Opening Encore 4.5.5 file with Encore 3.0

[stburks]

Help!

I have a client that still uses 3.0. He recently asked me to adjust one of his scores. I have Encore 4.5.5. When I sent the file back to him he could not open it in 3.0. I believe he is using Windows XP as well. Is there a work around?



Thanks

[John Miller]

Unfortunately Encore does not have the ability to backwards save a file.
If your client owns a previous version of Encore or Music Time Deluxe he can purchase the new full versions of the software at the upgrade price.
Please have him log into the support database.
http://www.gvox.com/contactus.php

[polarbreeze]

Unfortunately Encore does not have the ability to backwards save a file.

That is an extremely stupid business decision on the part of GVOX.

[Meryl]

I totally agree. I purchased the upgrade from 4.5.5 to 5.0.2 but I find there are so many bugs that I have gone back to using 4.5.5. I did try the newest version for a while in the hope that the text handling would be better but it crashes too often to use and I find it incredibly annoying that it is not backwards compatible as I have some files in the newer version which I can't convert back. The final straw was after I spent time adjusting notes within each bar to improve legibility and then found if I move the staves up the page slightly it loses all my bar spacing changes!

This non backward compatibility policy might be acceptable if the updates provided a step change improvement, however in the case of 5.0.2 so far I haven't found it reliable enough to continue using it.

Also it is annoying to have lost the export to .eps function which I use to export the files to CorelDraw so I can lay out more than one tune to a page.

[mikehalloran]

Unfortunately Encore does not have the ability to backwards save a file.

That is an extremely stupid business decision on the part of GVOX.

Nonsense. It is standard practice. Wasn't 3.0 still Passport Designs (horrid little company!)? There is no reason on earth to require - or even ask GVOX to be backwards compatible.

I like that Encore 4.5.5 can open 5.x but only because 5.0.5 still has different bugs. I often have to open my 5.0.5 files in 4.5.5, make my changes, then reopen in 5.0.5.

5.x needs to be backwards compatible with 4.5.5. Among 5's many outstanding issues and bugs is that it can't open 3.0 files - but 4.5.5 can and 5 can open those. This is true on the Mac - I rarely use my Windows copies.

[stavro]

I agree with Mike. Actually, Gvox has improved the file writing of Encore considerably and in my opinion eliminated terrible I/O bugs. Back in the day when Passport designs owned the whole franchise I was a MusicTime duluxe 3.0 user, and I still remember random file-corruption, even when simply opening a file. Since using the incarnations that Gvox offered I've yet to experience any of the same, thankfully, and in some cases I can even open previously corrupted files. I think this is still relevant to Encore 3.0 as Musictime shares the same code-base.

[commnthings]

I like that Encore 4.5.5 can open 5.x

Dear Mike,

Can E4.5.5Mac actually open the E5.x files? If so, I'm very happy for you. It would be really nice if this were true for E4.5.5Win.

Regards,

Bob

[polarbreeze]

Unfortunately Encore does not have the ability to backwards save a file.

That is an extremely stupid business decision on the part of GVOX.

Nonsense. It is standard practice.

You are wrong. Most, if not all, software allows you the option to save in a format compatible with earlier versions. There is a very good reason for that: if they don't do that, then people who are collaborating and who need to exchange files back and forth would all have to upgrade simultaneously to the new version, otherwise their ability to collaborate would be broken.

[polarbreeze]

I like that Encore 4.5.5 can open 5.x

Dear Mike,
Can E4.5.5Mac actually open the E5.x files? If so, I'm very happy for you. It would be really nice if this were true for E4.5.5Win.

It's true on the Mac version; however, GVOX has broken this compatibility on the Windows version.

[commnthings]

It's true on the Mac version; however, GVOX has broken this compatibility on the Windows version.

RATZ!

Bob

[mikehalloran]

I like that Encore 4.5.5 can open 5.x

Dear Mike,

Can E4.5.5Mac actually open the E5.x files? If so, I'm very happy for you. It would be really nice if this were true for E4.5.5Win.

Regards,

Bob

The Mac version can. I just tried this on my new iMac in OS 10.6.4 and it still works.

One of the 5.0.5 bugs is that the height of ending boxes cannot be resized. I save my file, drag it onto a 4.5.5 shortcut, re-size, Save, open again in 5.0.5 and there it is.

I had to install Rosetta so that Encore 4.5.5 would open on my new Mac but it does work just fine. On the CD, 4.5.5 is listed as working in OS 9 only - this is incorrect, it installs in 10.x. BTW, the in-between versions i.e. 4.5.6.x and 5 earlier than 5.0.5 don't work at all well in 10.4/5/6.

[polarbreeze]

One of the 5.0.5 bugs is that the height of ending boxes cannot be resized.

Are you sure? That works for me in 505.

[mikehalloran]

One of the 5.0.5 bugs is that the height of ending boxes cannot be resized.

Are you sure? That works for me in 505.

I just installed it fresh on my new iMac and now it works in 10.6.4. It will be interesting to see what else does and does not work on this new machine.

Before, the only way that I could re-size the height on endings boxes is to save the file, open it in 4.5.5, re-size, save and open it back up in 5.0.5. I drop the file onto aliases and it opens instantly.

I do lots of lead sheets with chords. I need to be able to raise or lower the box height on endings - the default is always wrong for me.

[mikehalloran]

You are wrong. Most, if not all, software allows you the option to save in a format compatible with earlier versions. There is a very good reason for that: if they don't do that, then people who are collaborating and who need to exchange files back and forth would all have to upgrade simultaneously to the new version, otherwise their ability to collaborate would be broken.

"Most if not all..." ??? You must lead a sheltered life and not get out much. Digital Performer and Finale are two programs I use all the time that do not have this functionality. Neither do Final Draft and MasterWriter.

In any case, for the programs that allow you to save as older versions, you must actually save as the older format. You cannot open the newer files with the older software. Being able to save in an older version is not the same as being backwards compatible - something that very few programs are.

You can open a Word 2008 .docx file in Office 2004 if you install the special patch but try opening it in earlier versions of Word such as X or 98, let alone 5.1.

[mikehalloran]

Back to the OP. There is no reason to expect Encore 3 to open later files. As horrible as 3 was, there's little reason to expect it to open Encore 3 files either. The manual was a wish list of features they wanted to work - frustrating to anyone who actually read it.

5 is the first real upgrade of Encore. All other version since 2 were bug fixes. In the case of 4.5.6.x, steps backward.