Zugg Software :: View topic - [3.03a] Layout is not saved when doing an import and exiting with the red X

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:49 am

Steps:

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:43 pm

I am not able to reproduce this, but I don't have your specific import file. Try sending the file again as a file attachment to sales@zuggsoft.com.

Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:02 pm

They were already sent to the e-mail address sales@zuggsoft.com as file attachments last night. Should I resend them again or is there a location I can upload them to ensure you get them?

Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:28 am

I've sent the files again. This time I sent two messages, one with just text to see if its getting through, and a second with the attachments. Perhaps one will get through.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:40 pm

Now that the files came through was this observable? I can potentially make the directions more explicit if this isn't happening for you. It happens all the time for me so I wouldn't think it too hard to duplicate.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:56 pm

Reed, I'm currently in the middle of setting up the new server for this site. It's going to be several weeks until I am back to bug fixing and working on a new beta version. So I really can't help much until then. I've got your files saved in my bug tracking system where I can use them when I start working on the bug. You need to keep in mind that I am tracking hundreds of issues I'm only one person, so I have to prioritize bug reports and problems based upon how many people they effect. This doesn't mean I'm ignoring your problem, it just means I have much more important things to work on right now, sorry.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:21 pm

You had posted you were unable to reproduce this and that had worried me.

I understand there is a priority, and I'm not advocating that this should be any higher priority than you believe it warrants. I would just like to make sure that whenever you do get around to looking at this that you are able to reproduce the issue. If you start looking at this 6 months from now and you can't reproduce it, I might not have the exact settings available to help you either because too much time has passed.

So my focus was on you being capable of fixing this when you have the time, not on fixing it immediately. For me at least, there is a certain satisfaction/confidence that comes when I know that although I have to put up with a bug for now, I know that since you've seen the bug it will eventually be fixed in a subsequent release. The difference seems to hinge on whether you've seen it on your system or not. If you haven't reproduced it/added it to the bug list, then it's likely to fall by the wayside and never addressed. Knowing it will be eventually address, regardless of the amount of time it takes to address it makes bearing the bug much easier for some reason.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:11 pm

Nope, I still wasn't able to reproduce this. I know you have told us in other posts, but remind me what version of Windows you are using, and where are your Data Files installed? When I tested this on my system, I created a new session called "ReedTest" and then imported your files and then changed the layout, saved it, and quit. My data files are in My Documents/My Games/CMUD and there was a new ReedTest folder created there. The ReedTest.XLY file where the layout is stored had a modified date that showed it was properly saved.

So you need to check your data files and look for the *.XLY file that stores your layout and look at the modification date to be sure it is being saved correctly.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:21 pm

I use XP/SP3 with the data saved in the CmudPro directory under Achaea.

I'll work on a more detailed set of instructions for getting this reproducible when I get home from work. I'll record each and every action this time around.

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:12 pm

You need to tell me the exact path to your file. Not just "CmudPro directory"...that doesn't tell me enough. I need the Windows file path.

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:01 am

I've tried in this new attempt to be painfully detailed as to what I did.

Windows XP 32 bit version, SP3, 4 GB memory installed.

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:29 pm

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:40 pm

Two questions occurred to me while reading your response:

1) Why is it able to write the package (pkg) and map file, but not the layout file? Why can I try several times to modify the layout and it work after several attempts?
2) Is the "System Error" generated because it couldn't write the layout file?

Edit: Another question occurred to me after writing the post:

If I want to change the location settings of everything after Cmud is installed, I just modify the session properties, right? Is there anywhere else that needs to be updated?

Edit 2: It seems like if you have knowledge that updated versions of both Vista and XP will definitely experience problems with data saved in the "program files" directory it would be prudent not only to eliminate that as the default choice, but eliminate it as a choice altogether. Just a suggestion.

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:58 pm

Zugg:

A program run under the security context of a normal user has never been able to write to Program Files in XP only a Power User or Administrator has this capability and I see no changes to this in SP3.

ReedN:

If CMUD is able to write your pkg files then it should be able to write your layout file.

Do an install and change your settings directory if this is what you want to achieve as it is held in the registry and CMUD looks it up for various things. Or alter the registry if you are happy doing so.

At a guess Zugg will likely do so.

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 7:49 pm

I'm an administrator on my machine, this is consistent with being able to modify my other data files in the "C:\Program Files\CMudPro" directory.

Given this data, I'd suspect this bug is not due to the location of the files.

Magician Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 496

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:51 am

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:14 pm

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 7:57 pm

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:37 pm

I know...I cannot reproduce it even with your XML file. What I am asking is for you to try and come up with a simpler procedure that doesn't require any special settings or files so that *other* people can also try to help reproduce it.

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:49 pm

Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:02 am

These new instructions don't require my full xml file. I generated this xml text by cleanly installing Cmud then opening the already existent Achaea package off-line. I created the channels window with "#cap channels" and opened the map. I then arranged them and exported the xml file. The xml code below is the result of those actions:

There are actually two bugs you'll run into as you execute these instructions. First is that the layout is not saved. The second is the crash with the invalid window handle that occurs at the end.

XML file used in Instructions

Enchanter Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 605

ReedN
Try to delete all the <dockuid>...</dockuid> lines and check if the problem persists.

Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:28 pm

Could you explain a little more about your suggestion? Cmud added those itself, what reason do you have for suspecting them?

Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:52 pm

OK, I was able to reproduce the layout not saving properly with the new procedure. Still didn't get the System Error 1400 crash, but I think that's a result of the screwed up window layout and might be different on WinXP vs Vista (I was testing on my Vista system).

The step (14) to manually save the layout isn't needed. The layout is saved automatically when you exit CMUD.

To make this easier to reproduce over and over again, all you need to do to "reset" the test is to delete the Achaea.pkg and Achaea.xly files created by the above steps. Then you can start again with step (7) to see the problem happen again.

If I edit the XML file and remove the UID and DOCKUID lines that Arde mentioned, then everything works fine. These UID values are used to "connect" the windows in your settings package with the windows saved in your window layout file. These are unique ID values for each window. I think what is happening is that CMUD is creating a new unique UID for the Achaea window when you first load it offline, and assigning the UID to the main window. Then when doing the Import XML, the UID of the Window settings object is changed, but the UID of the window in the docking system itself is not changed. So the *.XLY file gets saved with the wrong UID values. When you load the session, it cannot match the UID values between the package file and the XLY file.

If you look in the Achaea.XLY file and try to search for the various UID values from the XML file, it can find the one for the Channels window, but it cannot find the one for the main Achaea window, or for the mapper window.

Anyway, now that I have a way to reproduce this, I have added it to the bug list.

To get around this bug, exit CMUD right after you import the XML file. Then run CMUD and hold down the SHIFT key and click the Open Offline action. *Then* rearrange the windows to the layout that you want. Now the layout will be saved properly.