Dyalog :Save command: missing version compatibility constraint

Direct answer

No mechanism is built into :Save to record interpreter version or loaded DLLs inside a .ws file. You must record metadata yourself and check it on load.

• Record interpreter version before saving, e.g. in a companion manifest or as a workspace variable/comment.
• Detect mismatch on load by comparing the stored version string with the running interpreter's version variable and abort or warn on difference.
• For reproducibility across machines, store a manifest alongside the .ws with interpreter version, build, loaded DLL/assembly names and environment flags. The .ws alone is insufficient.

Confirmed facts

The :Save command writes a binary workspace that captures defined functions, variables and namespaces. It does not embed the Dyalog interpreter version, build identifier, or a list of loaded DLLs/.NET assemblies. External resources are not recorded.

The current interpreter release can be read from system information, commonly via the \uDALOG namespace, e.g. \uDALOG\Version and \uDALOG\Build. The exact name and access form is version dependent and should be verified for your release.

Likely explanation for the risks you describe

Loading a workspace created on a newer interpreter on an older interpreter can cause silent feature failure because new syntax or class features are not present. Auto-run order is not guaranteed across versions. Missing DLL/assembly information leads to non-deterministic behaviour when the same workspace is used on a different machine.

Minimal steps for this case

1. Capture metadata before :Save

ver ← \uDALOG.Version
build ← \uDALOG.Build
meta ← ver,build,⎕TS

Write meta to a sidecar file, e.g. workspace.ws.manifest, or store it as a workspace variable WS_Meta. Do not rely on a workspace comment to survive binary save.

2. Save the workspace

:Save workspace.ws

3. On load, verify before use

:Load workspace.ws
if WS_Meta[1] ≠ \uDALOG.Version do
  'Version mismatch: saved ',WS_Meta[1],' current ',\uDALOG.Version
end

Replace the abort with a warning or controlled load depending on your policy.

4. Extend manifest for reproducibility
• DLL/assembly names and paths loaded at save time
• OS and architecture
• Environment flags relevant to your code

One missing diagnostic detail that changes the recommendation: which Dyalog major release range and edition you are targeting. The system variable name and format for version/build information has changed across releases, so the exact query to use for capture and comparison must be verified for your target version before standardising the manifest.