Opening older projects
Part 3 — Reference.
28.1 What happens
Open a project made in an older version of iDM3 and you are told:
"This project was created in an old version of the IDM application and must be converted to work properly."
The Project conversion dialog then walks you through it.
28.2 The conversion needs the central unit
The dialog is explicit:
"IDM needs to be connected to CU in order to convert the project."
This surprises people. Conversion is not a purely local file operation — iDM3 reads the actual unit structure from the installation to work out how old objects map to new ones.
So you cannot convert an old project at your desk without the installation. Plan for it: do conversions on site, or with a remote connection to the CU.
28.3 The dialog
Project IDM version:
The version that created the project
Current version:
The version you are running
IP address : port
The CU to connect to
CU unit type : address
Which central unit
Select unit
Choose the CU
Select
Confirm the chosen unit
Connect and Convert
Connect to the CU and convert
Continue without conversion
Open the project unconverted
Back
Return to the previous step
Repeat scan
Scan the structure again
Convert units
Convert the units
If the connection fails you will see:
"Cannot connect to the specified CU. Please check the entered data"
On success:
"Project was succesfuly converted" — under the title Conversion success.
(The spelling is as it appears on screen.)
"Continue without conversion" is not a fix. The project opens, but old objects may not behave correctly and you may not find out until something fails on site. Use it to inspect a project, not to work on one.
28.4 Unavailable units
A separate view, Unavailable units, lists units in the project that this version does not support — typically discontinued hardware.
Converted units:
What has been converted so far
Hide converted units
Filters the list to what still needs attention
Where a modern equivalent exists, conversion maps the old unit onto it. Where none exists, the unit must be replaced — in the project, and usually in the building too.
28.5 Related warnings
"Not remapped devices detected"
Some devices were not mapped — check them before uploading
"Please remap device or change/remove its links"
A device needs remapping; use ReMap unit in the Device manager
"Module type [0x…] is not supported."
That module type does not exist in this version
"Unable to delete this object because is i use!"
Something still references it (spelling as shown)
ReMap unit is the tool for all of these — see Chapter 16 §16.6. It moves every wire, group and condition from the old device to the new one. Deleting and re-adding silently destroys the wires.
28.6 A safe conversion procedure
1
Copy the original .elp somewhere safe. Conversion is not reversible.
2
Download what the CU is currently running (Load from central unit) and save that too
3
Read Change log.txt for the versions in between
4
Connect to the CU and run Connect and Convert
5
Work through Unavailable units and resolve every one
6
Check for "Not remapped devices detected" and use ReMap unit
7
Open the Wire manager and confirm the wire count matches what you expected
8
Check Prefernces for anything that now exceeds a limit
9
Test in Simulation before uploading
10
Upload, then verify against the building
Step 1 is not optional. Step 7 catches the most common conversion damage: wires quietly lost with an unsupported device.