Template Plans To A New Version Of Chief?

[MickeyToo]

When a new version of Chief is released, how do you bring forward your template plans from the previous version?

 

[joey_martin]

Just point the new version towards the template. I keep my templates in a dropbox folder, so I just point the new version to the template.

[CJSpud]

Here's some links on template plans:

 

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/category/271/0/10/Chief-Architect/Templates/

[CJSpud]

And a good CA video on template plans:

 

http://video.chiefarchitect.com/?search=template+plan

[MickeyToo]

Thanks Curt and Joey.

 

The reason I asked the question is that I am being told that the way this should be done is to open a blank plan in the new version of Chief and then import the features you want from your template plan in the previous version -  defaults, layers, annotation sets, wall definitions and so forth - into the new plan and then save that plan as your Template. (I suppose you have to do this for each Template if you have more than one.)

 

I did not do it this way when upgrading to X7. I copied my template plan from the X6 Templates folder to the X7 Templates folder and went from there.

 

Do any of you do it the way that has been described to me?

 

I see in the Chief video that Curt provided the link to that this is one of the approaches taken, but it is not being done specifically in an upgrade situation.

[Kiwideziner]

I used to do that several versions ago, as I found the template used to get bloated with stuff no longer used.

But now just save as to a new location, point the program at the new file and go for it.

[Doug_Park]

Simply opening your old template and saving it in the new version is a viable direction to go. But it will lose any of the changes in defaults that we would normally push into a new out of box template. A thorough walk through all the defaults after doing this is a good idea as it will help you to not only understand the new version but may help you to refine your templates. A good understanding of all the new features of the program is helpful in knowing how to update the settings.

 

Since new features create new and hopefully better ways of working changes in your templates are almost always required when upgrading.

[DRAWZILLA]

So Doug, are you guys now saying that we should create a new template plan ,from the new profile plan that ships with each new version of Chief, and not bring forward any templates to get the best product experience? For years it's been both ways. For many versions lately, I just bring forward my templates, could that be the cause of some lag?

[Doug_Park]

Both options have advantages. Rebuilding from scratch is an option that we have suggested for many releases as being in theory the cleanest, although it is more work. Some releases have had very substantial changes where bringing templates forward was potentially difficult. For example when we reworked layers several versions ago. At that time starting with a clean template that we provided would probably have been the best option. For X7 the changes aren't as substantial so either option is probably a good choice.

 

In any case a thorough review of settings is highly recommended.

[DRAWZILLA]

Thank Doug, My question is, is there anything in a profile plan shipped with any new version, that you cannot change by using the settings. Like something built in to the profile that cannot be addressed by the settings. In that case ,I would think we would need to use the new profile plan and build a template off of that.

[Doug_Park]

Thank Doug, My question is, is there anything in a profile plan shipped with any new version, that you cannot change by using the settings. Like something built in to the profile that cannot be addressed by the settings. In that case ,I would think we would need to use the new profile plan and build a template off of that.

 

Ideally there should be nothing. Although that is a little hard to guarantee given the amount of data stored in a template. We do work hard to keep these clean.

[MickeyToo]

Thanks, Doug, especially for pointing out the benefits of walking through the changes in defaults in the new version.

 

Of course, if it was necessary to create a new template(s) for each new release (besides being labor intensive), then what of plans created in the prior version, wouldn't they be deficient or problematic in some significant way? But that is not the case for reasons pointed out here.

 

Thanks again.

[Joe_Carrick]

I have way too much invested in my Templates - both Plan and Layout - to start fresh with each new release.  So, I just copy them from the prior version to the new version Templates Folder.  I then open them and go thru the defaults to make sure everything is correct.  Then I save them and everything seems to be fine.

 

I have found a few defaults that didn't get automatically passed thru in the past, but for me this is much more efficient than manually exporting and importing all the defaults, macros, etc.

[Anna_Gorres]

I understand this thread is a few years old. I have recently change computers, and trying to migrate all of my special settings. I watched a video that state Chief recommends you do not copy & paste old template and layout files to the new version, as it may override the updates available in the new version. It sounds like a number of people just have a separate folder and point C.A. to it for the template and layout files....will that solve the issue of not overriding the new version updates?

 

I'm not a techy person...so maybe not following.

 

Thanks for you help.

[Kbird1]

That mostly concerns when you Upgrade/Migrate to a new Version , eg if you were moving to X10.  If you are just reinstalling X9 on a new Computer , then open X9 to let it create the Chief Data Folder ( in My Documents ,maybe already be done?) then close X9 and Copy the CA-X9 Data Folder from the Old Computer to My Documents on the new Computer. You can use a USB key to do this fairly easily. I suggest renaming the existing Data Folder in My Documents 1st eg add _Old to the end of the Folder name , so it is backed up for safety. 

 

there is also other ways and folders to transfer depending on what you want transferred , eg Templates, Textures,Backdrops, Images etc but most of these are already in the Data Folder mentioned above. Preferences are in Chief's .ini files and can also be transferred if needed.

 

If you don't have access to the Old computer ....then you can get some settings from existing Plans and Templates eg by importing your Defaults.

 

I'll find a PDF I have from the last time I did it if you think it'll help.....it have more detailed info.

 

M.