[FAQ] Can I use my data with 5.0.5+?

Some people have been asking about using their old stuff with 5.0.5. Here's a list, put together from memory or testing.

COMPATIBILITY

StepMania 5.0 alphas/betas
StepMania 5.0.5 should just install over these, leaving your profile intact. All songs and noteskins will still be usable. Themes that work with beta 1-4 should still be usable, but many themes that haven't been updated for beta 4 compatibility are horrendously buggy and will be unusable because beta 4 and later display theme errors in game. Some themes are known to have bugs anyway because they rely on the version string.

sm-ssc 1.x / StepMania 5.0 Previews
Your songs, profiles, and noteskins should all continue to work on 5.0.5 after moving. StepMania 5.0 Preview themes will probably be incompatible. sm-ssc 1.x themes are not compatible.

StepMania 4.0 (including "3.95" and OpenITG)
"3.95" and OpenITG profiles do not work, but can be converted. Other 4.0 profiles work. Most songs will work, with some exceptions.
1. XML-based or INI-based animations will not play. Songs with INI/XML foreground or background changes will play without them.
2. StepMania 5.0 tries to convert them, and usually is successful, but songs that use negative BPM or negative stop effects will not necessarily work. One specific effect, where a combination of mines and arrows is used to create a Pump it Up-style hold, will not work.
Themes will not work and probably will cause a crash, as will themes from any older version. Noteskins may work.

StepMania 3.9
Songs work with the exceptions above; additionally, some game modes have been renamed, and .sm files that refer to them must be edited manually to refer to their new names. 3.0-style BGAnimations will play but are unsupported. Profiles will work after conversion. Noteskins will not work.

StepMania 3.0 or older
Songs will work, minus the exceptions above. Nothing else will.

PROCEDURES

3.9/Old 4.0 profile conversion
In late 2006, the internal names of the TapNoteScores and HoldNoteScores changed. The profile format is pretty similar besides these changes, so all you really have to do is apply these changes in Stats.xml:
TapNoteScores:
Marvelous -> W1
Perfect -> W2
Great -> W3
Good -> W4
Bad -> W5
HoldNoteScores:
OK -> Held
NG -> LetGo
You can then use the in-game profile manager to merge the old profile with the machine profile or another profile, or use it as is.

Guess it's time to finally migrate to SM5.

So will songs with BGVideos that use rates in order to slow them down / speed them up work now?
Will my noteskins from StepMania 4.0 work, I mostly use the ITG PC 3D noteskins and they work perfectly in SM4.0?

So will songs with BGVideos that use rates in order to slow them down / speed them up work now?
Will my noteskins from StepMania 4.0 work, I mostly use the ITG PC 3D noteskins and they work perfectly in SM4.0?
1. I listed that fix in the release notes.

2. Jousway ported tons of ITG noteskins[/urll]

Wonderful

Some people have been asking about using their old stuff with 5.0.5. Here's a list, put together from memory or testing.

COMPATIBILITY

StepMania 5.0 alphas/betas
StepMania 5.0.5 should just install over these, leaving your profile intact. All songs and noteskins will still be usable. Themes that work with beta 1-4 should still be usable, but many themes that haven't been updated for beta 4 compatibility are horrendously buggy and will be unusable because beta 4 and later display theme errors in game. Some themes are known to have bugs anyway because they rely on the version string.

sm-ssc 1.x / StepMania 5.0 Previews
Your songs, profiles, and noteskins should all continue to work on 5.0.5 after moving. StepMania 5.0 Preview themes will probably be incompatible. sm-ssc 1.x themes are not compatible.

StepMania 4.0 (including "3.95" and OpenITG)
"3.95" and OpenITG profiles do not work, but can be converted. Other 4.0 profiles work. Most songs will work, with some exceptions.
1. XML-based or INI-based animations will not play. Songs with INI/XML foreground or background changes will play without them.
2. StepMania 5.0 tries to convert them, and usually is successful, but songs that use negative BPM or negative stop effects will not necessarily work. One specific effect, where a combination of mines and arrows is used to create a Pump it Up-style hold, will not work.
Themes will not work and probably will cause a crash, as will themes from any older version. Noteskins may work.

StepMania 3.9
Songs work with the exceptions above; additionally, some game modes have been renamed, and .sm files that refer to them must be edited manually to refer to their new names. 3.0-style BGAnimations will play but are unsupported. Profiles will work after conversion. Noteskins will not work.

StepMania 3.0 or older
Songs will work, minus the exceptions above. Nothing else will.

PROCEDURES

3.9/Old 4.0 profile conversion
In late 2006, the internal names of the TapNoteScores and HoldNoteScores changed. The profile format is pretty similar besides these changes, so all you really have to do is apply these changes in Stats.xml:
TapNoteScores:
Marvelous -> W1
Perfect -> W2
Great -> W3
Good -> W4
Bad -> W5
HoldNoteScores:
OK -> Held
NG -> LetGo
You can then use the in-game profile manager to merge the old profile with the machine profile or another profile, or use it as is.
Wonderful

W2

I always love seeing new version of Stepmania popping up. I guess it's finally time to get my git build going again then. Hope my stuff won't get too buggy :D