Invisible, Nonsense-Error-Generating Trash in GDL Scripts

[James Murray]

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-...

[Karl Ottenstein]

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.

[Barry Kelly]

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.

[Peter Baksa]

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?

[James Murray]

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

[James Murray]

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@Peter Baksa wrote:

UTF-8 combining characters

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Can you add anything to this?

[Peter Baksa]

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

[James Murray]

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

[Peter Baksa]

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

[vdentello]

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.