4.x Documentation is no longer accessible. There should be an archive we can access of the older docs

[BrentPorter]

Hello All

I am helping teach some developers who started with JavaScript API 4.3x about 2 months ago. When the update to 5 happened, the older documentation disappeared. 

Are there any plans to make accessible the previous version or the previous n-2 versions of the documentation for the API? This is very disruptive and hard to navigate.

As a hack, I can see some of the material from the Internet Archive (aka Wayback Machine) but every page/link I click has to go back to the timeline which is not sustainable.

[MichaelVolz]

When did ESRI start adopting JavaScript API 5.x?

Will JavaScript API 4.x apps start having issues in newer web browsers?

[BrentPorter]

Forgot to add - it was the week of February 26 that they started using 5.0. Just in time for the Developer Summit in March (this week)

[BrentPorter]

I don't think that's the issue - the CDN still has accessible versions of the earlier software. But for learning/documentation of existing projects, the older documentation is very hard to work with or not accessible. There is probably some link I am missing or something. But I can't find it so here I (we) are. 🙂

[WesleyO]

Hi  @BrentPorter , the documentation for older versions are accessible through downloads: https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/latest/downloads/

@MichaelVolz  , The move from 4.x to 5.x is just a semantic versioning change. Major updates, including deprecation and breaking changes, are expected in 5.0, but it will not require a complete application rewrite. You can learn more about our decision to do this here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/js-api-arcgis/announcements/arcgis-maps-sdk-for-javascript...

I don't see any reason for the recent versions of 4.x to be running into issues with web browser updates. If this is a concern, I recommend that your app is regularly updated to the latest version of the Maps SDK. 

Let me know if there are any questions. 

[BrentPorter]

Thanks for the links! I'll check it out and respond back here if everything seems to be available with working links, etc.

[BjornSvensson · Accepted solution]

As @WesleyO mentioned above, the SDK documentation for older versions are available for downloads.

In addition, starting hopefully next week, the 4.34 documentation will also be available on a public archive site so that you will not have to download and host it yourself.  

[BrentPorter]

Hello again Bjorn! Any luck with getting the older versions available on a public archive site?

-Brent

[BjornSvensson · Accepted solution]

There's are some broken links that we'd like to get fixed before officially announcing but if you don't mind that, you can look at the 4.34 docs on the archive site: https://archive.developers.arcgis.com/javascript/v4-34/
 

[BrentPorter]

Thank you - I will gladly take a few broken links in the interim to be able to access this.

Much obliged,

Brent