Windows simulator complains about json feed on startup, later crashes

Solar2D Daily Builds and Public Releases
#1

I’m now seeing the following whenever I launch Corona (it looks like something didn’t properly shut down a previous time, i.e. a relaunch of Windows likely fixes it):

Windows simulator build date: Dec 2 2011 @ 02:45:48

C:\Users\philipp\AppData\Roaming\Ansca\Corona Simulator\Sandbox\homescreen-385BE
6D9853FAE6386AFAC6C44045B3D\tmp\feed.json - The process cannot access the file b
ecause it is being used by another process.
C:\Users\philipp\AppData\Roaming\Ansca\Corona Simulator\Sandbox\homescreen-385BE
6D9853FAE6386AFAC6C44045B3D\tmp\manualfeed.json - The process cannot access the
file because it is being used by another process.

Now when I open a main.lua project, Corona immediately crashes. Help?

[Also submitted this via “Report a Bug”.]

Thanks! [import]uid: 10284 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 318600[/import]

#2

+1.

As @Phillip said above I am also getting this kind of message on Windows Vista.
PS1: That error message does appear in daily build version 2011.699/700 but does not appear under daily build 2011.656.

PS2: BTW looks like it does not “hurt” anything (until now), at least in my project. :\
Thanks,
Rodrigo. [import]uid: 89165 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71423[/import]

#3

It sounds like the file is locked, which can happen if the Corona Simulator was not properly shutdown. Although I’ve never seen it crash because of this. If the file is locked, then the only way around this is to reboot Windows.

Phillip, can you tell me the case number of your bug report? Thanks! [import]uid: 32256 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71464[/import]

#4

The bug submission number is #3369.

I’m not sure what exactly causes the crash, as it doesn’t always happen here when I see the console feed locked issue. But when I restarted, the crashing stopped. (The console feed locked issue is back now but there are no crashes at the moment.) Perhaps there needs to be another thing true for the feed-locked issue to cause a crash, or perhaps it’s coincidence and not related at all, and the crashes where caused by something completely different.

These crashes are now a roundabout daily/ twice daily occurrence – only fixed by Windows relogin – but note I can’t remember such startup-crashes having happened with the old-startup-screen version of Corona. (The one before the new black-gray one.) [import]uid: 10284 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71466[/import]

#5

Joshua I appreciate your input on this. As you said it really does not “affect” my project at all (at least this by now btw).

Thanks,
Rodrigo. [import]uid: 89165 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71543[/import]

#6

Philip, are you running 2 instances of the Corona Simulator at a time? Based on my testing, the Corona Simulator for Windows will crash if you run 2 instances of it, both running the homescreen, and then you close them both. The last window you close will crash. I remember running more than 1 instance of the window used to work, but it looks like something has changed along the way. I’ll look into this. [import]uid: 32256 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71752[/import]

#7

Actually, I take it back. Running 2 Corona Simulators at the same time cause an ASSERT for the debug version, which we don’t provide to our end-users, but the release version is okay. So, I’m unable to reproduce your crash. Hmmm… [import]uid: 32256 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71794[/import]

#8

> Philip, are you running 2 instances of the Corona Simulator at a time?

Nope, at least not on purpose, but I don’t know which processes end up lingering around (I checked the task manager, but didn’t see any related apps, and the actual processes list doesn’t seem to be named in any way to find related processes).

The crashes on startup are now a multi-times daily occurrence. It usually happens several times in a row when it does happen. I just go about browsing the interwebs for a minute hoping time will make it go away, then return to the project! [import]uid: 10284 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71861[/import]

#9

Is there anything different about your installation? For example, are you running the Corona Simulator over the network via a shared directory?

When you finally do get the Corona Simulator to start up properly, does it crash later while you are simulating your project and then this crashing nonsense happens again?

Any clues that you can provide will be much appreciated. We can’t fix this until we can reproduce it on our end and I’m not sure what the cause is just yet, other than a possible file locking issue with the json files that the welcome screen depends on.

That said, I suspect that you can work-around this crashing issue by disabling the welcome screen. You can do so by doing the following:

  1. Click menu item “File\Preferences”.
  2. Uncheck the “Don’t show the Welcome screen” box.
  3. Click the OK button.
    [import]uid: 32256 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71939[/import]
#10

> Is there anything different about your installation? For example,
> are you running the Corona Simulator over the network via a
> shared directory?

I’m running the project from a local folder on Windows. However, in case that’s relevant, this folder is network-shared with the MacBook sitting next to it for compiling. Compiling works fine though (and it’s worth noting I don’t try to compile on Mac AND run on Windows at the same time or anything).

> When you finally do get the Corona Simulator to start
> up properly, does it crash later while you are simulating
> your project and then this crashing nonsense happens again?

It crashes either immediately/ when I open the main.lua, or it doesn’t crash at all.
Thanks for the workaround suggestion of disabling the Welcome screen… I just changed my preferences and will see if the crashing reappears. [import]uid: 10284 topic_id: 18600 reply_id: 71957[/import]