topic Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts in GDL

Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

James Murray — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:47:31 GMT

I was advised by Tech Support to post this here. It is distressing (to me) that Archicad has so much trouble running a robust * checks notes * text window, but we all know that Resources Are Limited.

GDL scripts occasionally, invisibly, glitch and start generating nonsense errors. Naturally, fake errors can't be corrected. It would be nice if this didn't happen!

Here is my thread about a fix for this: https://twitter.com/jamesm00001/status/1584936226905239552

Here is the crash report number: AC25-2022-10-20-15-55-25-4574. Not sure why this forum can make better use of this info than Tech Support, but I am trying to be cooperative.

Thanks in advance for ignoring this and making the rest of AC so perfect. https://community.Graphisoft.com/t5/Developer-forum/Sincere-Thanks-for-Not-Wasting-Resources-on-the-GDL-Environment/m-p/324858#M9269

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Karl Ottenstein — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 01:07:37 GMT

Bizarre errors, and bizarre experience and advice from GSNA tech support. I certainly hope that the employee who told you to post here was just hired, as that would be the only excuse for such cluelessness. GSNA should have put you in direct contact with someone at HQ out of respect for your decades of experience and contributions to the Archicad community - here, in your blog, and elsewhere.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Barry Kelly — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 01:35:08 GMT

I have always scripted in an older version of Archicad so the objects have the widest usage of versions possible.

i.e. we may be using versions 20, 22 and 24, but I do all my scripting in version 20.

I have therefore never noticed any problems.

But since I have moved to scripting in 20 (now actually 22), I have been noticing 'errors' in my scripts.

All looks good on the screen, but the 2D/3D view will not work and there will be silly errors to say there is no ENDIF or missing CALL keyword, etc. and James shows in his Twitter post.

What I noticed is, if you compare the script in the main editor window (just using the large script buttons) with the pop-out script windows (the small button next to the larger ones) there will sometimes be a difference.

What you have copied and pasted in one view and looks OK, is completely different in the other view.

When they should be exactly the same.

I thought is was just me doing something strange and it seems to not be easily reproduced.

Sometimes it happens, sometimes it is all fine.

Seems to happen most when editing in the pop-out script windows.

As it is not something that can be reproduced on demand, I have not been able to report it to support (or maybe I did and just didn't get anywhere because it is hard to reproduce - I am sure I have complained to someone about this).

I have no solution other than comparing the 2 script windows and undoing when an error occurs and trying again.

But it is bizarre that the same script in the 2 views can be different.

Next time it happens (hasn't happened for a while now fortunately), I will be sure to take screen shots and report it to support.

Barry.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Peter Baksa — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:46:22 GMT

Hi,

We know of a similar error which happens when entering UTF-8 combining characters.

As a workaround, does saving the object (ignoring the errors) and opening it again fix the issue?

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

James Murray — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:13:01 GMT

No, saving and reopening doesn't help, saving as doesn't help, and in some cases saving causes a crash.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

James Murray — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:27:30 GMT

@Peter Baksa wrote:
UTF-8 combining characters

Can you add anything to this?

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Peter Baksa — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 16:17:46 GMT

Another cause might be that the library parts were created from a source using other than UTF-8 with BOM encoding.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

James Murray — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 16:23:39 GMT

They error-generating code was created solely using the Archicad Library Part Editor. BBEdit was able to clean it up.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Peter Baksa — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 15:22:36 GMT

Sorry, I don't have any other workaround ideas. Please submit crash reports, they help us in caching the bug.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

vdentello — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 20:47:03 GMT

I just created a post: https://community.Graphisoft.com/t5/Developer-forum/Ghost-characters-on-GDL-editor/m-p/365333#M11484

It's easily done using quote marks, it will happen ALL the time and its being a huge drawback.

It won't ever crash, just type unnecessary characters which will break the code. I have to save, close, open and correct the error EVERY time I have to use quote marks.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

MetalFingerz — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 13:00:28 GMT

I have had the same issue as well.

Basically the random error happens but isn't visible in the normal script windows. When I open the pop out window of the guilty script and/or undock it, I am then able to see the random garbage causing the issue. If I fix the coding error in this undocked script window, the code passes the check script test, however in the default script window, displayed code is now wrong.

I need to save, close and reopen the .gsm for everything to go back to normal in both script windows.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Hmooslechner — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 13:51:10 GMT

I had to learn "not to mousdraw scriptparts" - that always causes this error on Mac (on Win i dont know now) - copy-paste works instead. Graphisoft - just fix this - its occuring since the last 5 versions or even longer!

When You work on this - just add line-numbers to the editor, please and code-highlighting as well, as also case-sensitive rightclick selectable code, bracket-closing-highlighting, coloring functions, possible table-selecting, hotkeys for direct switching between 3D-2D-Masterscript-displays ... and more..., what e modern editor should be able to do! so there would be no need for extern editors any more!!

The use of extern editors is much too slow in real scripting!

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

vdentello — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 14:56:03 GMT

I agree 100%.

I can't see a reasonable excuse no to implement line numbering, "its not in the queue".
That's SO SIMPLE, seriously. Would help a LOT. It won't break down the features under development because it took too much time to script on a main version...

External conversion takes a lot of time, reimport, update library...

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Barry Kelly — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 05:28:15 GMT

@vdentello wrote:

I can't see a reasonable excuse no to implement line numbering, "its not in the queue".

The line numbers are there, we just can't see them.

If you get an error to say something wrong at line xx, them just press CTRL+L and type in the line number and ENTER and you will be taken there.

If you want to know the line you are on, again just press CTRL+L and it will tell you.

The line numbers are not used in coding anyway, so having them show is not really necessary.

Yes, we can script GOTO 100, but that is not a line number.

It is a sub-routing number that we create.

Barry.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Hmooslechner — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 08:05:29 GMT

Barry - Just seeing line numbers directly would make life so much easier - You know how much more time i sit in front of script-displays than you, i think. Just trust me on this...

Whats also a mess with this: I often use the builtin error-search and at the beginning, it jumps automaticly to the line and highlights it perfectly, but after some time, it doesnot do that any more, it just displays the line-number. Then, You have to remorize the line number Yourself and you have to use your suggestion here and manually put in the memorized line number to jump to that place ????

I use the builtin error dedection nearly every minute in scripting to control myself and do you know how irritating this becomes in that mass?

So - its nice to get such a suggestion for a workaround after another for solutions for Graphisofts messes, but it would help much more, when G. would clean up its rubbish for once.

It is not the user's fault if Graphisoft loses programmers for whatever reason without ensuring a meaningful transfer of knowledge to the other staff and suitable replacements.

After all these years of bringing these things to Graphisoft's attention, I'm pretty pissed off about it.

Archicad is such a great programm and they are ruining it themselves by not listening to the users for decades now, one gets the impression.

It's just a shame.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

SenecaDesignLLC — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 14:47:40 GMT

I use the go to line button. If the error check doesn't take me to the line then I just jump there. Much easier then adding your own numbers.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

AllanP — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 22:26:05 GMT

Hi,

My main GDL scripting is done in Archicad 18 build 9019 AUS on Windows 10 Enterprise 64bit, and it does it.

I thought I was miss coding the objects, making mistakes and somehow missing endif statements, or somehow typing garbage on random lines.

I use the Check script, a piece of paper to write down the error line numbers (because when it randomly goes bad, it goes very very bad), and then Ctrl+L to go to the line number of the error, or just find out the line the cursor is currently on so i know if its before or after where i am.

I know if I paste in code from another object it will causes errors in the end of the code after the paste point sometimes, becoming corrupt. having to close and open an older version of the object.

Or another one is the content being pasted into the master window as well as the working pop out window i am currently working in, it gets pasted in two different scripts types.

This makes me happy on one level (now knowing its not me) but unhappy/scared on another level (now knowing the gdl script editing engine is Randomly Broken for everyone, and in newer versions of Archicad).

I was hopping that when the older legacy projects in our office were over, i would be able to move the GDL coding to a newer version of Archicad we are using to get past these errors, but no 😞

I cannot remember errors like this back when i started, but that was Archicad 4.5.5 on Apple Quadra's with 24MB of ram, you didn't put much in the scripts.

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Peter Baksa — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 11:44:34 GMT

Colleagues are doing a rework on the code editor, most of your wishes will be included: https://community.Graphisoft.com/t5/Developer-forum/GDL-Syntax-Highlight-for-VSCode/m-p/362212/highlight/true#M11311

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

James Murray — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 15:23:56 GMT

Peter, would it possible to share a list of the planned changes? So much to do besides syntax highlighting 😄

Re: Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

Peter Baksa — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 08:13:13 GMT

Hi,

Generally we collect thoughts in the wishes forum, and ask for feedback in the beta phase. I forwarded your message to the ones responsible for planned changes.