In IDL v7.1.1, you right click on the project name, and select "Properties". In the window that pops up,  navigate to "IDL Project Properties/IDL Build Properties/Compile Order" and you can easily change the build order as you see fit. While it is true that you cannot directly use the old projects under Eclipse, I see no reason whatsoever that you should lose any work, let alone "years of work".  Yes, some effort will liklely be necessary to convert to the new project system, but in my experience it is often as simple as creating a new project and "importing" the old ones.  If you are having a lot of trouble, I'd be happy to provide some assistance if I can. r