ArcGIS 10.4. Problem with add-ins backward compatibility

[AntonPerlov1]

Hello everyone. I have a problem with backward compatibility with ArcGis Desktop 10.4 and .NET add-ins built for earlier versions of ArcGIS Desktop.

I have a .NET add-in built for ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1. When I try to install add-in by double-clicking add-in file, i get the message "Installation succeeded", but add-in does not appear in  add-in manager dialog. In fact, add-in succesfully installs only in a second attempt. If i try to install add-in using Customise -> Add from file, i get error message:

"No GUI components found in this Add-In.

Add-In version does not match."

When I try to install add-in built for ArcGIS 10.4 on ArcGIS 10.4.1 I get the same problem.

Al i want is to build add-in for ArcGIS 10.3.1 which would be normally installed on 10.4, 10.4.1 and later versions of ArcGIS desktop. Can anyone help me to solve this problem?

[joonpark]

Can you try to specify CLR version  <AddIn language="CLR4.0" library="SpatialStartup.dll" namespace="SpatialStartup"> ?

It made difference for me.

Also, Did you any other issues after upgrading to ArcGIS 10.4? As i found it's got slower and unknown crash happening in custom code

Thanks

[AntonPerlov1]

Thank you!

Unfortunately it did not help.

Does anyone have some more ideas?

What about other issues with 10.4, i haven't noticed them yet.

[LaurenBoyd]

Unfortunately, Add-Ins are not backwards compatible. They are only forward compatible.

You can find the information about this in the latest ArcObjects for .NET SDK help documents here:

http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcobjects/latest/net/webframe.htm#ed71a35e-a357-4bbd-8faa-ff2fed1126cd... 

Under the Add-in compatibility across newer versions of ArcGIS section:

Add-ins targeting previous versions of ArcGIS will automatically load in newer releases, there is no need to rebuild or reinstall them. For example, ArcGIS 10.1 will automatically discover and load add-ins from the 10.0 well-known folder location(C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ArcGIS\AddIns\Desktop10.0). Add-ins are not backward compatible; for example, and add-in targeting ArcGIS 10.1 will not load in 10.0.

[AntonPerlov1]

Oooops... I meant forvard compatibility. Add-in targeting 10.3.1 has a lot of problems with loading in ArcGIS 10.4 and 10.4.1.

The same problem appears if I try using 10.4 add-in with ArcGIS 10.4.1

[LaurenBoyd]

If you just want to install, the Add-In should install correctly by just double clicking the Add-In. Make sure you do not open it in Visual Studio and compile the Add-In. As long as you install them as-is without compiling the source code again at the newer version of ArcGIS, they are forward compatible.

[EmilyBunse]

Hi, 

I'm experiencing a similar issue to what happened to you. I'm a student who has been developing a .NET Add-In for ArcMap 10.3.1 in Visual Studio Community 2013. I'm not done with my add-in (it is still in the Debug phase) but had to renew my student desktop license today and when I did, I upgraded to ArcGIS 10.4 Desktop since I had read that there WAS forward compatibility. However, when I tried to test a new block of code I wrote in Visual Studio in ArcMap 10.4, it gave me the same error: 

"No GUI components found in this Add-In.

Add-In version does not match."

I haven't updated the license on my ArcObjects SDK yet (it is on a different timescale, so still working off 10.3 developer tools) and have tried to delete and re-add the .esriAddIn file for my project to ArcMap 10.4 so many times. I've made sure that in Visual Studio when the debugging started it ran the .exe to start ArcMap 10.4 instead of for 10.3. 

I'm worried I'll need to revert back to ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.1 and then am concerned that once I release to users that it won't work with anything but 10.3. Any advice on how to get my ArcMap 10.4 to recognize my Add-In?

[TedKowal]

Are your addins written in Net 3.5 or less?  If so they must be updated to 4.5 or better.... This was an issue I had porting old addins to 10.4 (Note: I did not have this issue in 10.3)....  

[EmilyBunse]

Yes, the Add-In I was working on was in .Net 3.5 because that's what was required of 10.3. If I update it to 4.5 though, it probably won't work on a 10.3 machine, right? Is it possible to continue writing it in 4.5 and then version one for 3.5? 

[TedKowal]

That is the same chicken and egg situation I am in now.... I had two create two version one in 3.5 for the older ArcMap and 4.5 for the 10.4    I could not figure out any way around it fortunately for me the same code compiled in both.  10.4 requires net 4.5 compile.  Unless you want to make a complete stand alone application (not an addin) that would work with both.... that was not a choice for me -