Upgrading WardInfo From Previous Versions

There are no known issues with upgrading from previous versions of WardInfo to version 1.8.5.

Version 1.8.5 fixes many reported bugs (thanks to those who reported them), and supports the same syntax and spreadsheet formats as the previous release, version 1.7.5. The software should be able to be unpacked into the C:\WardInfo directory on top of the previous version and work just fine. If I were upgrading, though, I would save a copy of the previous C:\WardInfo directory just to be sure that nothing I needed was replaced. There are some changes to the spreadsheets used, though. The first time the new version of WardInfo runs using previously created spreadsheets, it will update the data in the spreadsheets to have the new format. It will also save a version of the un-converted spreadsheets before doing the conversion.

Version 1.7.5 Differences

Version 1.7.5 has no changes in upgrading from 1.7.1 or 1.7.5 of WardInfo. Version 1.7.5 is required to process the input files from the new MLS software.

Version 1.7.0 has more features than the previous version, version 1.6.5, but uses the same format for spreadsheets and output files. No changes in build procedures are needed between version 1.6.5 and 1.7.0 unless customized modes have been used.

Version 1.4.15 has significant differences in both the spreadsheets and the command syntax that you should to be aware of.

Version 1.4.15 Spreadsheet Differences

Version 1.5.15 of WardInfo uses an older format of the spreadsheets that all subsequent versions. This should not be a particular concern, because the first time the new version is run it will convert your old spreadsheets into the new version. This has been tested by the author, and seems to work well. However, it is recommended that you save a copy of your spreadsheets prior to running the new version. This will turn a potential disaster into a recoverable mistake.

Version 1.4.15 Output File Differences

Many of the output files that are created in the subdirectories have different names. This would not be an issue if there were just 5 or 10 duplicate files, but there are potentially close to 1,000 files that have different names in the new WardInfo version. Again, this is not of any really substantial concern, but is recommended that you clean out the old files (for example the Bish\*.* files) prior to running the new version of the WardInfo program.

Version 1.4.15 Syntax Differences

There are a few syntax differences between version 1.4.15 and version 1.7.0. The most notable of these is the /Mode=value option, which replaces the previous /Bish, /Priest, /Relief, /Leader, /Youth, and /Member options. To see all syntax of the new version of WardInfo, you can just type WardInfo (without any options) on the command line, or click to Syntax.