OverviewWhat Is ConvertedWhat Is Not Converted (Gotcha's)Converting Actions
This topic serves as an introduction to the project conversion process from Setup Factory 6.0 to Setup Factory 8.0. It will describe what the project converter can and cannot convert. It will also explain the reasons behind the decisions made and what to do once your Setup Factory 6.0 project has been converted to Setup Factory 8.0.
Setup Factory 7.0/8.0 was rebuilt from the ground up to be infinitely more powerful and flexible than previous versions. As such, it required an entirely new "scripting engine" to process actions. This also means that an exact and automated one-to-one conversion of actions from the v6.0 format is impossible. Another significant change is the new format used for screens. While there are many benefits to the new screen design such as the ability to theme your install, multilingual installs have never been easier to manage. Instead of having to include a new screen for each language in your install, you can now manage all language translations on each screen.
As a result, the conversion of projects created with v6.0 is not a fully automated process. In general, your file listings and many other project settings will be converted automatically, while your script actions and screens must be converted by hand.
Given the changes to the scripting engine, the decision you'll need to make is whether or not to convert your v6.0 projects to v8.0 projects. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. You'll certainly want to create all of your new projects using v8.0 - it's just so much better and more powerful. It's whether or not it's worth it to you or your company/client to “upgrade” your v6.0 projects to take advantage of v8.0 features.
In many cases, the answer will be to leave your already working v6.0 projects the way they are and then shift your new development to v8.0.
That being said, it's not a complicated process to convert your v6.0 projects to the new v8.0 platform, but it may be time-consuming to recreate your actions and screens in v8.0 if you have a particularly complicated project. Of course, it doesn't hurt to try and see what's involved. Simply go to File > Open and select a v6.0 (*.sf6) project. The conversion tool will take over and do its best to create a v8.0 compatible project from your v6.0 source. Take a look at the resulting project and decide for yourself. If any warnings or errors occur, they can be seen in the output panel.
You'll definitely want to read the rest of the topic, including the What Is Converted and What is Not Converted (Gotcha's) sections. That'll give you an exact rundown of what to expect from the automated conversion process. Another topic you may want to consult is the Converting Actions topic that lists version 6.0's actions and their version 8.0 equivalents. Then you'll want to become more familiar with all of the goodies you'll find in v8.0. They'll make your projects cooler and more professional!
The first section to read in the help file should be the Key Features of Setup Factory 8.0 section. This will help point out all of the new and exciting features available in version 8.0. The next section to take a look at is the topic The Setup Factory Interface. This will provide a brief tour of the design environment so you are familiar with the terms used throughout the rest of the documentation.
If you are still not sure how things work in Setup Factory 8.0, the User’s Guide is an indispensable tool. It is a topical task based manual describing the features and use of the product. It was written in such a way that you can simply jump to the sections that you need to learn at that moment.
If you think that you have a good handle on what “the Setup Factory 8.0” way entails, but are looking for some specific real world examples, look no further than the Examples section of our forums at http://www.indigorose.com/forums. This area provides various articles answering some of the most common questions we have been asked about Setup Factory.
At this point you should know almost everything there is to know about Setup Factory 8.0, so it’s time to translate your Setup Factory 6.0 actions into Setup Factory 8.0 scripts, and recreate your screens. For your convenience all of the actions (except screen actions) you created in your Setup Factory 6.0 project have been imported into Setup Factory 8.0 as comments on the events that they were originally intended for.
Before attempting to translate your actions into Setup Factory 8.0 scripts, you should read over the Scripting Guide located in the Help file. This guide will provide you with tips, tricks, and professional-level techniques you should use when writing your Setup Factory 8.0 scripts.