Installing multiple versions of CCS compiler (win 7)

[gpsmikey]

Greetings all - just curious (for those of you that have found what works best for you), what sort of installation path do you use for multiple versions of the CCS compiler under windows 7 (64 bit in this case). What I currently have is "C:\Program Files (x86)\PICC\V4_135" for version 4.135 for example. Do others have a better way of doing it or do you see issues with the way I did it ? (since each version seems to have "good news, bad news" items, I want to be able to easily use and maintain multiple versions. Any comments/observations welcome :-)

Thanks
mikey
_________________
mikey
-- you can't have too many gadgets or too much disk space !
old engineering saying: 1+1 = 3 for sufficiently large values of 1 or small values of 3

[Ttelmah]

I use PICC3249 PICC4118 etc..
So long as you are logical it doesn't really matter.

The difficult thing is avoiding 'cross working'. If you create a project, it remembers the locations of it's include files, so for me each project has it's own directory, and then the .PJT file also includes the compiler version being used, so:
CARBON_SENSOR4118.pjt

is the project file used to compile the carbon sensor project with V4.118. When I switch to trying a new compiler I create a new .pjt file, leaving the other one unchanged, and noting in text at the top of the first source file:

//Last working 4.118, testing 4.140

That way I can step back to 'last known good', basically instantly.

Best Wishes

[gpsmikey]

Good points on the paths for things - on a previous little project, the pjt file for it does not seem to have pointers to the include files although in looking at my code, I had hard coded the full path to the devices file and the other flex_lcd stuff was in the local directory for the project. I presume that normally, the pjt file would use the

[Ttelmah]

Yes.
Key is whether you create this or not.
In the IDE, Options, Project Options, Include, you have a page, which specifies the 'include file search order'. Normally this is set to have the 'drivers' and 'devices' directory for the compiler you created it with but there is no reference to the working directory (it relies on the search path starting in the local directory'). This gives problems both ways. First it's being explicit about the compiler includes, implies if you switch compiler and then re-compile, you will get the wrong compiler includes used, but also, if you have your own includes, and then move when working, these won't change...
Options are to be explicit with your include locations, either by putting the full, or relative paths in the file as you do, or changing the locations with the IDE as I do.
You need to be very wary here, remembering that Windows will move, 'where you are working', if the compiler does a look up in a particular directory as another poster found to his cost in a recent post. Far better to be explicit, and 'know' where files are being taken from....

Best Wishes

[gpsmikey]

Thanks much for the info - I have indeed been "helped" by windows many times in the past. Your info on the pjt file is very helpful - I had not been able to really find much info on it in the past and simply "skipped" the issue with absolute paths.

mikey
_________________
mikey
-- you can't have too many gadgets or too much disk space !
old engineering saying: 1+1 = 3 for sufficiently large values of 1 or small values of 3