Linx 4 to 5 converter

Today marks the first release of the Linx 4 to 5 converter.  This application will take an existing Linx 4 solution (and optional config) file and create a corresponding Linx 5 solution file from it.  As part of the conversion process, the user will be presented with a conversion log that can be used to track down any conversion issues.

How do I use it?

The converter is a command-line application (Convert.exe) that accepts several parameters.  They are:

• L4Solution:  Path to the Linx 4 solution file that you want to convert.
• L4Config (optional): Path to the Linx 4 configuration file that accompanies the solution file.
• L5Solution: Path to the Linx 5 solution file that will be created.
• Log (optional): Path to the conversion log file that will be created.

For example:

Convert.exe L4Solution="C:\Temp\OldLinx4Solution.lsoz" L4Config="C:\Temp\OldLinx4Solution.lsoz.config" L5Solution="C:\Temp\NewLinx5Solution.lsoz" Log="C:\Temp\Conversion.txt"

While the application is running, it will display the current conversion status on the screen.  If you've specified a log file (using the command-line parameters), this information will also be captured to disk.  Conversion statuses are as follows:

• Verbose: Display information about the program flow, e.g. the component being converted, loading of the solution files, instantiating the Linx 4 and 5 environment, etc.  Verbose messages are displayed in the default command-line colour.
  
• Information: Display information about non-breaking changes that were made to the converted solution.  Linx 5 for example follows a more strict naming convention than Linx 4 and invalid names have to be converted to ensure a successful conversion.  These messages can also include information about properties that were ignored or replaced with a new Linx 5 equivalent.  Information messages are displayed in green.
  
• Warning: Warnings messages are displayed when a component can only be converted up to a point, but requires some user intervention, either on the Linx 4 or Linx 5 side.  Warning messages are displayed in yellow and are repeated at the end of the conversion for convenience.
  
• Error: Used to display a fatal conversion message.  If an error is encountered, the whole conversion will stop.  Ensure that you have no validation errors in your Linx 4 solution before you start the conversion.  Error messages are displayed in red.
  

The small print

The converter will (for now) only convert the most commonly-used components.  Components that do not contain a Linx 5 equivalent will be included as a missing function in the Linx 5 solution - you won't however be able to use these solutions until you remove the applicable component.  Also, be sure to check for any validation errors/warnings in the converted Linx 5 solution after the conversion.

The converter does a one-to-one conversion of the Linx 4 solution and does not try to understand the solution logic.  You may therefore end up with a lot of extra components that can sometimes be consolidated into one Linx 5 component, e.g. separate assignments can be done in a single expression. 

We want to hear from you

As mentioned, this is the first version of the converter.  There are a lot of Linx 4 solutions out there that does a lot of different things, so please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions, feature requests, missing conversions. etc.