Orbiter installation diagnostics

[ar81]

In order to reduce the amount of questions due to CTDs for missing addons, I have created this program that helps
to spot some common problems people may have with Orbiter installations.
http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3201

[DanSteph]

Didn't tried it but nice idea.

Dan

[DanSteph]

Tried, nice idea and seem to work well, very usefull tool for addons maker or for users that
have problems...

Do you plan an update shortly ? I would write a news on the site here
but I preffer to do it after the "final release"

Dan

[ar81]

I would like to see if this version is final.
I did my best, but I do not know if I missed something.
That-s why I called it "beta".
Is it Ok as it is now?
I would like to know if there is any problem with an installation that I have not addressed in my app.



Post Edited ( 01-04-08 22:33 )

[Ursus]

I just downloaded it to check it out.

I ran a check on my main Orbiter installation and got an...

Huh... The error didn't come up the second time around. It was an "Error 68", I think... "Device not found." Thought
it might have something to do with not having a "C:" drive on my system, but it must have just been a glitch in my own
computer, because I can't reproduce the error, now. Maybe I was just holding my tongue wrong the first time I ran it.  :-b

Looks like a handy little program. Thanks, Pablo.

[Colonel Sanders1]

Yay something to tell me that i didnt do it right!!!

[MartySpaceLines]

Yeah, it's a nice add-on.

Tested and approved!

[GXE3]

Another essential for an Orbiter developer.
Great program!

[ar81]

When you use the mouse wheel while selecting the drive, it is likely that you run into a drive that is not present.
Then you get a CTD.
I think it is a silly bug than can be easity fixed.

[Ursus]

ar81 wrote:
When you use the mouse wheel while selecting the drive, it is likely that you run into a drive that is not present.
Then you get a CTD.
I think it is a silly bug than can be easity fixed.

I ran another test of the diagnostics program, and I think that's what the problem was. I was using the mouse wheel to and
scroll down to view the results while the diagnostic was running. When mouse wandered out of the output area, the scroll
wheel changed the drive to the (empty) CD drive, which caused the crash.

It might be a good idea not only to have an error-catching routine that keeps the program from crashing when someone scrolls
through an empty drive, but to "lock in" the selected drive and directory once the diagnostic starts. [Edit: Well, selecting a new directory doesn't seem to affect the current analysis, so I guess not. It might actually be nice to be able to select a different installation for the next analysis while the first one is still running... if one remembers to read the first analysis before starting the second.]

It might also be nice if there was some way you could keep the output from jumping back to the top every time something gets
written to it, so a person can more easily view the messages while the analysis is still running.



Post Edited ( 01-08-08 00:22 )

[ar81]

I fixed part of the bug at home, but I still need to trap the empty drive error.
When fixed I will be uploading.

The problem of viewing the messages while the analysis is still running is that it adds text to the text control as it
finds the problem.  The alternative would be to internally process the analysis process and display output once it is
finished, but it may not bring any results until the very end.

I did it the way I did it so users do not get bored.

Anyway I will try to see what can be done.

[DanSteph]

ar81 let me know by pm when finished so I can post a news (and maybe an article in the OrbiterMag)
(Sorry I can't help to test because busy with real life)

Cheers

Dan

[ar81]

I will PM you.

[ar81]

UPDATED... You now may download it...

[jacquesmomo]

ar81, your program is so interesting and usefull!!!

I tried it, works fine : it find some error I can fix

(excuse my poor english, I'm french...)

but there is someting I don't understand :

the report show this:
-----------------------------------------------------------
INSTALLATION ISSUES
--------------------------------------
E:\FS\Orbiter 2006\Config\Spacecraft\Door1.cfg
MISSING MESH Vostok-J/Door1.msh.
--------------------------------------------------------------
but the file "door1.msh" is in the good place and not empty (10Mo)
I tried to put it in the directory my orbiter\meshes\ (in double)
and the analyse said the same thing.

It does not matter, but I would like to understand why... Have you an idea?

[ar81]

Hmmm... probably a bug in the way paths are checked for cfg files... I fixed that bug for mesh files, but I probably forgot about cfg files, gonna see to it.  

The important thing is that you checked out and the mesh was there.
At least there is no more guessing what went wrong when loading.

Thanks for the report.  I did some testing, but as usual, more cases allow a better testing.



Post Edited ( 01-09-08 22:28 )

[jacquesmomo]

ar81 a écrit:
The important thing is that you checked out and the mesh was there.
At least there is no more guessing what went wrong when loading.

Thanks for your answer.

I tested your program in my old orbiter(s) v 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 ... and it works fine!!!
Realy a great add-on for "bidouilleurs" (Dan, translate please )

[DanSteph]

jacquesmomo a écrit:
Realy a great add-on for "bidouilleurs" (Dan, translate please )

*geek*

Dan

[ar81]

Tip for usage (in the meantime while I fix that bug)...
If diagnostics says a file does not exist and it exists and it in the right place, ignore it and report it so I can fix the bug.
At least it does not skip detection of problematic situations...

...and I am an Orbiter geek too.



Post Edited ( 01-10-08 14:18 )

[bc]

I had the same problem as  jacquesmomo mentions above regarding existing files.

I noticed in the report that is shows :

"MISSING MESH Proton24/Voie.msh." - note the "/"
should this not be a "\" instead? as in .....\Meshes\Proton24\voie.msh

Otherwise a very handy utility that makes chasing down errors much easier.

Thanks very much.
Brian

[ar81]

Oh, get it.  It is a typo, the most horrendous type of bug one could have...
It is horrendous because it is hard to notice when you have lots of lines of code.
That confirms me that it is a bug in the construction of file paths.

[jacquesmomo]

I tested 3 installs of orbiter 2006P1
- my "principal"
- one copy (for testing new add-on)
- one "old" with some (in fact many-many...) bugs.

your prog had found many errors. I had fixed all them.
so, works

same error (not real) with [Door1.msh] not find but present in the good directory... Curious...
so, I did that you said : I ignore!...

your program seems to be a futur "must have" for geeks (thanks Dan:prof: )

[ar81]

I came to check the code.
The path that was displayed is directly extracted from the cfg file.

so it means that if the addon says

   mydir/mymesh.msh

and it should read

  mydir\mymesh.msh

my program will not find that file, so it will surface in the diagnostic.
It means that the TYPOis present in the ADDON, not in my program.

I thought the typo was in my program, but I was wrong.
Then I recalled when someone said in the past "the only time when I was wrong was when I though I was
wrong"...

[bc]

ar81 wrote:

It means that the TYPOis present in the ADDON, not in my program.

Ahh yes, I see that is the case.
I have many addon cfg files with this understandably easy to make typo.

Now, is it possible to make a batch file or other script that will scan the cfg folders and replace instances of "/" and
replace it with "\"? Could your program one day have such a repair function built in?

Is there ever any occasion in the cfg file syntax to use the "/" character, or is it safe to do a replace all?

Thanks
Brian

[Redburne]

...the addon says

   mydir/mymesh.msh

and it should read

  mydir\mymesh.msh

my program will not find that file, so it will surface in the diagnostic.
It means that the TYPOis present in the ADDON, not in my program.

I don't think this is a typo. In most cases, forward and backward slash can be used interchangeably on Windows systems (I can
even type "C:/temp" in the Windows Explorer and it will take me to "C:\temp" ).

For config files, the forward slash is probably just as valid (I did not test it, though). I believe all internal file
functions in Windows accept the forward slash, as well. I never had to make a distinction in my programs.

Unless you are sure that forward slashes don't work in Orbiter, your program shouldn't report them as errors.