topic Re: Warning message-HELP in Modeling

Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 21:17:16 GMT

This being Friday afternoon, I closed a file and got the following message:
"Warning:
string type expression required at line 79 of File MASTEREND_GDL_XXX.GDL"

How do I go about finding out what it refers to and what to correct?
Is this an integrity problem?
Do I go back to the last known safe version?

Thanks in advance

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 19:22:22 GMT

I can open and close the file without getting that error again.
I did find when I went to wireframe that there was a piece made with the roof tool that went on into infinity and remade the part correctly...hoping that is it.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Jul 2004 04:00:38 GMT

Sometimes with Archicad closing and openning file again helps.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Sun, 18 Jul 2004 20:24:09 GMT

No, unfortunately while the file is openable, once I work in it for at least an hour it reappears.

ALL HELP ON WHERE TO LOOK FOR THIS PESKY SCRIPT IS WELCOME

Re: Warning message-HELP

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Jul 2004 22:06:42 GMT

You can search your hard drive for the file name unless it is embedded in a plp. If you place the name of the library part in a dummy script, you can select the text and go to File > GDL Objects > Open Library Part and ArchiCAD will open the part of the selected name (this might work from the plan view - or others - but I've never tried it).

It sounds like you think this may be related to a misbehaving roof add-on. You could try putting the suspect roof onto a hidden layer and see if the problem goes away.

Re: Warning message-HELP

James Murray — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 01:16:56 GMT

You can open objects directly from the report window. Highlight the text and "Open Object". Handy when there's an error in a macro; you can open it directly without tunneling through the caller(s).

Re: Warning message-HELP

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 01:58:31 GMT

James wrote:
You can open objects directly from the report window. Highlight the text and "Open Object". Handy when there's an error in a macro; you can open it directly without tunneling through the caller(s).

Cool.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 06:37:34 GMT

Hi,
I'm waiting to try the open object method too, searching for the text got me nowhere.
It's not the roof tool, I replaced that item, a gusset on a foundation wall,

I'll let you know how it goes.

thanks

Re: Warning message-HELP

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 09:32:27 GMT

Open the GDL Script and select Go to Line from the Edit menu. Then you will find line 79. Inspect what variables appear in the line.

I have found previously that such messages can appear while you edit the Object but it still works when saved and placed in ArchiCAD.
It happened to me with Zones.
What I found is when you are editing it, a lot of variables are not filled with real values that can occur only after actually placing the object.
If the variable is not filled up with a value, ArchiCAD assumes it is a numeric type (unless it is a parameter, which has its type defined). When it encounters a line that expects a string type variable it gives an error, since the variable is not filled up with a value yet (so it thinks it is zero, which is numeric).
Sometimes intializing you variable to a string (e.g. Var = "") helps. But this is not a good idea if the value will be filled up by ArchiCAD.
Let us say I am using the ZONE_NAME zone fix parameter in my zone's 2D Script. If at the beginning of the 2D Script I set it to "" instead of "Lobby" it extracts from the Floor Plan, later it will give wrong results. So one must be careful.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 14:32:52 GMT

Laszlo,
thank you, but the warning message would pop up only when I would close ArchiCAD.
Of course, Murphy's law, it hasn't happened since James's tip so I can't see if it works at that time.

I've checked the few things I had scripted for such an error.
I am also using Smart Parts, the latest version for doors, windows and kitichen equipment...ooh, as I write that I can think of some of those that have a parameter option for a name and I didn't fill in...I'll check those now

Re: Warning message-HELP

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 17:24:23 GMT

OK, that must have been something else then.
Such things happened to me, too: I closed ArchiCAD, it closed, then the Bug Reporter came up as if something has gone wrong. Curious.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 20:11:06 GMT

Hi,
The warning popped up again.
Unlike the warning boxes that pop up when one has an opened library part, the text in a warning box that pops-up when closing ArchiCAD is uneditable.

Wether I chose 'Continue' or 'close' it still closes AC.
It does not generate a bug report.
I manually ran a bug report and sent it in.
This time I was working in a template file, other times it has occurred in a pln from this template.

I have done clean installs of AC and restarted this file from scratch and eventually for this one template it becomes problematic. I'm guessing it is in one of the loaded libraries, non-AC, but so far I haven't been able to find it.
Searching for that line of text did not turn up any results

grrrr

I just wish I could figure out what the problem is.
any more suggestions?
Techsupport called yesterday their server was down and couldn't access the files I sent in......

Re: Warning message-HELP

Laszlo Nagy — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 13:19:59 GMT

I found some info in AC Help:

ArchiCAD Help\GDL Reference Manual\Graphisoft GDL Reference Manual\An Overview of GDL \1.2 How the 3D Image is Generated \The Order of GDL Script Analysis :

Scripts whose name begins with "MASTEREND_GDL" are executed after a 3D conversion sequence, after creating a Section/Elevation, when finishing a list process and when the active library is to be changed (Load Libraries, Open a project, New project, Quit).

So it is executed when you quit, but there is some problem with it which sometimes causes this message.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 15:17:45 GMT

Laszlo,
Wow.

"So it is executed when you quit, but there is some problem with it which sometimes causes this message."

Do I understand you correctly that it the warning actually means nothing?
The warning is meaningless?

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 15:31:12 GMT

I should add that seeing that warning message was just the harbinger of more error and warning messages.

I start with getting an error message like the warning one, and then I'll start getting other ones, like in a s/e window 'dimension string created by earlier version of archicad" (not true) and gives me a choice of changing dimensions to static, deleting and I forget the other one. It didn't make any difference which I chose, the dimension stayed associated.

other times I get the ever-popular force-quite. again, whichever option I picked, the file would disappear and data would be lost. I keep going back to a version before those problems occur, and as I said I have also done the extreme of clean install of AC and starting over. It is only happening in that one file. I thought if I could find out what the Warning message meant, that it might stop this heinous cycle and I could finish this project....

I'll look through the GDL manual and see if I can find other possibilities. I hadn't thought to look their. I sent another file to US tech support yesterday, but haven't heard back from them. Yet.

Thank you

Re: Warning message-HELP

Laszlo Nagy — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:31:57 GMT

Yes, that warning during quitting does not have much effect (or we can say 'none' ) on the Project but it is nevertheless a sign that something is not perfect.
From what you wrote I would suspect there is something specifically wrong with that file so sending it to US Tech Sup is a good step to take.

Re: Warning message-HELP

Erika Epstein — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 17:35:55 GMT

laszlonagy wrote:
I have found previously that such messages can appear while you edit the Object but it still works when saved and placed in ArchiCAD.
It happened to me with Zones.
What I found is when you are editing it, a lot of variables are not filled with real values that can occur only after actually placing the object.
If the variable is not filled up with a value, ArchiCAD assumes it is a numeric type (unless it is a parameter, which has its type defined). When it encounters a line that expects a string type variable it gives an error, since the variable is not filled up with a value yet (so it thinks it is zero, which is numeric).

Laszlo,
This was a big help. While working on the window schedule I was getting error messages that referred to the line in a 3rd party window that had empty quotes. I spoke with him and we inserted a dummy parameter.

I hope this is all, I'm addressing the other error messages as I can detect their origins
Thank You