Patching the DcSupport file

First Release: 2019.4

Last Update: 2021.6

Unlike the DesignCalcs vessel files, the Support file is patched when the DesignCalcs.exe is launched, if a patch is needed.  Since the DcSupport file is shared, all users need to be out of the DesignCalcs, that share a Support file, when patching the file.  As of the 2019.4 release, DesignCalcs will create a backup file ".bak1" prior to attempting the patch.  Below are some expected behaviors.

Patching the support file puts a note in the DesignCalcs.log and first creates a .bak1 file in case a patching errors occur.  In addition, starting in the 2020.7 release, the schema version that the file is patched from and patched to is documented in the log.    Prior to the 2021.6 release, the DesignCalcs.log file was stored in the root of the active DesignCalcs file.  In the 2021.6 release, DesignCalcs.log file is stored in the root of the DcSupport.adb file. https://thinkcei.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CEIKB/pages/568590371/Patching+the+DesignCalcs+file

An attempt at patching DcSupport.adb, when someone else is connected to the file is using DC, will result in the message below.  The user will need to hit ok and will need to get other users out of DesignCalcs, then launch DC again.

Launching a version of DesignCalcs expecting an older version of the DcSupport.adb file than it is linked to (meaning another machine patched to a newer DC version which then patched the data of the support file to a newer version).  This will still launch DC though.