NT Version (8.1.2.0) import error with a protected compiled assembly

[QuantKey_Bruce]

NinjaTrader_ChelseaB I will go through your video and see what's different in our test scenarios. Thank you for taking the time to put that together. I'll report back after I've made a full comparison.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

As far as what I mean by a "clean Windows install," I did not do a bare metal install - I did a "Reset this PC" and selected the option to remove all apps and settings. After Windows was reinstalled in this way, there were no files of any sort remaining from the previous installation.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

NinjaTrader_ChelseaB I repeated the test up through importing it into NT 8.0.28.0 - this time I removed all of the custom resources as you did in your video (which I had not done in my original test - I simply did "save as" just as I described), and then exported it four times from 8.1.3.1 with Agile 6.9.1.2 - with and without protection, and with and without specifying the product name on the assembly. The "without protection" ones work on 8.0.28.0 with or without the product name specified, while the "with protection" ones fail just as in the screenshots I posted earlier. I will go through this all again carefully to see if I'm missing anything. Did you change anything at all in your Agile.NET settings from the defaults?

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello QuantKey_Bruce,

I'm using all default settings with Agile. I've only opened it to put the license in and check the version number.

I do have Visual Studio 2022 with '.NET Compiler Platform SDK' and 'C# and Visual Basic Rosyln compilers' installed on this computer. I do not expect that to be required to export but it's something I would be curious to test.

Also, do you have another computer that has never had NinjaTrader installed on you can test?

We do have other vendors that are successfully exporting scripts on 8.1.3.1 and importing successfully into 8.0.28.0.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

NinjaTrader_ChelseaB Thank you for these details. That computer does have Visual Studio 2022 installed now (after I made the original post). I'll check the installation options shortly and report back - not sure if those options are included. Yes, I can set up a different computer for this purpose, but I'll have to coordinate with SecureTeam to get an Agile license for it set up so that might take a day or two. I will sort this out on my side if at all possible, and I very much appreciate your efforts.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

NinjaTrader_ChelseaB The machine that was used to conduct that test did have Visual Studio with C# and Visual Basic Roslyn compilers but did not have '.NET Compiler Platform SDK' installed. I installed that, rebooted, and repeated the test, but that did not change the outcome. I am setting up a different, completely clean machine to repeat this test, and am waiting for SecureTeam to set up the license for that machine so I can continue there. I will attempt to exactly reproduce your video without doing anything else but what's depicted, and if it still does not work, I'll get you access to the new machine.

I can further report that the compiled (not protected) assemblies do work. It's only the protected assemblies that do not work when generated from 8.1.3.1 and run on 8.0.28.0 or 8.1.1.7. That's the specific scenario I'm trying to address here. Hopefully when SecureTeam has the license set up for the new machine, it will all work there, in which case there is, as you said, something in the local environment on this machine. If it does not work, well, we'll still have some figuring out to do.

[jeronymite]

All the efforts of QuantKey_Bruce and NinjaTrader to address and fully resolve these issues is greatly appreciated by NinjaTrader developers! Thank you!

I remind NinjaTrader of what I have said and requested several times here: https://forum.ninjatrader.com/forum/...51#post1301851

The questions and issues raised there need to be answered for this investigation to be complete and effective.

Thanks.

[QuantKey_Bruce]

NinjaTrader_ChelseaB Thank you again for your time in conducting these tests. I have good news - after SecureTeam re-issued two of my three licenses, I now have all three working to export protected assemblies from 8.1.3.1 and import in a way that works into 8.0.28.0, 8.1.1.7, 8.1.2.1 and 8.1.3.1.

What I've learned, in short, is this: SecureTeam has a flag on their side, when they issue the licensure, where they can turn on or off backward compatibility with previous versions. When my tests failed in the post above, I was using the exact same machine, the same NinjaTrader installers, the same Agile.NET installers, and the same indicator code as when it succeeded. The ONLY difference between failure and success was they sent me a different license code (for the exact same binary installer). In the license itself, they are specifying whether it's backwards compatible or not. I presume they are only issuing new licenses that are backwards compatible, but I do not know why I had two of the three of mine issued in a way that didn't work - previous to the reissue this weekend, only one of my three worked to export to earlier versions, and that was the Commercial Edition one not the NinjaTrader Edition ones. In a previous statement a few months ago, they had told me that only the Commercial Edition was currently compatible with previous NinjaTrader versions, but now it's become clear that what's changed is both the new NinjaTrader version and a change they made in the license codes they issued me.

I can further advise that in your video, while you removed custom references when making CustomSMA.cs in four places (the name, the description, the name of the plot, and the custom resource decorator on the input parameter), this is not required for backward compatibility to work. I tested with and without removing these, and both ways are backward compatible.

Additionally, while you did not use a product name and I did when creating the protected assemblies, I tested with and without the product name and both work.

I can also advise that while the help guide has version 6.9.1.2 linked, they're currently distributing 6.9.1.7, and both work.

I can further advise that when the license has the hidden flag set it works for Windows 11 and it works for Windows Server 2022.

It also works now for Agile.NET Ninja Trader Edition and Agile.NET Commercial Edition.

The licenses that do not work - do let you install Agile.NET 6.9.1.2 just fine, and they export just fine from 8.1.3.1, but are not compatible back past 8.1.2.0. There's no difference in the Agile.NET version or the NinjaTrader version - a flag triggered by the license code itself is turning on or off the ability for it to work back further than that.

I would also advise that to fully remove Agile.NET you need to not just uninstall the program, but also go to C:\Users\USERNAMEHERE\AppData\Local\ and remove AgileDotNet, and in some cases, you'll need to also manually delete Program Files (x86)\SecureTeam because the installer leaves behind a zero byte config file.

Thank you again for taking the time to test this. Having backward compatibility work is an important point in getting development work for vendors onto the latest version, and it appears you've now done it, which is great. I will continue testing on 8.1.3.1 going forward.

If you have an Agile.NET license that was not just issued, you may have to try it to see if yours is backward compatible or not, because there's no way to see this by looking at NT or Agile.NET or their respective versions.

I do wish that SecureTeam was more transparent in how they're communicating these things. It bothers me a bit that there's zero visibility into whether a license is generating protected assemblies that are backward compatible or are not backward compatible, and that it has nothing to do with the versions involved and only to do with some hidden parameters only they can see. But, I have high hopes that they're only issuing the backward compatible kind of licenses going forward, and I'm happy that they fixed mine after a bunch of back and forth emails about this. While it disappoints me to know that there wasn't a bug after all and just a checkbox they didn't check when issuing my license codes, I'm glad they did ultimately correct the issue.

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello QuantKey_Bruce,

Thanks good news. Thank you for sharing your findings with the license with SecureTeam.
I'm not certain I've would have been able to figure that out on my own.
We'll keep this in mind for any others having the same issue.