APEX application downgrade

NelsonMendes

Hello,

Is it possible to install a 20.2 application into a 19.1 ?

We have two different environments and we would like to reuse most of the pages existing in 20.2 APP.

Can you point me some directions?

Thanks,

Hilary Farrell-Oracle

Hi Nelson,

So to give a little background....with any new APEX release, APIs can, and often do, change. We also introduce new features and functionality in a new release, which aren't available in older versions of APEX. If you take a look at one of your 20.2 export files, you'll see that it consists of numerous API calls, to handle the creation of the various components that make up an app ( i.e. pages, regions, items, Shared Components, etc ). So your APEX 20.2 export file will contain some API calls that won't work in APEX 19.1, because the associated API/feature doesn't exist in that earlier version of APEX. The 20.2 export file may likely contain some features that were only introduced in 20.2, for example the Cards Region. If you then attempt to import that file into 19.1, which doesn't support that feature, the import will fail. So I think your best option is to move your development efforts to 19.1, until such a time that you can have both instance running the same version.

Regards,

Hilary

Hilary Farrell-Oracle

Hi Nelson,

No, it is not possible, and has never been supported, to install an app from a newer version of APEX into an older version. So I'm afraid it won't be possible to import your 20.2 app into your 19.1 instance. If you are actively developing an app that's used on both instances, you are best conducting that development work on the lower version i.e. 19.1, until the point where you can upgrade that instance to match the second. That would allow you to easily export from 19.1 and import into 20.2.

Regards,

Hilary

NelsonMendes

Hi Hilary,

Thanks for your reply.

Even so there is one site trilogy.de that teach how to import into a lower version:

How to import an Oracle APEX Application export file from a higher version into a lower version - TRIOLOGY GmbH

Here they are dealing from instance 18.1 and target instance 5.1.4... by changing the APP export sql file.

Have you ever heard about this approach and the risks?

Thanks,

Hilary Farrell-Oracle

Hi Nelson,

Even so there is one site trilogy.de that teach how to import into a lower version:

How to import an Oracle APEX Application export file from a higher version into a lower version - TRIOLOGY GmbH

Here they are dealing from instance 18.1 and target instance 5.1.4... by changing the APP export sql file.

Have you ever heard about this approach and the risks?

We do not support modified export files, so we would strongly advise against following such suggested approaches to work around your situation. To reiterate, we do not support, and never have supported, the import of an APEX app from a newer version into an older version.

Regards,

Hilary

NelsonMendes

Thanks Hilary

That closes this discussion, I guess...

For me it's hard to understand, but not completely, that there is no mechanism to reuse pages from one APP to another.

Like you said the right approach would be developing in 19 and import into 20 instance, but the main or full APP is in 20

So that will leave me with two options, asking to upgrade APEX to 20, which is a nightmare considering the bureaucratic process or trying to install locally a 19 instance and try to import using this non supported approach...

Any way many thanks for your answers it help me a lot

Keep safe

Nelson

Hilary Farrell-Oracle

Hi Nelson,

So to give a little background....with any new APEX release, APIs can, and often do, change. We also introduce new features and functionality in a new release, which aren't available in older versions of APEX. If you take a look at one of your 20.2 export files, you'll see that it consists of numerous API calls, to handle the creation of the various components that make up an app ( i.e. pages, regions, items, Shared Components, etc ). So your APEX 20.2 export file will contain some API calls that won't work in APEX 19.1, because the associated API/feature doesn't exist in that earlier version of APEX. The 20.2 export file may likely contain some features that were only introduced in 20.2, for example the Cards Region. If you then attempt to import that file into 19.1, which doesn't support that feature, the import will fail. So I think your best option is to move your development efforts to 19.1, until such a time that you can have both instance running the same version.

Regards,

Hilary

Sylvain Martel

Hello Nelson,

I was very interested in this conversation because it is not the first time I come across this question. I'm not working for Oracle but I have been developing on Oracle APEX for a long time. I recognize that you understand Hilary's position, but I wanted to add a few comments for other users who will land on this thread.

I worked with many people who are saying that to get through the bureaucratic maze of their organization prevents them to use tools or use the right tool the right way. I cannot count to number of customers that I work with still using IE11 (yes in 2021!) and wonder why it's not working well with APEX... So to me the inability for an organization to recognize that technology evolves and even if your Windows 95 can still do that job, it's a technical debt that is introducing risk to an organization, and should not be used inside a "technical" discussion.

As for software new releases and the backward compatibility issues, I think we have examples all around us. Trying to open up a docx document (MS Word 2003 and later) in a Word 97 will not work because the format has changed and it is just not possible. I know this is an extreme and maybe poor example (!) but this is just to demonstrate that using a new tool result in a previous release of that tool is always a practice I would not recommend.

I hope Nelson that you will able to convince your organization of the waste of money incurred by having this technical debt not being taking care of and the frustration of the employees like you that have to deal with it.

Take care.

NelsonMendes

Hi Sylvain,

Thanks for your kind words.

You know what's funny?

We spend more time and money allocating resources to duplicate the APP in a different environment instead of upgrading APEX because it's not in their "priority list"...

The APP that I'm speaking about will unlock and unblock not only the ones that are developing but also the ones that are making new requests, BA, Business, PO, etc etc

And they don't have time to run a couple of scripts in the DB???!!! I mean, honestly APEX upgrade normally is not that difficult or takes ages especially because the DB is already compliant to receive the upgrade.

I will try to convince the DB Gods

Whish me luck

Thanks