Failed to Open Document - The File Includes Features From a Later Version of Affinity...

[Hangman]

Apologies if this has already been picked up but receiving this message in Publisher despite running the latest release 2.0.0.(1640) at the time of posting...

[walt.farrell]

That's been reported by a number of users. I haven't seen a bug logged for the Developers yet, though.

Actually, it has been logged: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&tags=AFB-6851

[Hangman]

Just now, walt.farrell said:

That's been reported by a number of users. I haven't seen a bug logged for the Developers yet, though.

Thanks @walt.farrell, the issue of course is that things like this make Publisher 2.0 almost unusable, you spend hours, days, weeks creating a Publisher Document and all of a sudden you are locked out of it with zero way to retrieve your work...

My normal routine would be to make back ups on a daily basis, issues like this make it almost impossible to know what you should do, this happened in the space of a minute from a previous save...

Sadly, this is only one of a number of major bugs causing serious usability problems at the moment...

[Dan Cross]

This is exactly what I am facing, and it gives me the same error on Windows, Mac and iPad OS. I am crippled by this. I tried to revert back to V1 and of course that didn't work either (which I guess should be expected).

 

 

[walt.farrell]

Some users who have reported this have been saving their files "in the cloud" in some form. I'm not sure if this will prove relevant to the issue, or not.

[Hangman]

@walt.farrell, as in that’s a potential cause of the issue? I only ever save to my internal HD which is where I’m seeing the issue…

I have to agree with @Dan Cross, it really is truly crippling and currently makes using V2 for any mission critical client work a non starter.

Hope this is fixed very rapidly.

[Hangman]

4 minutes ago, N.P.M. said:

From what I've seen reported lately this is indeed the case with (linked) files on a cloud/nas/lan storage

I can concur I experienced this with linked files but it’s not exclusive to external drives…

I’m wondering if it’s related to the issue with vanishing eps and psd files…

[Dan Cross]

4 minutes ago, Hangman said:

I can concur I experienced this with linked files but it’s not exclusive to external drives…

I’m wondering if it’s related to the issue with vanishing eps and psd files…

I have tested this issue with several different cloud drives too. Once problems began with a file, however, it made no difference if I transferred it to my iPad manually or not. I hope my .apub files are not damaged. 

[walt.farrell]

I've found that it has been logged, as AFB-6851: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&tags=AFB-6851

[CZM]

I get the same document opening problem on my old MacMini (MacOS 10.13.16 using APublisher 1.10.6) when trying to open Affinity Publisher 2 Document, stored on iCloud from my iMac (using Ventura).  Only workaround I have found to allow me to use my MacMini using Version 1 AP is to Export to PDF from my iMac and open into a new document on MacMini.  Doesn’t appear that AF V2 documents are backwardly compatible to V1. This is a major issue.

BTW I have also tried copying complete document (file + package) between two Macs and still get same pop up error window inferring iCloud not a problem.

[loukash]

1 hour ago, CZM said:

using APublisher 1.10.6) when trying to open Affinity Publisher 2 Document

 

[Pšenda]

On 12/7/2022 at 11:42 AM, CZM said:

Doesn’t appear that AF V2 documents are backwardly compatible to V1.

As announced - the formats are not backwards compatible.

[EmT]

Hi @Hangman

This should be fixed in release 2.0.3, can you let me know if this still occurs after updating. 

[Asteward]

I have just had this problem occurs on the latest version 2.0.4. I'm locked out of a file with the same error message. I'm using a windows machine and the file was stored on our local server now it is on my local drive.

[EmT]

Hi @Asteward

Could you start a new thread regarding your issue and provide a copy of your document and a screenshot of the error. 

[CSCBowhunter]

I have solved this problem on my computer. I had the same exact problem as all of those above. I observed that when I double-clicked my Affinity Publisher files and got the "failed to open" alert, if I went to the "Affinity Publisher" menu and chose "About," it said I was running v.1.XXX of Affinity Publisher. That is interesting because I do not have that version on my active Big Sur boot partition, only V.2.04, with which I created the files being opened only hours before the dreaded "failed to open" alert. If I quit the v.1 it said was open, and opened V.2 directly, then File>open my files, they opened right up. Then I did "get info" on the files themselves and changed the "Open with" box to Affinity Publisher 2 (Affinity Publisher (1) was already the default) and chose "Change all". That solved my problem across all of my files.

Afterwards, I searched for a copy of V. 1 and found it on a different partition that serves as a Mojave dual boot. Somehow, my file (on the active Big Sur partition) created only hours before by V. 2.04 on that partition, when launched from finder, opened V.1 on an inactive and different partition. Weird!

But everything works properly now...so hallelujah!

[MikeTO]

34 minutes ago, CSCBowhunter said:

I have solved this problem on my computer. I had the same exact problem as all of those above. I observed that when I double-clicked my Affinity Publisher files and got the "failed to open" alert, if I went to the "Affinity Publisher" menu and chose "About," it said I was running v.1.XXX of Affinity Publisher. That is interesting because I do not have that version on my active Big Sur boot partition, only V.2.04, with which I created the files being opened only hours before the dreaded "failed to open" alert. If I quit the v.1 it said was open, and opened V.2 directly, then File>open my files, they opened right up. Then I did "get info" on the files themselves and changed the "Open with" box to Affinity Publisher 2 (Affinity Publisher (1) was already the default) and chose "Change all". That solved my problem across all of my files.

Afterwards, I searched for a copy of V. 1 and found it on a different partition that serves as a Mojave dual boot. Somehow, my file (on the active Big Sur partition) created only hours before by V. 2.04 on that partition, when launched from finder, opened V.1 on an inactive and different partition. Weird!

But everything works properly now...so hallelujah!

Having your documents associated with the wrong version can happen even without separate partitions - I've had it happen with afdesign files multiple times. I just want to point out that this thread is about a bug in Publisher where it shows the 'later version' error even though the document was saved from v2.0.4.

But I'm glad you've solved your problem!

[Will_smith]

Hi,

 

I am experiencing this problem today with Affinity Designer 2, a file that was working fine at the beginning of the week (opening and closing no issues) and yet today when I open it I get the failed to open error message 'The file includes features from a later version of Affinity'.

 

I really need to open this file and cannot. Is there a work around or fix as yet?

[MikeTO]

Hi @Will_smith and welcome to the forums. Can you confirm that you're opening the file with 2.0.4 and not with an earlier version or the 2.0.3 beta if you still have that installed?

Does the file have linked resources? Where are the file and resources stored?

Which operating system are you using?

If you're in a rush and can't wait for a reply from Serif, you might consider installing the 2.1 beta and trying to open it with that. Or consider uploading the file here so one of us can try it in the beta.

Cheers

[Will_smith]

Hi, thanks so much for your reply.

I am opening it in 2.0.4 and there are no linked resources as far as I am aware. I am using Windows 11 which has been updated in the past couple of days.

I will download the Beta 2.1 now and see if I can open the file that way.

Thanks

[Will_smith]

@MikeTO You are a life (& time) saver I have installed the 2.1 Beta and yes I can open the file in there!

There were two linked resources within the file which I was unaware of but these were picked up and located, not sure if that was causing the issue in 2.0.4 because other files used and created during the same time open fine, one of the files also has a linked resource stored in the same way. The file and resources are both stored within OneDrive.

Thank you so much for your help though, it really is appreciated.

[Pšenda]

11 hours ago, Will_smith said:

The file and resources are both stored within OneDrive.

It is better to work on local files, and save to external drives (cloud) only for backup and sharing.

[SarahLC]

I am having this same problem "Failed to open document - this file includes features from a later version of affinity"

It was fine earlier today.

I have the most up to date version installed 2 2.0.4

My other affinity files seem to be fine, it is just this one. It is stored in the cloud.

Please help as this is a lot of work I have done and I really don't want to have to redo it....

[SarahLC]

I have also downloaded the beta version as recommended by someone else and - yes it opened my file! BUT it won't let me export it and crashes every time I try so I don't trust that either to look after my work and allow me to do what I need to. This isn't helpful at all and I was really enjoying using Affinity Publisher 2...

[Hangman]

Hi @SarahLC, are you able to upload you Publisher document as it may be possible to rebuild it. Are you using linked or embedded graphics in your file?