AbcWidget is trying to be downgraded to a lower installation scope. Reinstallation of this item will not be permitted.

When trying to update a plugin (feature) using a widget the installation failed and I got the below message.

<widget name> is trying to be downgraded to a lower installation
scope. Reinstallation of this item will not be permitted.

I wondered what it meant as I didn’t really understabd the “installation scope” thing so I asked IBM and here’s the answer I got from Doug MacDonald. Very useful and nicely explains why the installation failed.

When you install a widget, it is assign a scope. The scopes have a heirarchy.

  1. If the widget was installed from the corporate catalog using a category of widgets, the scope is catalog.push.
  2. If the widget was installed from the corporate catalog using drag and drop, the scope is user.catalog.
  3. If the widget was installed from a location other than the corporate catalog, the scope is user.import.

You cannot move down the scope hierarchy. For example:

  • Not allowed: If you install a widget from the corporate catalog using a category of widgets and then you try to drag and drop the same widget.
  • Not allowed: If you install a widget from the corporate catalog using drag and drop and then you try to drag and drop the same widget from a file on the file system.

You can move up in scope. For example:

  • Allowed: If you install a widget from the corporate catalog using drag and drop and then you install the same widget from the corporate catalog using a category of widgets.
  • Allowed: If you install a widget by drag and drop from the file system and then install the same widget from the corporate catalog using drag and drop.