From time to time someone using an ancient computer for years and years finally decides to upgrade or needs to replace their trusty computer workhorse.  Unfortunately older software may not always be able to run on modern Windows due to driver changes or other incompatibilities, or data formats from old versions may or may not be usable by current versions.  Over the years, each subsequent version of 3D Inspection System software were designed to be able to convert and update the prior version or major version series content.

But when too many versions are skipped some conversions may no longer exist, or it may not be possible to retain or migrate all one's older customized information into newer software.  And with more features or options changing at once, the software will seem more different to get used to.  Therefore, it's generally best to not wait to upgrade and skip several versions at once.  However if you are upgrading from an older version services, this topic provides some guidance.

While your prior version is still installed and running, use Help > About 3D to determine its exact version number, before uninstalling and upgrading.  Be sure to review any What's New information that might be available and use newer videos or help articles to learn about newer options or changes.

UPGRADING FROM 12.x.x or 11.4.x version series

Version 12.2 series is able to convert prior version 12.1, 12.0, and 11.4 series content without much issue on the same computer.

Before upgrading from an 11.4 series program we do recommend using File > Compact and Repair database option in your old software prior to upgrading.  If you are installing the newer version on a different computer rather than doing an upgrade in place first, there may be additional steps, but tech support can advise further.

UPGRADING FROM 11.3 or older 11 versions series

Forms, documents, and Actions remain compatible to directly import into a current version at this time.  We recommend recompiling inspection Forms after upgrading and addressing any notices in the compile log.

However old Office Management data (jobs and contacts) would not be readable or convertible by the current version of our software.  If you want to keep your existing Office Management database, it would require additional manual conversion services- you might check with our sales department regarding whether that service is still available for an additional fee.

UPGRADING FROM 10 or older versions

This information is provided as a courtesy from an older topic. Some obsolete version content may not be compatible to migrate, but you may find some of the information here helpful in transferring or migrating some customized data (forms, documents, etc.) from a version OLDER than 11 to a newer version series.

Modern versions of 3D software typically store "Data" files in the current user's \Documents\3D Inspection System 11\ folder, separate from the installed program location. Older versions designed for old versions of windows that used different conventions may have stored data in other locations that are now incompatible with modern Windows.

HOW TO INITIALLY TRANSFER DATA FROM Version 10 or older:

Step 1: BEFORE uninstalling your old version, use Office Management File > Backup All Files to create a backup zip file. You may open the backup .zip file(s) directly in windows afterward to view their contents.  (If you are using a really old version without a backup option, support may or may not be able to offer assistance or advice)

Tip: Before making your backup, archive older report files to make your backup of the custom files you really need smaller. See http://www.3dinspection.com/Tips-and-Tricks/how-can-i-archive-and-remove-old-reports-from-my-hard-drive.html 
Also make separate Form Backup files for each custom form group you may use in your older software, in addition to the Backup All Files. See http://www.3dinspection.com/Tips-and-Tricks/how-to-easily-transfer-a-specific-form-group-to-a-new-computer.html 

STEP 2: Most likely you will need new hardware if you are migrating from a version this old.  NOTE: If you have Office management information you wish to keep, tech support may or may not be able to provide an option.  Or you could simply set up a new company database in the new program after launching it.STEP 3: Transfer your backup to the new computer where your new version is installed, perhaps by USB drive or other means.  You may access the files directly from a USB drive in the following steps.STEP 4. Next restore your data files into the new version as desired:

   a) From Office Management, click File > Restore from Backup.
   b) Navigate to the backup file you created in Step 1
   d) Select the kinds of items to restore from the menu. Please see the notes below on various items before restoring. Note that you might choose to restore some types of files later only if you need them because newer versions will likely come with Documents and Actions already set up to use newer features or optimized to work with the current version, so you *may* wish to leave those items intact in your new version initially and then and make minor wording edits as needed, and choose to only restore certain customized items or information from your older version, for instance your customized forms.

DO NOT restore Office Management or Preferences.

We also do not recommend restoring Inspections.  Newer versions likely won't format older inspections the same way as your older version printed them, so you may simply want to retain PDF printouts for prior reports for reference and keep them in their prior backup files.

Forms: If you only used a few form groups in your older software, rather then restoring ALL forms, you may wish to use an alternate method of restoring ONLY the particular form groups you use, if you made the separate backup of your form groups as suggested in Step 1. If so, use the information here to later restore those particular form groups into your program instead, and do not choose to restore ALL forms you may have had in your program. Inspections: We do NOT recommend restoring Inspections (your report files). Although they might open in the current version, restoring them generally just wastes space for older reports that you may otherwise easily archive onto removable media for safekeeping, and/or retrieved on demand when necessary. Also print formatting may be different from a much older version, so you may simply wish to keep PDFs of older reports for permanent archival.

Word processor documents: We suggest you try out the newer documents that came with your new version that are already optimized to use current features. You can modify them further as desired. If you do choose to restore your prior documents, you may need to update and resave them to work properly.

Actions: Rather then restoring your Actions over the Actions that come with your new version, we recommend leaving current Actions intact so you may benefit from newer features and documents.

   e) Click Restore to restore the items you have selected. Some items types may not be present in your backup, depending on its source version.

STEP 5: Update or optimize your master data to use in the current version, as special steps or adjustments are likely needed to update the files.

Update Forms: If using custom forms from an old version, you should edit each of them separately and resave to update them to the current format.  Afterward recompile in the new version so they can work with modern features: 
1. In 3D Inspection System, switch to the Report Writer.
2. In the Report Writer, click File > Custom Form Studio.3. In Custom Form Studio, right-click each form brought over from the old version in the All Available Forms column and Edit Form.  Then Save and Exit to update it to the current format.  Repeat for each Available form transferred from the old version.
4. After all forms have been resaved, in the Custom Form Studio, right-click the first form group you use and Compile it. If any errors or warnings occur in the compile log, click Help for instructions to remedy.
5. Repeat step 4 for any other form groups you use.

NOTE: If any checkbox or circle ratings were previously used in your forms, and you did not use any colorized items or custom images, you may also want to run the newer ratings wizard to create cleaner and more efficient text-based rating boxes or circles for use. New text based ratings print MUCH crisper and cleaner (and use less memory) than image based ratings. Since all prior check box or circle type ratings were image-based, you may decide to update them to text based boxes or circles instead. To do so, in the Custom Form Studio right-click the desired group and choose Modify Ratings. Click the "Ratings setup wizard" button. Follow the wizard and specify to use Checkbox style instead of icons. Afterward, click OK and recompile your forms. Note: You may now also opt to use various wingding symbols instead by accessing the Modify Ratings "Style" tab and using the selection buttons next to Unchecked and Checked options to choose the characters to use.

Updating Printing Options and Formatting:
Restored Page Setup layouts may work similar, but some spacing and borders may differ.  Start a test report and use File > Page Setup to access your settings. Preview an example. Use Page Setup to make any desired tweaks. See Help for details about various features and items.

Verify your report Header/Footer works the way you want. Attached documents such as the index and others now become part of the entire final report printout and therefore use a common Header and Footer. If you want to suppress the header/footer or use a slightly different one for the first page of your combined report document, you may Customize the Header/Footer document and use the Insert menu to set up a separate or empty first page header or footer.

Universal printer device formatting generally allows printouts and PDFs to print the same way.  However if you are still printing to paper instead of using modern delivery, print a test report page.  If headers or footers are missing or truncated, you may need to Customize the Header/footer document in page setup and increase the header or footer "from edge" settings so they are not positioned too high or too low on the page for the printer to handle.

Word Processor Documents: If any older documents are used, they should be resaved. Open the master document in the Word Processor and File > Save to do so.  If you have trouble with a particular document, you might clear out an issue or incompatibility by copying and pasting the text into Notepad. Then copy and paste it fresh from Notepad into a new document. ALL images used in older documents should be removed and reinserted using the Image icon in the toolbar (do not copy and paste images).

Other Document Adjustments: Current standardized printing creates a final report printout that is really a combined document that includes any attached documents and the body of the report. Your attached documents may include your cover, index, and other items.

Imagine it this way: When printing/previewing a report, the program opens your Header/footer document and then inserts all your attached documents and report into that document, and that's what finally prints. The end result is really one single combined document now, not separate documents or items. The headers and footers and overall margins set up in the header/footer document now affect your entire combined report document. You'll also notice all attached documents are now seen and included when you preview your report, since they are now part of the actual final report itself, and not separate items at final print time.

However, you may have certain items or documents that you prefer be treated separately from the report document, with independent headers and footers. If that is your situation, you may use the Attached Files feature to achieve this. See the What’s New or Help information for details. You may also add Actions to quickly attach frequently used files this way. Be mindful that since attached "files" are considered part of the actual report document itself, they cannot be included in report previews where they can be exported along with a report to Word or other format.

ADDITIONAL FAQS FOR MIGRATED ITEMS THAT NOW WORK DIFFERENTLY

How do I get rid of a blank page printing at the beginning of my reports?

If you're getting an extra blank page at the beginning of your report, you probably have some spaces or something in the BODY of your header/footer document, since anything in the body of your header/footer document (accessed in page setup) would now end up being the first page of your printout.

The entire report printout, including attached documents, index, etc all merge into the Header/Footer document, creating a consistent universal document sharing common margins and header/footer information. The Header/Footer document determines the overall header, footer, and margins for the entire printout; the entire combined report printout is treated as one single entity at print time (attached documents and the report simply are merged into the header/footer doc).

Solution: Use File > Page Setup to customize your Header/Footer document. If you remove any information from the body of that document, that should solve the problem. If the page you're getting is blank, the information is probably an invisible character such as a space or carriage return. If you don't spot any obvious information, it may be helpful to use View > Display control codes to see invisible characters so you can easily confirm you've deleted them all. After saving the document, preview to verify the problem is resolved.

How do I suppress or create a separate header or footer for my first report page, so that my cover page doesn't have a header?

The Header/Footer document in page setup universally controls the headers and footers of your entire combined final report document (attached documents and report body). Although you have only one regular header and footer applied to most pages, you have the ability to set up only a separate first page header or footer for the final report document. If you add a first page header or footer and leave them blank, that will produce an empty header or footer for your first page.

Solution: Use File > Page Setup to customize the Header/Footer document. Use Insert > first page header/footer to add or access a separate first page header or footer. Leave those areas blank to suppress them on the first page of your final report document.

When I customize the Header/Footer doc, I don't see any header or footer, but one prints. The Header/Footer document appears to be totally empty. How do I access my header and footer to edit them?

You probably have a blank first page header and/or footer set up in the Header/Footer document. Since there's nothing in the body of the document itself, multiple pages don't display so you just don't see the regular Header or Footer even though they are there. Use the Insert menu to access any particular header or footer area as needed. When accessing the regular Header or Footer, if needed, the software will automatically add a temporary 2nd page so you can see and edit them. When exiting those areas, it will remove the second temporary page automatically so you don't end up with a blank page printing at the beginning of our report. Your header and footer information is still saved in the document, which you can see by accessing them using Insert or by printing or previewing a report.

Solution: While editing the document, use the Insert menu to access the first page or regular header or footer areas as desired.

I decided I want to use the regular header and footer for the first page of a document. But a separate first page header or footer is already present. How do I get the regular header or footer on the first page again?

One cannot remove a first page header/footer from a document once added, but you may simply copy the regular header/footer information into them.

Solution: Use the Insert menu to access the regular header or footer area. Highlight the contents of that area and Edit > Copy. Next use the Insert menu to access the first page header or footer area and Edit > Paste the information there. Now you have the same header or footer on all pages.

My header and/or footer show fine when I preview or print to PDF, but disappear when I print it to my regular printer. What is the problem?

Universal measurements and page locations format all printouts the same regardless of final print destination. However, some printers don't print all the way to the paper edge. If this affects you, increase the amount of space your header or footer prints from the edge of your paper so it will fall in the printable area of your printer.

Solution: Use Report Writer File > Page Setup and Customize your Header/Footer document. In the document itself use File > Page Setup to adjust the document margin and from edge settings as needed. "From edge" settings of at least 0.50" for header and footer areas is usually be enough for them to print on most printers. However, you may use trial and error to see how close to the edge you can adjust the items for your particular printer if desired. After making adjustments, print the document to your printer as needed to test.

When editing document attachments, the pages break differently while editing then in the final printed report. How can I make them consistent, so I can easily adjust the formatting of attached document portions of my report?

When editing a file in the document editor, its own margin settings format the document on screen as you work. But when printing a final report, the master Header/Footer document in the report writer page setup determines the overall margins of your entire combined report document. If the margins of your document attachment while editing are different than your master report header/footer document, this causes the difference.

Solution: Set your document attachment margins to match the report Header/Footer margins. That way your document will format on screen as you work the same as it will print when combined with the report. Use the document File > Page Setup to check the margins of your header/footer document as well as to adjust the margins in any other documents to match. You should adjust the margins in the master template of your documents so they will already be set that way before your attach them to inspections or do further editing.

I want to include certain documents or files with a report, but treat them as separate entities with separate headers and footers and page numbering. How do I do this?

Instead including the items as attached documents which become part of the report itself, you can include them as attached "Files" in the lower attachments pane in the Report Writer. Including such items after the report will also result in independent page numbering. However, since attached "files" are not part of the main report itself, then they are not included in the report preview and can't be exported along with the report document itself to other standard formats using the Save option in report preview.

Solution: In the lower Attachments pane in the bottom of the report writer, click the Attached Files tab. Right-click and Add a new File to select the desired .w3d or other file. Any .w3d type documents included as Attached "Files" are printed and emailed along with reports, but with their own headers and footer. Including a .w3d document file after a report makes it completely independent in the PDF, whereas including one before the report, will continue page numbering through the report that follows.

For standard documents or files you frequently attach to inspections, you can also set up a new "Report Writer: Attach a file" type of Action for automating the attachment process. (TIP- for existing actions, you may just Modify then and change the action type to report writer- Attach a file instead of attach a document)

Why does my top margin reset itself larger than the setting I enter?

The top margin will automatically adjust downward when a document is saved to allow space for your entire header or first page header area (whichever is larger) to fit, preventing any overlap from occurring with the document/report body. There's only one top and bottom margin that applies to all pages of the entire report printout.

If you are getting a gap between your header and body of your report document information, then you may want to make sure you don't have extra unneeded blank space at the bottom of your header or first page header areas that is automatically pushing the body or top margin down.

First use File > Page Setup and Customize your header/footer document. In the document, access the appropriate header area using Insert > Header/First page header. Click into the blank area or line at the bottom of your header information and press Delete or Backspace to remove any extra spaces or carriage returns you might have there. The dotted bottom border of the header area should move up as unneeded space is removed.

If you've done that but space still remains after a table cell but before the header dotted border that is larger than desired, you may click into that line and adjust its line height. Use the font size setting to set the line to a small 1pt size.

Once the header dotted border area is close to the header information, you then should be able to use File > Page Setup to decrease your top margin setting by the amount of space you've gained to move the report upward, so it prints closer to the header.

If Images don’t work or print funny:

Images from an older document used may have used problematic insertion methods for newer print engines. Deleting the image and re-inserting it fresh should cure the problem.

If you need to place an image side by side other text, then insert a table first so that the image can be inserted in one column and your text in the other as needed. That also makes it much easier to line up text and easily adjust the space between it an other images.