Set the preferred version of SEG to run when two versions are installed

[danewt]

We recently installed SAS EG 8.3 on all our users' PCs. We left the previous version 7.15 installed to give people the old familiar option to fall back on, if they wished. Now that the two versions are installed, users find that double clicking on a SAS dataset opens the 7.15 version of SEG. 

We tried using SAS Deployment Manager (Manage SAS File Extensions) to change the default product for file extensions but that doesn't give us the choice between versions of SEG. It only offers a choice of SEG or PC SAS (if installed). Most systems don't have PC SAS installed so there's only one option to choose: SAS Enterprise Guide (64-bit).

Is there some way at a lower level - maybe in the Windows registry?) to set the preference for the 8.3 version of SEG?

[DanielKaiser]

Hi,
we had the same problem and I tried everything that came to my mind (Registry, Default Program, Scripts,... ) nothing worked. So yeah - you can switch from 7 to 8 by using the SDM, but can not go back. 
Right now, we do reinstall both EGs when someone wants to move back to 7 - but remember, projects saved with 8 do not open in 7 anymore.

[Resa]

I also have both SEG v7 and v8 installed.

IIRC I have set the preference by looking up a SAS dataset (.sas7bdat file) in Windows Explorer.

I then did a right click and selected "Open with ..." and looked for SEG v8.

Next ticked the box to "Always open .sas7bdat files with this application" 

Hope this helps.

[DanielKaiser]

This does not work. We had a track open for this "Open with..." or change the default application via Windows does not work for SAS-Files. Atleast not for .sas Files.

[Resa]

Sorry to hear so. For met it worked for both .sas7bdat files and for .sas files (see attachment, which - sorry - is in Dutch). 

Have you tried looking for the SEGuide.exe file (in case SEG does not appear "automatically")?

[DanielKaiser]

Hopefully it works for @danewt, I just tried it and after I set it, next time I open the "Open with..." dialog, it is EG7 again

[Resa]

Just to make sure: Did you tick the box to always open this app when opening .sas files?

[DanielKaiser]

Sure 🙂 We analysed this behaviour with SAS support for several weeks with the result, it only can be changed via SDM

[danewt]

Thanks for the ideas, Everyone. I haven't found a solution.

SAS Deployment Manager clearly does not give a choice between versons of SEG. My choice is either Base SAS, SEG, or SAS Universal Viewer.

Once I set that option to SEG and then double-click a .egp file, I get a Windows prompt that asks, "How do you want to open this .egp file?" EG7.1 and "More apps" are presented as my options.

When I expand the More apps option, I get a list of many apps (some of them SAS apps) but EG8 is not in the list. When I click on, "Look for another app on this PC," I navigate to C:\Program Files\SASHome\SASEnterpriseGuide\8\ and double-click SEGuide.exe. That starts up EG7.1! The .egp file is listed in Windows Explorer with an EG8 icon.

 

Interestingly, If I navigate in Windows Explorer to C:\Program Files\SASHome\SASEnterpriseGuide\8\ and double-click SEGuide.exe, EG8 starts up!

Also, if I right-click on an existing .egp file, I have options to "Open with SAS Enterprise Guide 7.15" and a separate option to "Open with SAS Enterprise Guide 8.3." Both of these options work correctly.

It seems like we're going to have to uninstall EG7 to get the default to switch to EG8.

[DanielKaiser]

Thats exactly what I said. You can use the Deployment Manager to switch to 8 - there is no way back (atleast I dont know any - besides reinstall EG7 and EG8).
Just run the SDM, select "Manage SAS File Types" and the Enterprise Guide, that appears in the drop down (there is only one) is the EG8.
So the default EG gets the EG8, if you run this steps. If you dont, the default EG stays the EG7. This way you can choose which EG you want. 

[danewt]

DanielKaiser, the first thing I did was run SDM and set the preference to SEG. The behaviors I have described are what I'm getting now; after setting the pref in SDM. So, the default EG is still EG7.

If our users think that it's important enough, we might try uninstalling/re-installing EG7 but I don't think it's that critical. I'll post an update here, if they do.