easy, but there should be an answer.

There are two cases:
1. the feature of the new version is completely new (like curved walls at about version 5.0 or 6.0)
1.1. the new feature is essential (structural commands)
1.2. complementary (like UI commands)
2. the new feature adds additional parameters to existing commands

Thus the solution has different problems:
1.1. This is the hardest: it's hard to derive the older version command from the new. But I think It's not neccessary to convert to version 8.1 or earlier.
1.2. the complementary features can simply be ignored in the earlier versions (simply putting an exclamation mark before).
2. These additional parameters can be simply removed from the newer version; so the result will be less clever but will work in earlier versions.

And the solution:
A new command in ArchiCAD menu convert the library parts to earlier versions (maybe a save as in older version of pla). An apx add-on would be the solution.
I think, the conversion tool is not so hard to make, because the main syntax of the GDL is almost the same from the early beginning.
This should be an experimental function (with the lack of convertion of several new features). Because it's better having a working plan file with not 100% proper library parts, than nothing. And this should vork down to version 9.0.

Why this is important: there will be always colleagues who don't want to change to the latest version (e.g. my mechanical engineer uses ArchiCAD, but for her it's completely enough the version 11). And actually I used to switch to the latest version of ArchiCAD as soon as possible, and most of the colleagues of mine is not so up-to-date, and they change later; but the work should go on.

But the most important is up to graphisoft: they should develop a new extensible version of gdl (maybe xgdl, like xml - even an xml version of gdl) to eliminate the further conflicts.
Talmácsi, István, architect (AC user since 1997, ac4.5 - now: ac18)
Anonymous
Not applicable
One solution (I don't know how practical) could be to separate the chunk of code that controls how the GDL code is interpreted and displayed within the program, and provide an updated version for the older versions of ArchiCAD with every new release, so allowing older versions to interpret new commands correctly.
sityu
Booster
This would be the perfect solution, and with an apx add-on, I think, it's not a big deal to do.
But this way it's needed to update all the previous versions' code: If you want compatibility for the previous 3 versions, you need to make add-ons for 3 (almost) different software, you need to debug 3 different version.
My suggestion is easier: the graphisoft has to do the work only with the latest version they are working on.
And the software companies doesn't like to develop for the old versions.
They only maintain the compulsory minimal support for the previous versions; because their interest is to sell the latest, the best version; not to make patches for an outdated one.
Talmácsi, István, architect (AC user since 1997, ac4.5 - now: ac18)
Anonymous
Not applicable
Peter wrote:
One solution (I don't know how practical) could be to separate the chunk of code that controls how the GDL code is interpreted and displayed within the program, and provide an updated version for the older versions of ArchiCAD with every new release, so allowing older versions to interpret new commands correctly.
It makes sense...

And what if the "GDL Compiler" would/could be placed in the OS system folder, like the windows system folder?...

Then every future AC version would update the compiler and consequently all previous versions would be updated... Just a thought...
Anonymous
Not applicable
Fellow Library Prisoners!

I hear you, the difficulty for the programmers' is intense.

But like other comments made, there can exclusionary set-asides (!) or whatever the programmers jargon is. For Example, when saving a PDF with my version 7 Acrobat, I get the message, "save with compatibility for version 4, or 5, or 6?"

Conversely when I open one of my CS3 Photoshop files with version 5 of Photoshop I get the message, "Unrecognized data, discard and continue?, Yes or No?"

Any of the above solutions is fine with me.

Thank you all for thinking about this issue, which for me, is a central issue that could determine the long term viability of ArchiCad in the vendor/third party marketplace. We need third party support in a much greater degree than we see today, look at the immense number of vendors who have developed for that other program called Auto-something or other. There IS comfort in numbers.

Cheers
Mark
Anonymous
Not applicable
Lazlo,

When GDL is developed, or any code for that matter, there are usually reserved sections for future development. Either by line item, category type, register calls, etc. It does not require several versions of GDL, merely one GDL that checks for which reserved categories are in use or not in use.

I stopped programming 20 years ago, so I am vastly out of date, but the basics never change, they just get fancier names and cost more.

Mark
Ralph Wessel
Mentor
laszlonagy wrote:
If you have a Library Part that uses a command that is available only in AC13, then that part of the Library will not work in any earlier versions. How would you solve that problem?
Why would you want to use an AC13 library part with an older version of ArchiCAD?
Ralph Wessel BArch
sityu
Booster
Ralph wrote:
laszlonagy wrote:
If you have a Library Part that uses a command that is available only in AC13, then that part of the Library will not work in any earlier versions. How would you solve that problem?
Why would you want to use an AC13 library part with an older version of ArchiCAD?
Because if you are working in ac13, and should collaborate with colleagues who doesn't. (actually I had some conflicts like this)
Of course there's no other real need of it.
Talmácsi, István, architect (AC user since 1997, ac4.5 - now: ac18)