MPLAB® X IDE v5.xx New Project Format
The new project format in v5.xx and greater supports packs which contain versioned device and tool information. Packs can be found under:
<MPLAB X IDE install directory>\v5.xx\packs
Managing Projects
Projects created in or updated to v5.00 or greater are not backward compatible to v4.xx.
When you open a project created prior to v5.00, a message displays that it will upgrade the project to the current project version.
- If you choose Yes, the project will be upgraded to the current version and the project can no longer be opened with the earlier version of the IDE.
- If you choose No, you cannot save any modifications to the project in v5.00 or greater. You must make any changes in v4.xx.
If you upgraded a project to v5.xx but need to revert a project back to v4.xx, install the plugin in MPLAB X IDE found under Tools > Plugins > Available Plugins > Save As v4.xx Project. Once that plugin is installed, you can save your project in the older version by selecting Tools > Embedded > Save as MPLAB X v4.xx Project.
About Packs
Previously, in v4.20 and earlier, supported devices files were built into each MPLAB X IDE version. You could not update the devices supported in this version; you had to wait until the next MPLAB X IDE version for device support.
Now (v5.00 and latest versions), the device files are grouped into versioned device family packs. Although each MPLAB X IDE version comes with device packs, as of v5.30 you can upgrade the device pack version to include new devices, new device feature support, or device bug fix support. As of v5.35, tool packs with the latest debug tool firmware are also available.
For more on device packs, see Packs and Projects.