Topic: v9.x .PM4 files get error "11501: Cannot convert the Job File" when read into v11.x

Technote 177 Date: 05/98 Product: All SmartCAM Applications  Version: v9.x

Problem: 
When opening legacy .PM4 files from SmartCAM versions 9.0 or 9.1 into current versions of SmartCAM, the error message "11501: Cannot convert the Job File" occurs. 

Explanation: 
These older versions of SmartCAM created and used  v1.0 .JOF files. Current version of SmartCAM use v2.0 .JOF.  There is a conversion process that takes place when older files are opened into current versions of SmartCAM. 

When the older version (v1.0) .JOF files were written in v9.x, the software made an attempt to force the tl_id  and op_id information to upper case.  For instance, when a tool was created in the JOS, an new tool ID section would be added to .JOF file.  The beginning of the section would appear as: 

  ] 
tl_id = MYENDMILL_1 
  [ 

The tl_id (or op_id) would should remain consistent through out the file.  However, there have been reported cases where a tool determined in the tl_id section may appear elsewhere (step_idx" section)  in lower case, for instance: 

   ] 
step_idx = 1 
   ] 
        tl_id = "myendmill_1" 

When the conversion process for v1.0 of a .JOF to v2.0 JOF encounters this mismatch, the error number 11501 is generated. 

Solution: 
When the error message "11501: Cannot convert the Job File" occurs, open the v1.0 .JOF file in a text editor and check to see that all tl_id and op_id references are consistently upper case throughout the file.  Edit any lower case "tl_id =" or "op_id =" statements that are lower case.  Save the file and attempt to "Open" the file again in the current version of SmartCAM.