File Associations Problem - Older Installs Open PLNs

[Anonymous]

My office has used ArchiCAD since Version 7.0 and often I need to load and print older projects. I have versions 8.1 through 11 installed on my machine. Regardless of which order I install the different versions, windows seems to randomly pick a certain version to associate PLN files with and will always try to open them with that version.

Example: If I browse with Windows Explorer to a version 11 pln, and double click, ArchiCAD 9 opens and then gives me an incompatible version error. Right clicking and selecting 'open with' does not fix the problem (I assume because all versions are just named archicad.exe). Is there any way to make ArchCAD 11 the default application for opening PLNs while other versions are installed?

P4 3.0GH 2GB RAM
Win XP SP2
AC11US, AC10US, AC9US AC8.1US

[Anonymous]

It is recommended that you start Archicad first, then select the file you want to open.

[henrypootel]

It will generally use the last version of ArchiCAD that was installed. beyond that, i'm not sure why it would mess that up.

[Anonymous]

I generally do load ArchiCAD and then open a file, but there are enough times that people here in the office want to open from Windows Explorer that this is quite annoying. It seems that the latest install doesn't always grab the file association. If anybody else has thoughts, I'm still interested.

[Djordje]

No it does not. I have everything since 8.1 installed, including 8.1, and double click ALWAYS opens 8.1

Regardless of the last install.

So there ...

Software first, file later.

[Anonymous]

right-click on a PLN file -> open with... -> select the version of archicad you want to be the default to open -> check the checkbox with always use the selected program... -> click ok

and that's it

[Djordje]

zucoc wrote:
right-click on a PLN file -> open with... -> select the version of archicad you want to be the default to open -> check the checkbox with always use the selected program... -> click ok

and that's it

Hmmm ... if you say so

Maybe I am installing and uninstalling too much 😉

[Anonymous]

zucoc wrote:
right-click on a PLN file -> open with... -> select the version of archicad you want to be the default to open -> check the checkbox with always use the selected program... -> click ok

and that's it

That, may be the standard Windows procedure, but it doesn't work for me (note the original comment). When I try to select a different version in the 'Open With' dialog box, it still defaults to whatever version it wants. Looks like we're stuck with opening ArchiCAD and then browsing to the file, though if Graphisoft wants to fix that, I'd love to see it.

[Barry Kelly]

BasisArchitecture wrote:

zucoc wrote:
right-click on a PLN file -> open with... -> select the version of archicad you want to be the default to open -> check the checkbox with always use the selected program... -> click ok

and that's it

That, may be the standard Windows procedure, but it doesn't work for me (note the original comment). When I try to select a different version in the 'Open With' dialog box, it still defaults to whatever version it wants. Looks like we're stuck with opening ArchiCAD and then browsing to the file, though if Graphisoft wants to fix that, I'd love to see it.

You can always set up an Archicad shortcut on your desktop.
Then just drag and drop the file from Explorer onto the shortcut and it will open.
Barry.

[Srinivas]

Barry wrote:
You can always set up an Archicad shortcut on your desktop.
Then just drag and drop the file from Explorer onto the shortcut and it will open.
Barry.

Thanks for such a nice tip Barry.

[Da3dalus]

zucoc wrote:
right-click on a PLN file -> open with... -> select the version of archicad you want to be the default to open -> check the checkbox with always use the selected program... -> click ok

and that's it

I've got this problem, too. I just recently had to install AC9 to open some old Plotmaker .LAY files (wish list item... allow ArchiCAD to open older file types, perhaps with a "goodie"). Anyway, I went to do the "Open with..." thing, but ArchiCAD 11 is NOT a choice. When I manually browse, and select the AC11 application, it still only opens with AC10.

If I had time to burn, I'd mess with the registry. Any of you programmer guys know how to fix this? I imagine you're all on vacation, now that AC12 is out.

[Anonymous]

I am also having this problem. I have updated to 12. But the pln extension is still associated with ver 11. It's very annoying. Maybe it's not the "right" way to start archicad but it is often the convenient way. When I try to change pln to associate with ver 12, ver 11 is listed as the default, when I browse to archicad ver 12 in the archicad 12 folder, select "archicad.exe" in that folder, the only option I have to take is "open". I select that option and archicad pln extension still defaults to version 11

Archicad 11 & 12, XP pro, 4 gig ram, dual opteron 270's, nvidia quadro fx 3400/4400

[Eduardo Rolon]

Try changing the name of the archicad.exe in the AC11 folder and double click a pln to see if it works. Afterward you can change it back.

[Anonymous]

Well it was a good suggestion to try, but it didn't work.
But thnks a lot for the suggestion.
Jack

[Thomas Holm]

The safe way is to always start the application first, then use the File>Open menu command.
It's the price to pay for having several working versions installed.

[Anonymous]

Oh well. I'm probably too picky. I may even go to the extreme of uninstalling 11 getting the pln association set to 12 and then re-installing 11.

[Thomas Holm]

jackrog1 wrote:
Oh well. I'm probably too picky. I may even go to the extreme of uninstalling 11 getting the pln association set to 12 and then re-installing 11.

Interesting. On the Mac, the association always defaults to the last installed version. So you would do the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Ordinarily it does default to the latest installation. Theres something strange going on, for some reason when I installed 12 it did not get the chance to default .pln files to 12.
I am not having this problem with software other than archicad.

[Link]

I don't believe there's any validity to opening ArchiCAD first, then opening the file. In fact I think it is quite a slow method.

I have every version of ArchiCAD in my quick launch bar, and just drag the files onto the respective version. Unless it is an AC12 version, which is what my pln is associated to, so I just double click the file.

IME Windows will associate the extension with the last ArchiCAD version that was installed.

To permanently change how the file is opened (in Windows):

1. Open a Window in Windows Explorer
2. Go to Tools> Folder Options... and select the Fie Types tab
3. Type in PLN quickly or scroll down to 'PLN ArchiCAD Solo Project'
4. Hit the Advanced button
5. Click on open in the Actions pane
6. Hit the Edit... button
7. Hit the Browse button and browse to "C:\Program Files\Graphisoft\ArchiCAD XX\ArchiCAD.exe"
8. Hit OK
9. Hit OK
10. Hit Close

That's all there is to it. I am sure one of my Mac counterparts could provide equivalent OSX instructions.

Cheers,
Link.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Mac OS X instructions

1. select file
2. right click and select "Get Info" or use command+i as a shortcut
3. expand "Open With"
4. select your AC (Applications->Graphisoft…)
5. click on "Change All"
6. Ok to accept changes