Problem

How do you run an OpenFlows product in 32 bit mode?

Background

You may have a need to do this if you have a 32 bit Microsoft office product and need to use Modelbuilder with an Excel file or Access database. In this case Modelbuilder requires that you run the product as 32 bit in order to access the Microsoft components. 

The 32 bit version of OpenFlows products are automatically installed along with the 64-bit version (the installer deploys two instances). This is due to platform support; ArcMap and MicroStation currently only have a 32-bit version, so the 32-bit instance of the OpenFlows product is installed in order to support such integration.

Steps to Accomplish

The 32-bit instance of the OpenFlows product is installed to the root installation folder, which by default is: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Bentley\ProductName\". At this location, there will be an .exe file for the main program such as "WaterGEMS.exe" or "SewerGEMS.exe".

Double click the main executable file to open the 32-bit version of the product. You will notice under File > Help > About (or Help > About on older versions) that 64-bit is no longer indicated.

Note: if you encounter the following error when trying to open the 32-bit version, you will need to upgrade to a later version such as 10.02.XX.XX or greater.

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at Haestad.Framework.UI.Integration.RibbonParentFormExtender.ParentFormWindowsProcedure(IntPtr hWnd, UInt32 uMsg, UIntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam)

See Also

Opening a product as a 64 bit product.