Upgrade Woes (4.6.x to 4.8)

[nalorin 0]

This is composed of a warning, a vent, and a plea

 

The warning: backup your custom profiles to an external folder BEFORE initiating an update of your Cura software! - It doesn't behave like typical software, where it'll just update the core software and leave your profiles and preferences intact by default!

 

The vent: Ultimaker treats the configuration of Cura (config) and the configuration of your 3d printer (profile) as THE SAME THING! That means, when you update your software and it says "do you wish to uninstall the old version? >> [yes] >> do you wish to delete configuration files? >> [yes]," it deletes the profiles, too.

 

Yes... THOSE profiles. The ones that you've spent countless hours fine-tuning and tweaking to make your 3D Printer work perfectly with that filament you've been using.

 

DagNabbit, Ultimaker, WHY? Why do you treat these separate software functions (one perfunctory, the other critical) as if they are both equally critical?!

 

The plea: Ultimaker please, PLEASE, Please split the confirmation dialog into two separate prompts: one for Cura configuration (such as interface preferences, theme, options visible, etc.) and the other for Profile/Slicer configuration (the settings you use for printing), and maybe with a confirmation... For example, the prompting could be like this:

 

"Do you wish to uninstall the old version? >> Do you wish to delete the software configuration files? >> Do you wish to delete the user Profiles / custom slicer settings? >> ARE YOU SURE? - this will delete print settings such as filament, line height, temperatures, etc."

 

This at least gives us tech-savvy users, who typically burn through software prompts at light speed, a moment for pause by making the REALLY important prompts stand out!

Edited November 12, 2020 by nalorin

[Gero 54]

I can only confirm this!
Since cura 4.4 I ALWAYS save any new custom profile or material as an exported file in an extra folder. 

This is gonna save you A LOT of hassle if something goes wrong. Cura crash, new, version, new PC, corrupt backup, etc. 
If you always export your new settings/profiles you are (mostly) save from those events. 

 

Just save your stuff! Export everything. At least before updating!
(Also, don't reinstall your old cura version. you never know what bugs you might get. personally I always keep the last 3 versions on my system. just to be safe...)

[nallath 1,124]

18 hours ago, nalorin said:

The warning: backup your custom profiles to an external folder BEFORE initiating an update of your Cura software! - It doesn't behave like typical software, where it'll just update the core software and leave your profiles and preferences intact by default!

Yes it does.
 

18 hours ago, nalorin said:

The vent: Ultimaker treats the configuration of Cura (config) and the configuration of your 3d printer (profile) as THE SAME THING! That means, when you update your software and it says "do you wish to uninstall the old version? >> [yes] >> do you wish to delete configuration files? >> [yes]," it deletes the profiles, too.

It warns you that you will also lose your profiles. We recently changed it so that it made this more clear.

 

8 hours ago, Gero said:

I can only confirm this!
Since cura 4.4 I ALWAYS save any new custom profile or material as an exported file in an extra folder.

You can also use the backup plugin. That's what it is for.

[nalorin 0]

5 hours ago, nallath said:

Yes it does.

I upgraded from 4.6.2 and it wanted to install Cura 4.8 in a new folder (Why?!)... that doesn't exactly scream "I'm updating your existing installation" - if anything, it says "I'm installing a new instance". That's NOT typical behaviour for software - Cura maybe, but software in general, no. Also, why can't we just select "update" from the Cura menu and have it occur in the background, so you literally only have to restart the software and everything else is taken care of behind-the-scene?

 

5 hours ago, nallath said:

It warns you that you will also lose your profiles. We recently changed it so that it made this more clear.

As a relatively new user to Cura, my very presence here should indicate that, if this is true, it's not nearly clear enough. By the 6th minor release of the 4th major version of software, I would expect things to be much more polished than that...