Final Draft 8 Compatibility

[kintnerboy]

Okay, so I am still using Final Draft 8 software (don't laugh). It's not really because I'm too cheap to update it, it's just more like an 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mentality.

I had a producer email me an fdx file that he edited in revision mode (grammer and typos) and they want me to sign off on the changes, but

I can't open the file. All I get is a box that says

THIS FILE IS IN USE. IT HAS BEEN OPENED AS READ ONLY.

Just to clarify, I am using FD8 on Windows 10, and I believe the producer is using FD11 (or at least 10) on a Mac.

I know that newer versions of FD are backwards compatible, but are older ones FORWARD compatible?

Is there any trouble with docs shared from Windows to Mac?

I don't know if I should just upgrade to FD11 (I don't really have a problem with that, it's just that if that isn't the problem I'll be right back where I am now).

Also, just as an experiment, I right clicked on the file, checked PROPERTIES and unchecked a box marked READ ONLY, but that did nothing.

I know a lot of things about a lot of things, but computers is not one of them, and I would be embarrassed to have to email this guy back and tell him I can't do anything with this file.

[Done Deal Pro]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

Email me the file if you like and I can check on my Mac and Windows computers. And no, I've shared them back & forth between my two computers with no problem.

Just use the CONTACT link at the bottom of every page of the forums or the main site.

[kintnerboy]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

Cool, thanks.

I have no problem doing that (and really appreciate any help!), but just as a further clarification, I was able to (just now) save the file as a PDF, even though I couldn't view it in FD.

I opened the PDF and can read the script that way (meaning the file itself is not corrupted or bad). But I still can't open the fdx.

Just trying to save your time troubleshooting, if this new information makes a difference.

Thanks!

[Done Deal Pro]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

I hear ya. I can't recall right at the moment of when FD switched to the FDX extension or not, but I have FD 10 and 11 and should be able to save it in a few different versions, including even an RTF file so you have a few things to try out and play around with.

[kintnerboy]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

Email sent.

Thanks!

[ComicBent]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

I am sure that Will can handle this issue.

If you have any further issues, I will be glad to help also.

The .fdx format started with version 8 of Final Draft (yes, I had to look it up). I stopped shelling out money for Final Draft after version 10.

Fade In opens and saves Final Draft .fdx format with about 99.99% perfection. It also can open a PDF that Final Draft or some other PDF drivers have created.

Happy writing!

[kintnerboy]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

Yes, Will handled it immediately and without much fuss!

I am definitely going to upgrade to FD11 (and maybe explore other options like Fade In), but am waiting a bit to save up for a Mac so I can get away from Windows once and for all.

Thanks!

[ComicBent]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

For what it is worth ...

I think that the current cost of Fade In is still $79.95. Updates are free, and several are released every year. The current version is 3.0.636 (an update ought to be out soon, if past release frequency is a guide). Fade In is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Support is courteous and quick. In my years of using it, I have discovered only a few problems. I notified the owner/programmer, and he fixed these quickly. You can also use your license to put Fade In onto your various computers (I always have it on my desktop and a couple of laptops).

I do not have any vendetta against Final Draft. It has a beautiful interface and lots of good features. But it is expensive, and although updates are free, upgrades are not free. I have also had a number of people send emails to me through the years, from all over the world, asking for help with their Final Draft files, because their files had become unusable and would not open (with a message like *Not supported by this version of Final Draft,* or something like that, I think). Any such file is irretrievably gone. In most cases the automatic backup folder contained a usable earlier version of the file, but in at least one case the backups were mysteriously corrupted, too. I always advise users of Final Draft to keep a recent copy of a script out of reach of the Final Draft save-and-backup functions. I have never seen an explanation for why this mysterious corruption occurs, and maybe any Final Draft problem that might have been causing it has been fixed by now.

Happy writing. Another piece of advice from me: Stick with Windows. It can suck, but it is what the world uses, and computers with Windows are incredibly cheap.

[kintnerboy]

Re: Final Draft 8 Compatibility

My main writing computer right now is an HP Pavilion desktop from 2009 that runs Windows 7 and has never been connected to the internet. It runs like a dream.

It's only when I transfer docs to my new Windows laptop to email them out into the world that things become glitchy / problematic.

If this setup seems eccentric, it's only because I've lost 3 computers over the years to forced Windows and Microsoft Office updates that were not compatible with my computer's hardware.

In 2 of those instances, Final Draft was nice enough to re-authorize my software for me (since you obviously can't de-authorize it before a crash that you didn't know was going to happen). But the 3rd time it happened after FD had discontinued support for version 8, so that was that.

They were super helpful, until they weren't. But at least it was easy to get them on the phone, which is more than I can say for MS.