Update information about ECW support in FAQ #522

Xpirix · 2025-01-16T06:36:35Z

Proposed fix for #514

Updated:

content/resources/support/faq.md

m-kuhn

Thanks

content/resources/support/faq.md

Co-authored-by: Matthias Kuhn <[email protected]>

agiudiceandrea · 2025-01-16T08:46:15Z

content/resources/support/faq.md


-If you are using macOS, you can find the ECW plugin and install instructions at
-https://www.kyngchaos.com/software/frameworks
+***Windows***: If you are under Windows and are using the OSGeo4w installer, it is included.


AFAIK, it's not so simple. We have 2 OSGeo4W installers:

an OSGeo4W stand-alone all-in-one .msi installer:

the ECW driver is installed by default

an OSGeo4W "Network installer":

the installation of the ECW driver depends on what option is selected:

"Express Install" mode: the ECW driver is installed by default

"Advanced Install" mode: the ECW driver is installed by default if the qgis-full package or the qgis-ltr-full package is installed or if the gdal-ecw package is manually installed.

https://qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/#osgeo4w-installer

So, probably we can only refer to the "OSGeo4W stand-alone all-in-one .msi installer". Ping @jef-n.

proposal:

"In OSGeo4W the driver is in the gdal-ecw package which is included in the standalone installer."

I wonder if "the standalone installer" is de adequate term.

It doesn't have any title over here (which in turn makes me wonder if we could make this page simpler, see also #374):

I wonder if "the standalone installer" is de adequate term.

It's the "name" previously used for such installer, but now doesn't have a "name"...

What do you think about the following changes in the FAQ and the download page:

In the FAQ

Download page

Add the "name"

For the title, I would just say "Standalone installer" or "QGIS Standalone Installer" (and not use the term OSGeo4W in there)
Maybe @timlinux has also some ideas (he self-assigned #374 a few weeks back)

timlinux · 2025-01-16T13:56:44Z

Some suggestions and language fixes from me:

Change:

This page provides binary packages (installers).
The current version is QGIS 3.40.2 'Bratislava' and was released on 2024-12-20.
The long-term builds currently offer QGIS 3.34.14 'Prizren'.
QGIS is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

To

This page provides binary packages (installers) for QGIS.
The current version is QGIS 3.40.2 'Bratislava' which was released on 2024-12-20.
The long-term builds currently provide QGIS 3.34.14 'Prizren'. Long Term Release (LTR) builds are intended for those who value stability over having the latest features. If you are unsure which version is best for you, download the LTR,
QGIS is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

And for the FAQ I propose that we change from:

Can I open ECW files with QGIS?
Yes you can… BUT depending on your Operating System, it is more or less difficult.
If you are under Windows and are using the OSGeo4w installer, it is included.
If you are using macOS, you can find the ECW plugin and install instructions at https://www.kyngchaos.com/software/frameworks
For other instructions, e.g. look here: https://www.faunalia.eu/en/blog/2019-05-21_ecw_support

To:

ECW is a proprietary file format - please consult their Licensing Page to understand how you may use it. Also, please consult the GDAL documentation for notes on how to enable licensed features if you have a paid version of ECW. ECW support is not included in all QGIS binary versions and for all platforms by default.

Platform specific notes:

Windows: If you are using Windows and have downloaded the 'offline installers' (provided by the download buttons labelled 'Long Term Version for Windows' and 'Latest Version for Windows'), ECW read support is included by default.

If you are using the 'OSGeo4W Network Installer', you need to explicitly enable the 'gdal-ecw' package in order to ensure that ECW support is included in your installation.

macOS: If you are using macOS, you can download the DMG file from QGIS Downloads. This includes ECW support by default.

Linux: By default, the QGIS binaries for most Linux distributions do not include default ECW support. However, you can find discussions and solutions for adding this support in various resources for guidance.

For Ubuntu, for example, you can check out the following resources:

m-kuhn · 2025-01-16T15:06:54Z

Thanks @timlinux I like that.

I have left a few more ideas on #374 (comment)
For instance I would completely drop the sentence "This page provides binary packages (installers).", sorry, the two issues got mixed up a bit.

timlinux · 2025-01-16T17:21:26Z

Thanks @timlinux I like that.

I have left a few more ideas on #374 (comment) For instance I would completely drop the sentence "This page provides binary packages (installers).", sorry, the two issues got mixed up a bit.

Thanks @m-kuhn I replied on the other thread too. Agreed, we could drop that sentence.

agiudiceandrea · 2025-01-17T07:15:57Z

If you are using the 'OSGeo4W Network Installer', you need to explicitly enable the 'gdal-ecw' package in order to ensure that ECW support is included in your installation.

Actually, even if you install QGIS by the "OSGeo4W Network Installer", the ECW driver is automatically installed by default e.g. when the "Express Install" mode is used (in such mode, moreover, it's not possible to explicitly enable any package), as detailed in my previous comment #522 (comment)

jef-n · 2025-01-17T11:18:28Z

I'd say this is a non-issue on Windows and Mac (at least with QGIS-Mac-Packager - not sure about vcpkg) come with ecw support by default (with OSGeo4W you have the option not to install proprietary extensions like ecw, oracle, (esri) filegdb etc. - but by default (ie. using the express target) you get them). It is a problem on Linux - because there you usually have a system GDAL without ECW support and need to rebuilt it yourself.

timlinux · 2025-01-17T11:19:13Z

Updated text taking into account @agiudiceandrea's comments:

Some suggestions and language fixes from me:

Change:

This page provides binary packages (installers).
The current version is QGIS 3.40.2 'Bratislava' and was released on 2024-12-20.
The long-term builds currently offer QGIS 3.34.14 'Prizren'.
QGIS is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

To

This page provides binary packages (installers) for QGIS.
The current version is QGIS 3.40.2 'Bratislava' which was released on 2024-12-20.
The long-term builds currently provide QGIS 3.34.14 'Prizren'. Long Term Release (LTR) builds are intended for those who value stability over having the latest features. If you are unsure which version is best for you, download the LTR,
QGIS is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

And for the FAQ I propose that we change from:

Can I open ECW files with QGIS?
Yes you can… BUT depending on your Operating System, it is more or less difficult.
If you are under Windows and are using the OSGeo4w installer, it is included.
If you are using macOS, you can find the ECW plugin and install instructions at https://www.kyngchaos.com/software/frameworks
For other instructions, e.g. look here: https://www.faunalia.eu/en/blog/2019-05-21_ecw_support

To:

ECW is a proprietary file format - please consult their Licensing Page to understand how you may use it. Also, please consult the GDAL documentation for notes on how to enable licensed features if you have a paid version of ECW. ECW support is not included in all QGIS binary versions and for all platforms by default.

Platform specific notes:

Windows: If you are using Windows and have downloaded the 'offline installers' (provided by the download buttons labelled 'Long Term Version for Windows' and 'Latest Version for Windows'), ECW read support is included by default.

If you are using the 'OSGeo4W Network Installer', ECW support is installed by default if you use the express install workflow. If manually selecting components, you need to explicitly enable the 'gdal-ecw' package in order to ensure that ECW support is included in your installation.

macOS: If you are using macOS, you can download the DMG file from QGIS Downloads. This includes ECW support by default.

Linux: By default, the QGIS binaries for most Linux distributions do not include default ECW support. However, you can find discussions and solutions for adding this support in various resources for guidance.

For Ubuntu, for example, you can check out the following resources:

Xpirix · 2025-01-17T11:30:08Z

Latest updates according to the previous comments:

FAQ

Download

timlinux

Looks good to me, thanks @Xpirix

Update information about ECW support in FAQ

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Xpirix requested a review from timlinux January 16, 2025 06:36

Xpirix mentioned this pull request Jan 16, 2025

Outdated information regarding ECW availability, in the FAQ #514

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Remove kyngchaos and faunalia links from the playwright test

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Fix intro text in for ECW support in FAQ

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Xpirix and others added 2 commits January 16, 2025 10:15

Update content/resources/support/faq.md

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Co-authored-by: Matthias Kuhn <[email protected]>

Update content/resources/support/faq.md

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Co-authored-by: Matthias Kuhn <[email protected]>

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Which Windows installer is recommended? #374

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Xpirix self-assigned this Jan 17, 2025

Xpirix added the Size 1 It’s quick, I will have it done in less than 1 hour. label Jan 17, 2025

Fix FAQ ECW and download page texts

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Update information about ECW support in FAQ #522

Update information about ECW support in FAQ #522

Xpirix commented Jan 16, 2025 •

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Update information about ECW support in FAQ #522

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In the FAQ

Download page

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timlinux commented Jan 16, 2025

Change:

To

To:

m-kuhn commented Jan 16, 2025

timlinux commented Jan 16, 2025

agiudiceandrea commented Jan 17, 2025

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timlinux commented Jan 17, 2025

Change:

To

To:

Xpirix commented Jan 17, 2025

FAQ

Download

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