Zugg Software :: View topic

Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:17 pm

Moving the issues from the MapConvert announcements over to a proper forum thread. Here is the issue from Palek:

Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:21 pm

I did a quick look at your map file. I can confirm that when you convert it from CMUD DBM back to zMUD MDB then zMapper doesn't display any rooms. If I convert that zMUD MDB file back to CMUD DBM then it still looks fine in CMUD.

I inspected the zMUD MDB file in a database browser, and it looks fine. Seems that all of the data is being transferred properly. So I have no idea why zMapper will not display it. Unfortunately, since I can no longer open zMUD within Delphi to compile it with debugging, it's hard to figure out exactly what is causing the problem.

I tried opening it in CMUD 2.37 and saw the same problem as zMapper (no rooms), so I will try to see if I can get CMUD 2.37 to compile in Delphi with the old mapper to see if I can pin down the problem.

The weird thing is that the only change in MapConvert between the 1.1 and 1.2 version was the handling of the default value and I don't see how this could cause this problem, but I'll keep looking at it.

Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:22 pm

Wish there was some sort of database "diff" program that I could use to compare the zMUD *.MDB file that works with the one created via MapConvert that doesn't work. But there are not very many good tools for ADO databases that I can find.

Does anybody actually have Microsoft Access who might be able to look at this? The OpenOffice Base tool is pretty crude.

Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 7:06 pm

I can look at them for you when I'm at work if you want.

Wanderer Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 55

Wanderer Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 55

Ok, confirmed while at work, I can use MapConverter 1.0 to do DBM to MDB with no issues, I can then edit in zMapper and save, then use MapConverter 1.2 for MDB to DBM and open fine in 3.17.

Jamie

Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 3:32 am

Can you email me the *.MDB file created by MapConverter 1.0? Thanks for mentioning that it was actually 1.1 that messed it up...I was going crazy trying to figure out how the change to 1.2 caused this. With 1.1 I have an idea what might be wrong and comparing your 1.0 file with my 1.2 file should help me track down the problem.

Wanderer Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 55

Just sent the file to sales@zuggsoft.com, let me know if you need anything else.

Jamie

Wanderer Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 85

well, that's good this is confirmed. I do wish I had mapconvert 1.0 cause this "blank" map is annoying :) I eagerly await a fix, Zugg.

Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 6:53 pm

Well, this is driving me completely crazy.

The file that Palek sent me that loads properly into zMapper and CMUD 2.37 actually has the DELETED field with a wrong default value of TRUE. The "bad" file that doesn't load properly has the correct default value of FALSE.

That is the ONLY DIFFERENCE between the files! The "good" file has the wrong default value for any Boolean field, but the "bad" file has the correct default value. The actual DATA stored in the tables is exactly the same. The field types between the two files are exactly the same.

So I cannot figure out why one file loads and the other doesn't. The Default Values only effect the file when adding new records. If the stored DATA is the same between the two files, then both files should be properly displayed.

So as I said, this is driving me &%*&^ crazy!

Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:58 pm

OK, I think I found the problem.

The data in the database was exactly the same. The problem was that the primary INDEX was missing in the zMUD *.MDB file. The "PRIMARY KEY" keyword was missing in the table creation, preventing ADO from creating the primary key index. Without this primary index, zMapper and zMUD (and CMUD 2.x) are unable to display any data from the map database.

I tested the new 1.3 version on the files I have been sent and it seems to work now. I also added a Repair button to the Source File panel that will allow you to repair an existing *.MDB or *.DBM file. This Repair function will currently do the following:

Fix any incorrect default column values (like Deleted column)
Change the Deleted value of any room back to False to make it re-appear
Add the proper Primary Key index as needed

In the future I'll probably add some of ReedN's mapper fix code to this function, but I didn't have time to mess with that today. I mainly wanted to get this new map conversion program out for people to start using.

Note that none of these changes have any effect on CMUD itself. CMUD only converts from old *.MDB to new *.DBM and that direction of file conversion was working fine. It was only the *.DBM to *.MDB conversion done within MapConvert that was failing.

Remember when downloading the new mapconvert.zip file that you might need to clear your browser cache. Hope it works for people.

Wanderer Joined: 28 Sep 2005 Posts: 55

Thanks Zugg, I just downloaded 1.3 and will start testing it right now.