Access the ArcGIS API for JavaScript earlier versions

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Hello!

I am wondering if it is possible to access the help page and API reference for the earlier versions of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript. Googled for hours yet still no luck.

I have found the API for Silverlight pages for the 2.0 version whereas the current version is 2.2 (http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/silverlight/2.0/help/index.html), but did not succeed with finding the earlier versions of the API for JavaScript. Am I missing something here?

Thank you!

[JeffPace]

I requested this awhile ago through support.  You need to be able to switch between api versions on the support site. 

It is very frustrating, the day the new api comes out you can no longer access the old docs.

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Hey Jeff,

Did you figure out if Esri keeps the original pages for the earlier versions of API available to users?

[KellyHutchins]

Hey Jeff,

Did you figure out if Esri keeps the original pages for the earlier versions of API available to users?

We don't keep older versions of the help but we do add notations to the API reference for new classes and methods. For example the IdentityManager class, new at 2.5 has the following text in the description 'Class added v2.5'. If we add methods and properties to existing classes we also add a note in the help denoting which version of the api this method was added. So if you are using an earlier version you'll be able to tell which classes, methods etc are not available.

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Hey Kelly,

Thank you very much for the information. I am greatful that you elaborate on the API versions in the API, that helps a lot indeed. Is there any chance one could find samples for a specific version then?

The matter is that my current work involves making many demos with the samples directly from the ArcGIS for JavaScript API Samples page, but sadly this is applicable only to the latest version. Then customers ask how would one implement this in a previous version. This implies that I have to check what new features/code changes are there and how this can be implemented as it was in a previous version.

Let me give you an example.

In the code for the Toggle ArcGIS Online Services sample (http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/javascript/arcgis/demos/map/map_agol.html), you have used the dijit.form.DropDownButton from the Dojo library for the list of basemaps to swich between. Yet the same sample used several buttons dijit.form.Button in the version 2.0. It is just a bit of extra time for me to figure out what code shall be customized to match samples customers have adopted using the 2.0 version. This applies for a number of other samples as well.

Hope this makes good sense. It would just save some time for us who use the samples from the previous versions, so if you'd ever got a chance to share the samples and separate API reference pages, we'd be happy. 🙂

Cheers,
Alex

[KellyHutchins]

Alex,

While we don't maintain online copies of the SDK (reference and samples) you can download the SDK for versions 2.0 and greater using the download page. This would allow you to setup a local copy of the SDK that uses older versions. Each download file also has all of the samples as they existed at that version.
To download the help view the 'Download' section of the following help topic:
http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/javascript/arcgis/help/jshelp/intro_accessapi.html

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Kelly,

Thank you so much. I've just downloaded the SDK and the library. I have somehow missed that the previous versions are available for download. Now the things are sorted out. Awesome!

PS. Jeff, hope the offline version would work fine for you too!