Major TPD4 problems

DHawthorne

I have a series of penel files that have had a lot of pages cut-and-pasted from other files. The project is set up in a way that all the panels have 95% the same pages and functions, with the other 5% being local variations that vary with devices specific to those areas. I recently replaced three Escient Fireballs on the project with a MAX MMS-900 system, obviously requiring a bunch of panel updates. So I made a new panel with just the needed pages, edited the look-and-feel to how I wanted them to be, then cut and pasted each MMS page into my existing panel files.

I've run into a serious hitch with two of my files (it may turn out to be more as I continue, I have not upgraded every room yet). After pasting the MMS pages into the target panels, and attempt to do any kind of cut or copy, even if it's just a couple of buttons, crashes TPD4 to the desktop. These are MVP panels - if I save them as CV-12's (same resolution, so all I have to worry about is restoring the hardware buttons), then re-save as MVP's, I am good for exactly ONE cut or copy operation, then I'm back to crashing every attempt.

Obviously the panel files are corrupted, somewhere. It is absolutely, positively not an option for me to rebuild these panels from scratch - it would mean rebuilding the entire project to keep all the pages consistent, and would entail days of labor. I need a way to fix these files - I can't work with the need to draw every single button and every single page from scratch, and I can't deal with crashing to the desktop every minute either. I need a way for these files to be repaired, and TPD4 needs to be fixed so this doesn't happen anymore.

As a side note, I am certain this is related to the disappearing popups issue noted in anthoer thread. In it's current state, the corruption caused by this bug has already cost me hours of work, and is making TPD4 unuseable.

Let me forestall some well-intentioned suggestions before they are offered: I have rebooted the computer, I have closed all other programs, I have saved as a different panel type, I have closed all other panels. It's not a computer problem, or a memory problem. I can open a half dozen other files in the same project and cut-and-paste all I like without a problem. There is no doubt whatsoever that the problem is in these specific files. As a side note, the originals had a series of pages that were imported from a G3 version that was upgraded, so I am guessing the corruption started at that point and has since propogated.

Thomas Hayes

Hi Dave
Up to just over a month ago ALL my panels were G3, I had the same issue when I imported to G4. I ended up recreating all the panels pages from scratch(alot of late nights pounding away at the keyboard) and have not had any re-occurrance of the problem. Alot of work but it seemed to solve the problem.

LegacyUser

not sure if this suggestion helps, and it's not a total solution (still some labour involved).. but give it a try..

instead of copying the entire page(s), first create the newly named page in the target file. also, if it's a popup, ensure the group is prepared. a quick side thought.. create the groups with a single dummy named file in them for the target.

then, after preparing page as best as possible, copy/paste all buttons from the source page. - buttons only, not the entire page.

on side effect of this is graphics don't always follow.

another quick side thought... do the pages you are copying over contain dynamic images; or an image that already has that name in the target file; or maybe it hasn't received source image correctly ?

i've had similiar but not the same problems, and some of those tricks have solved it.

good luck.

GSLogic

Dave

This is the same problem I posted about two months ago. I hope the AMX crew reads these postings, because this problem HAS TO BE FIXED!

LegacyUser

i agree it needs to fixed.

TPD4 has crashed at least 6 times on me today..

to keep it polite and brief, i am not impressed. (take away polite and brief to imagine what i really did write about AMX product)

LegacyUser

like now...

i've just had my tenth... 'task could not be completed' error.

i have to restart TPD4 and reload all my files again. but you know, i would actually like to be going HOME.

i have to handle three files at once here with copy and pasting and editing.

every time i get 'task could not complete' i have to restart everything as i dont trust TPD4 to continue as i lose buttons and pages and links and fonts if i try to continue.

it disrupts my work flow, my thought processes, my continuity. it opens the door to errors creeping in which will require more time and attention down the track.

oh, and has anyone tried to use the 'Virtual Connection' in TPD4 to directly connect to MVPxxxx panel. dont bother.. that doesn't work either. particularly over a wireless connection.

back to try some more editing now TPD has restarted and finally reloaded. hey.. then i might get to go home.

DHawthorne

I'm in a position where I simply cannot re-write the corrupted panel files. The project is already behind and in an intermediate state - I need to finish it. I may have the leisure of being able to re-writing the files once I catch up in a few weeks, but I don't exactly relish the idea of putting an extra day or two of unbillable labor in this.

There is no way this can be anything but a file corruption, and as such, there needs to be a repair utility - built into TPD4 or stand-alone matters not.

LegacyUser

just regarding TP3 imports..

i am running a couple of files with one or two pages imported from a TP3 file, and haven't seen directly related corruption.

so the suggestion is that should probably be okay.

have you ever seen the 'task could not complete' error when trying to open a page ? stop everything if you do. restart. else errors will occur.

one other suggestion.. you may try working with one page at a time. copy it in.. then cut/paste (you know your crash procedure). you may then be able to narrow it down to one page that is causing the problem.. and then it maybe one button within that page... clutching at the proverbial i know, just a suggestion though.

DHawthorne

I edited and modified these particular panels many times after importing from G3. To give it some history, the original system design had three Escient Fireballs, and we converted to a MAX MMS-900 with an AOM module instead. It was when I deleted the Escient pages and copied-and-pasted the pages from my MAX prototype panel that I started having trouble. Another thing I did, that could well be related, was go through all the resources and delete all the "Copy of" duplicate images, then go through each page and change the affected icon slots to bitmaps.

Now, after having done all that, it is when I copy element of these panels, sometimes only a single button, that TPD4 crashes to desktop. I can make as many changes as I like, drawing things manually or dragging properties; it's when I copy a button or a group of buttons, or a page that I crash it. Not the paste, but the copy. This tells me there is a corruption in the file causing a memory corruption as well. When trying to copy to the clipboard, that corruption is crashing the program. It's not a shortage of memory - I can copy entire pages from other files in the same session, just not from the affected ones. And it did not show up right away, leading me to believe it is a cumulative corruption. The common factors are both of these panels contain pages that were converted from G3, and both have had a lot of pages and buttons copied-and-pasted.

If I have a half dozen panel files in a job that all need the same group of a dozen or more (16 for the MAX) pages, but still have unique elements outside of those pages, there is no way I am going to manually created each page for each panel - I must be able to copy and paste.

[Deleted User]

Possible problems have been identified with the preference added to TPDesign4 2.4 to 'Flush closed pages on save'. This setting is enabled by default in order to reduce memory usage. We recommend that you turn off this setting via the Application tab in the Edit->Preferences dialog.

DHawthorne

I'll try that, thank you Rob.

DHawthorne

This seems to have corrected my problem. Rudimentary tests are working without the program crashing. I'll report back as I work more with these files.