[GIS] Creating ArcGIS add-ins for both 10.0 and 10.1

add-inarcgis-10.1arcmaparcobjects

Has anyone tried to deploy the ArcMap add-in for both ArcGIS 10.0 and ArcGIS 10.1? There is a target version parameter in the add-in config XML file that needs to be specified. After upgrading the code to VB MS VisualStudio 2010 and ArcObjects 10.1 it can no longer be used in ArcGIS 10.0.
What are your strategies for upgrading your add-ins from ArcGIS 10.0 to 10.1 while maintaining the compatibility with 10.0?

Best Answer

With previous versions of ArcMap (9.x) you needed to compile for the lowest common denominator. For example a COM extension written for 9.2 would install in 9.3 as long as any newly added or depreceated ArcObjects were not used. The service pack also made a difference. An extension written for 9.2 SP4 would not install on a 9.2 SP1 machine. However the reverse would work.

Regarding Add-ins in 10.x, I have not tried to install my 10.0 Add-ins in 10.1. I expect the same behavior though. If you need to deploy in both environments then compile the Add-in on a 10.0 developer machine and it should deploy in 10.1. I would contact Esri if this was not the case as it would be a major problem for many users.

If you want to use 10.1 on your dev machine than see this thread:

Can AddIn target somehow set to be 10.x

Related Solutions

ArcMap Add-in – Is It Possible to Target an Add-in to an Earlier Version

It's possible to make it work with ArcMap 10.0, but it's not easy and deployment-friendly

First, in your visual studio project, set your target framework to .NET Framework 3.5.

Then, edit the Config.esriaddinx file and modify the "Targets" section to add compatibility with ArcGIS Desktop 10.0, like this:

  <Targets>
    <Target name="Desktop" version="10.0" />
    <Target name="Desktop" version="10.1" />
  </Targets>

Finally, as described in an older post, you have to alter the ArcMap.exe.config by adding the following line inside each "dependentAssembly" block

<bindingRedirect oldVersion="10.1.0.0" newVersion="10.0.0.0"/>

Once modified, it should look like this

    <assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
      <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity name="ESRI.ArcGIS.ADF" culture="" publicKeyToken="8fc3cc631e44ad86"/>
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="9.3.0.0-9.3.2.0" newVersion="10.0.0.0"/>
        <bindingRedirect oldVersion="10.1.0.0" newVersion="10.0.0.0"/>
      </dependentAssembly>
    </assemblyBinding>

I came to the conclusion that even if it's possible, I'm better off compiling with the lowest version of ArcMap I'm willing to support.

EDIT: See also Rich Wawrzonek's post for an alternative (not recommended by ESRI)

EDIT2: According to Esri, the best way is set up a virtual machine with 10.0 installed on it (see this post)

.NET Framework Version Change – Changing Targeted .NET 4.0 Framework to Version 3.5 in an Existing VS 2010 EXPRESS Project

Visual C# 2010 Express:

Project -> Project Properties -> Application -> Target Framework
VB.NET 2010 Express: (thanks Jakub)

Project -> Project Properties -> Compile -> Advanced Compile Options -> Target Framework (All Configurations)

Best Answer

Related Solutions

ArcMap Add-in – Is It Possible to Target an Add-in to an Earlier Version

.NET Framework Version Change – Changing Targeted .NET 4.0 Framework to Version 3.5 in an Existing VS 2010 EXPRESS Project

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