Upgrading from LiveCycle 7 to LiveCycle ES

LiveCycle Components, or QPACs, have undergone significant internal changes between LiveCycle 7 (LC7) and LiveCycle ES (ES). As a result of these changes, Components are now both easier to develop and more powerful. However, because of these changes, some LC7 QPACs are no longer directly compatible with ES. Adobe and Avoka have been working on providing a seamless upgrade path to ES for all the QPACs that you may currently be using in LC7.

Avoka QPAC customers should be aware of the following when upgrading to LiveCycle ES:

1. Backward compatibility

   Adobe has implemented an LC7 compatibility layer within ES. This means that in theory, all LC7 QPACs should function properly in ES. In practice, we have found the compatibility layer to be excellent, but there have been a few cases where specific QPACs do not work correctly in the ES environment. You are strongly recommended to retest any workflows containing Avoka QPACs very thoroughly, and please contact us if you encounter any difficulties. Since the compatibility layer is provided by Adobe, any problems might have to be addressed by them, but we are happy to look at individual problems and try to provide a solution.

2. ES-specific Components

   Adobe will be releasing ES-specific versions of the Components Avoka developed for LC7. This will be a staged release, with the most popular QPACs being released first.

   There are a few exceptions:

   • functionality provided in a certain number of Avoka QPACs is now available natively within ES;
   • in some cases, seldom-used functionality from LC7 has not been ported to ES;
   • in some cases, the requirement for a particular operation has been removed, or underlying architectural change in the ES environment has made the operation superfluous.

   If you have a problem, please contact us.

   If you need a particular QPAC/Component that has not yet been released, please contact us, and we will do our best to shift priorities to accommodate your request.

3. Upgrading from LC7 QPACs to ES Components

   At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, you will want to replace each existing LC7 QPAC with the equivalent ES Component. There are two ways to achieve this:

   Manually

   • Drag the new ES component onto your workflow.
   • Carefully copy the relevant parameters from the LC7 QPAC to the ES Component.
   • Drag the existing incoming and outgoing routes from the LC7 QPAC to the ES Component.
   • Test carefully.
   • Delete the LC7 QPAC.

   Automatically

   Adobe has provided a tool that will automatically perform the above steps for you. For each LC7 QPAC, you will need to obtain an "upgrade definition file" that "knows" how to upgrade instances of that QPAC from LC7 to ES. Adobe provides upgrade definition files for most of their components as part of the Avoka Productivity Kit.

   Avoka is also working on producing upgrade definition files for all of our LC7 QPACs. These files can be downloaded from our site, and can simply be dropped into the appropriate location on the Workbench, where they will automatically be incorporated into the Upgrade Tool.

   Avoka has considerable experience in building upgrade definition files, so if you need to develop upgrade definition files for your own Components, or if you need to modify the behaviour of the Adobe Components, we can assist with this.

   If there are any LC7 QPACs for which we have not yet produced an upgrade definition file, please contact us for more information on upcoming availability.

4. New functionality

   LiveCycle ES provides an entire range of new features and functionality. Avoka is continually working to provide new Components, add-ons and packaged solutions that allow you to make better use of your investment in LiveCycle. Please check our web site regularly for updates.

Upgrading from LiveCycle 7 to ES