Director class problem

Getting Started Newbie Questions
#1

Hi, I’ve recently started using corona and I came across the director class but I think I have done something wrong affiliated with it because the simulator is displaying a black screen when there shouldn’t be one.

Here is the code:

Main.lua:

local director = require(“director”)
display.setStatusBar(display.HiddenStatusBar)
local mainGroup = display.newGroup()
local function main()
mainGroup:insert(director.directorView)
director:changeScene(“menu”)
return true
end
main()

Menu.lua:

module(…, package.seeall)

function new()

local localGroup = display.newGroup()

local background = display.newImageRect(“graphics/background.psd”, _W, _H)
background:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint)
background.x = _W/2
background.y = _H/2

local title = display.newImageRect(“graphics/poptitle.psd”, 300, 500)
title:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint)
title.x = _W/2
title.y = 300

local playbutton = display.newImageRect(“graphics/play_b.psd”, 200, 300)
playbutton:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint)
playbutton.x = _W/2
playbutton.y = 375
playbutton.scene = “game”

local levelsbutton = display.newImageRect(“graphics/levels_b.psd”, 200, 300)
levelsbutton:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint)
levelsbutton.x = _W/2
levelsbutton.y = 320
levelsbutton.scene = “levels”

function changeScene(e)
if(e.phase == “ended”) then
director:changeScene(e.target.scene)
end
end

localGroup:insert(background)
localGroup:insert(title)
localGroup:insert(playbutton)
localGroup:insert(levelsbutton)

playbutton:addEventListener(“touch”, changeScene)
levelsbutton:addEventListener(“touch”, changeScene)

return localGroup
end

The game.lua and levels.lua files are the same as I haven’t edited either of them yet:

module(…, package.seeall)

function new()

local localGroup = display.newGroup()
return localGroup
end

Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

#2

Are you getting any errors in your console/terminal screen?

Please read this blog post, if you don’t know how to get those messages:

http://www.coronalabs.com/blog/2013/07/09/tutorial-basic-debugging/

#3

This is what is displayed: 06/08/2013 07:47:30.679 Corona Simulator: The file sandbox for this project is located at the following folder: (/Users/paulware/Library/Application Support/Corona Simulator/POP s-F8AFB145821B75083FE5AD8E32732D8B) 06/08/2013 07:47:30.696 Corona Simulator: ----------------------------------------------- 06/08/2013 07:47:30.696 Corona Simulator: ERROR: bad argument #2 to display.newImageRect(): width expected, but got nil. 06/08/2013 07:47:30.696 Corona Simulator: ----------------------- 06/08/2013 07:47:30.696 Corona Simulator: Director ERROR: Failed to execute new( params ) function on ‘menu’. 06/08/2013 07:47:30.696 Corona Simulator: ----------------------- 06/08/2013 07:47:30.697 Corona Simulator: /Users/paulware/Desktop/POP s/menu.lua:8: attempt to index local ‘background’ (a nil value) 06/08/2013 07:47:30.697 Corona Simulator: -----------------------

#4

corona doesnt use psd files

try saving them as png-24 files

#5

Okay I will try it, thank you

#6

There is still a black screen, even with the png files

#7

its been over a year since ive used director. is there a reason your not using storyboard

#8

also code doesnt know what _W and _H is. they may be out of scope

#9

I got the impression that director was easier to use, clearly not! okay thank you I will add them in now

#10

it is a bit easier but storyboard is much better and once you grasp it its not hard

#11

I’ve declared the variables _W and _H and now I can see my background in the simulator but nothing else, should I convert the rest of the files to jpeg because that’s what the background is? I’m going to stop with director now and learn storyboard instead, thank you

#12

as long as they are jpeg or png should be fine are you getting any other errors

#13

I’ve tried to convert my code from director to storyboard but I think it’s gone completely wrong, I’ll post the code

#14

MAIN.LUA: local storyboard = require “storyboard” storyboard.purgeOnSceneChange = true display.setStatusBar(display.HiddenStatusBar) _W = display.contentWidth _H = display.contentHeight storyboard.gotoScene(“menu”) MENU.LUA: local storyboard = require “storyboard” local scene = storyboard.newScene() function scene:createScene(event) local group = self.view local bg = display.newImageRect(“graphics/background.jpg”, _W, _H) bg:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint) bg.x = _W/2 bg.y = _H/2 local title = display.newImageRect(“graphics/poptitle.png”, 300, 500) title:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint) title.x = _W/2 title.y = 300 local playbutton = display.newImageRect(“graphics/play_b.png”, 200, 300) playbutton:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint) playbutton.x = _W/2 playbutton.y = 375 local levelsbutton = display.newImageRect(“graphics/levels_b.png”, 200, 300) levelsbutton:setReferencePoint(display.CenterReferencePoint) levelsbutton.x = _W/2 levelsbutton.y = 320 group:insert(bg) group:insert(title) group:insert(playbutton) group:insert(levelsbutton) playbutton:addEventListener(“touch”, changeScene) levelsbutton:addEventListener(“touch”, changeScene) end function scene:enterScene(event) local group = self.view end function scene:exitScene(event) local group = self.view end function scene:destroyScene(event) local group = self.view end scene:addEventListener(“createScene”, scene) scene:addEventListener(“enterScene”, scene) scene:addEventListener(“exitScene”, scene) scene:addEventListener(“destroyScene”, scene) return scene

#15

I just changed all the graphics to jpg, relaunched the simulator and got an error saying “File: assertion failed!”??

#16

double check filename spelling, case, location, extensions

#17

Okay

#18

they’re all fine

#19

This is what the error says: 6/08/2013 10:58:55.394 Corona Simulator: Runtime error assertion failed! stack traceback: [C]: ? [C]: in function ‘assert’ ?: in function ‘getOrCreateTable’ ?: in function ‘addEventListener’ ?: in function ‘addEventListener’ /Users/paulware/Desktop/POP s/menu.lua:28: in function /paulware/Desktop/POP s/menu.lua:4> ?: in function ‘dispatchEvent’ ?: in function ‘gotoScene’ /Users/paulware/Desktop/POP s/main.lua:9: in main chunk

#20

Are event listeners different in storyboard?