Issue-#108 BlackBox Start up warnings

[DGDanforth]

When BlackBox starts and "fails to load a module" it quits silently with no error message.
That is a bug.
It should tell you the name of the offending module.

That requires BB to always open, and display a screen so that a message can be shown
OR
to call a WinApi function to present a notification window that runs independent of BB.

[Josef Templ]

If I insert a HALT(99) before "InitModule(modList);" in "Kernel.Init" it correctly opens a default trap window.
This means that Trap handling works in principal.
When I remove the file System/Code/Init.ocf there is a correct error message.
Also if I exchange the file Init.ocf by the BB 1.6 version there is a correct error message about an incompatible fingerprint.
The situation is more complicated.
We need to find out at which step in the initialization sequence there is an error and why it is not reported.

- Josef

[DGDanforth]

If I insert a HALT(99) before "InitModule(modList);" in "Kernel.Init" it correctly opens a default trap window.
This means that Trap handling works in principal.
When I remove the file System/Code/Init.ocf there is a correct error message.
Also if I exchange the file Init.ocf by the BB 1.6 version there is a correct error message about an incompatible fingerprint.
The situation is more complicated.
We need to find out at which step in the initialization sequence there is an error and why it is not reported.

- Josef

OK,
I am slowly trying to determine how to debug the code.
I added a set of files to a clean BlackBoxMaster directory and pointed to it using /USE
but the master loaded correctly.
This may entail a binary search.
-Doug

[DGDanforth]

I have found the offending file. It is
Converters.ocf
in the directory Code.

Without that file the master loads. With that file it does not load.
Converters.ocf was created 3 years ago on August 18, 2013.
I can not find the corresponding .odc file on this machine and I do not
remember creating such a file.

[Josef Templ]

Please post the incompatible Converters.odc file.

- Josef

[DGDanforth]

Please post the incompatible Converters.odc file.

- Josef

Josef,
C:\Program Files\BlackBox Component Builder 1.6\System\Mod\Converters.odc is the file.

If one simply places the .ocf of that file into the corresponding master directory the master does not load.

-Doug

[DGDanforth]

If I insert a HALT(99) before "InitModule(modList);" in "Kernel.Init" it correctly opens a default trap window.
This means that Trap handling works in principal.
When I remove the file System/Code/Init.ocf there is a correct error message.
Also if I exchange the file Init.ocf by the BB 1.6 version there is a correct error message about an incompatible fingerprint.
The situation is more complicated.
We need to find out at which step in the initialization sequence there is an error and why it is not reported.

- Josef

Now that we know Converters is to blame we need to find out why no error is generated.

[Josef Templ]

I cannot reproduce the problem, i.e. I always get an appropriate error message.

How exactly do you call BB?
Via a link?
Via a script?
How exactly does it look like?
Is you BB1.6 a clean BB 1.6 installation?

Please test also without having a space in a directory name.

- Josef

[DGDanforth]

I cannot reproduce the problem, i.e. I always get an appropriate error message.

How exactly do you call BB?
Via a link?
Via a script?
How exactly does it look like?
Is you BB1.6 a clean BB 1.6 installation?

Please test also without having a space in a directory name.

- Josef

Josef,
Did you just replace the master's Converters.ocf with the BB1.6 version?

I call BB with a shortcut that has
Target:

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\BlackBox Master\BlackBox.exe" /USE C:\Dgd\BlackBoxMaster

and
Start in:

Code: Select all

C:\Dgd\BlackBoxMaster

My Program Files BB1.6 is clean but I may have over ridden some of the files in my C:\Dgd\BlackBox16 directory.I'll see if that is the case.
Stay tuned.

Thank you for testing the code and the fact that you can not reproduce the error is eye opening.
-Doug

[DGDanforth]

I am running a clean Master Version 1.7-a1 Build number 440.
I create a local directory
C:\Dgd\BlackBoxMaster\System\Code
and copy the BB1.6 Converters.ocf into it.
I then start the master using
Target: "C:\Program Files\BlackBox Master\BlackBox.exe" /USE C:\Dgd\BlackBoxMaster
Start in: C:\Dgd\BlackBoxMaster

That fails to generate any error message. It just silently does not start.

So, it is only the master code that is being exercise with the exception of the Converters.ocf.
If I simply rename that file to be _Converters.ocf then the master runs correctly.
-Doug