How can I install a mod that doesn't work in my SMF version

A mod written for a previous version of SMF can sometimes still work with the latest one, but if the mod author does not update the package to support the latest version then the package manager does not allow the installation. For these situations, in SMF 2.0 a new feature has been introduced: Version Emulation. Below is a short tutorial that explains how it works in further detail.

Note: Mods should be emulated only within the major/minor version path. In other words, mods for 1.1.x should generally work with any other 1.1.y version and mods for 2.0.x should generally work with any other 2.0.y version. However, mods for 1.1.x will not work with 2.0.x and mods built for 2.0 beta and RC versions generally will not work for 2.0. release versions.

Activate Version Emulation

 * 1) Go to: Admin > Main > Packages > Browse Packages
 * 2) At the end of the page on the right, after the list of mods, click the link Advanced.
 * 3) A text field will appear. Enter the version of SMF you want to "emulate" (i.e. the latest version of SMF supported by the mod you are trying to install, for example SMF 2.0 RC4).
 * 4) Click Apply.
 * 5) Now you are emulating another version of SMF, and you will be able to see the link Install Mod next to the mod you want to install. Therefore you can click the Install Mod link to go ahead and attempt to install the mod. If the mod does not install cleanly even with version emulation, take a look at "Error in mod installation".

Note: While emulation is active, you might see a news item at the top of the page stating that a new version of SMF is available. You can disregard this. Only pay attention to such news items when version emulation is not activated.

Disable Version Emulation

 * 1) Go to: Admin > Main > Packages > Browse Packages.
 * 2) At the end of the page on the left, after the list of mods, select the link Advanced.
 * 3) On the left, right below the label Emulate version, click on the link Revert in order to restore the correct version of your SMF forum.
 * 4) Select Apply.

Please note that the emulated version is session specific. That means it affects only the person who is using it and if this person closes their browser and opens it again then the emulated version will be disabled. This is not an issue since the emulation is needed only while installing or uninstalling mods and not during normal SMF usage.

If, at a later date, you wish to uninstall the mod that was installed using emulation, you will need to do the emulation again so that you can attempt the uninstall.