MAPVIEW upgrade

[kevL]

I have no idea, i really don't.


If i were you, as a test I'd create a directory on the root of your C: drive, dl the 7 files from the github distribution dir (you don't need the ConfigConverter..) to that new dir on your C:

double-click MapView.exe


then a smallish window should pop up asking about installation.

--
I don't know what limitations win7 Home has or not, I don't know if it has .NET 3.5, I don't know what MS redistributables are required, I don't know when the dinosaurs went extinct.

The .Chm helpfile was manufactured with the standard Windows Chm creator (HTML Help Workshop), and if even *that* doesn't open ... that's just mind-boggling

[RSSwizard]

If i were you, as a test I'd create a directory on the root of your C: drive, dl the 7 files from the github distribution dir (you don't need the ConfigConverter..) to that new dir on your C:

Here you go sir. What is "NTVDM" by the way?

[kevL]

NTVDM = Windows NT Virtual DOS Machine

(supposedly) it's for running 16-bit programs in a Dos-shell. But MapView I/II are not 16-bit programs ... I forced MVii to 32-bit build; i could be wrong because I'm just not sure about that stuff. In this case, however, it's highly unlikely - i suspect that it would be very difficult to even compile a program to 16-bit in today's age.

Also, when I run MV2, if it were 16-bit (which it isn't ) ntvdm.exe should show up in my TaskManager. It doesn't. Neither does it show up when i run PckView2, which is built with the same settings. Also, in the Help screen for PckView i twiddled-in a brief system-inspection routine that prints the build-type (release or debug), the bit-type (for lack of a better way of putting it), and the OS-interaction-type (ditto). Mine says:

release
X86
WoW64

meaning it's a release-build, 32-bit, running under WoW64

It'd be kinda nice if you could get PckView2 to run, just to check that ... but NOTE: PckView2 should not be run until *after* MapView2 runs at least once (because settings that pckview relies on are written to disk only *after* MVII runs).


> im running Win7 Home Premium 32 bit

hm. There's something called a VirtualStore in windows. I don't know much about it; it seems to be a so-called virtual space on the harddrive that Windows will write things like MapView's configuration files to if MapView is installed to a protected space. It has its problems because files are being written to places they aren't expected to be.

I mention the VirtualStore since in your 2nd screenshot i think i see "@MSITStore:C\Mapview2\MapView.chm" .... "Store" suggests to me that Windows is trying to shuffle stuff into the VirtualStore ... eg, it could be trying to make a copy of the .CHM file to the store before opening it.


Have you checked for malware recently? (personally i doubt it 'cause there'd likely be a lot else going wrong on your computer if so)

my best **guess** at this point, is that Win7 Home has extra security that aggressively clamps things into protected spaces. I suggest hunting down things like UAC (User Access Control) and Ownership properties on the Mapview directory ....... personally i obliterated as much of that stuff as I could as soon as I got Win7 64. .. i tried, i really tried to live with it but just couldn't,




edit: Another way of looking at it, why is your computer trying to open a dos-box ? o.O

edit2: it's a long shot but you could try right-click mapview.exe, Properties, Compatibility, Windows XP (Service Pack 3)

[Keth01]

Hi KevL!

Just a quick question- my copy of MapView 2 (latest build, downloaded last night) can't/won't save .MAP files. It saves images of the map
 (.GIF) correctly, and doesn't display any error message, but the file just doesn't appear.

I'm running it with admin permissions on a Windows 8.1 machine.

[kevL]

to create a .MAP file

use the MapTree (left panel of MainView). you'll need a Group (top level branch), a Category (a branch under the Group), and select the Category w/ a click. Then right-click it and choose Add Tileset ...

Make sure the Tileset's Path is correct (change it w/ the ... button). Type in the name of your new .MAP/.RMP in the Map input-box. Click "Create". Add some terrrainsets from the lower right panel and gtg.


To save a .MAP, have it open in MainView. use File|Save Map, or File|Save All (also saves the .RMP and the MapTree), or File|Save As ... (also saves the .RMP iirc)

It should get saved to its basepath as specified in Edit Tileset, the Path field (left-click the map in the MapTree, right-click it, choose Edit Tileset ... to see the path)

--
ps. be careful with permissions under Program Files etc etc. I'm not a multi-machine programmer and can't debug problems in operating systems other than Win7 64. So i don't know what "admin permissions" really does (and doesn't do) in 8.1 ... for that matter, i don't know what "admin permissions" does and doesn't do in win7 also.

i'm just a dos 6.22 guy. /jk


Edit: maybe i'll have to run a check after saving files, that tells if a file was successfully saved or not ...

that's in the future tho

Edit2: oh, if a map is created and saved to disk okay, but doesn't appear in the MapTree, it's likely because the MapTree wasn't explicitly saved. And if using File|Save As ... it won't appear in the MapTree unless/until it's added w/ Add Tileset ...


( it's been a while and, needless to say, the whole MapTree business is ... complicated. )

[Keth01]

Okay, here's an interesting one. MapView was running fine but my computer powered down unexpectedly (power cut) and afterwards MapView won't load- it 'encounters a problem' according to Windows with no useful error messages.

The tricky art is that I deleted and redownloaded MapView off GitHub and fired it up again- but the issue persists!

I'm guessing it's trying to look at something in my OpenXCOM install and not finding it/finding garbage but I have no insight as to what or how to fix it. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated!

[ohartenstein23]

MapView has some configuration/data files for remembering settings and paths to the map and terrain files, maybe one of those was messed up and is saved somwhere that wasn't removed on uninstall?

[Keth01]

That's my suspicion, but I don't know where... I killed everything I could find. Hence asking the astonishingly helpful author

[kevL]

if that's me idk ...

unexpected shutdowns can cause weird things to the hardrive. (I once had to reformat an entire drive because chkdisk/scandisk refused to reset the "dirty bit". so ... sounds like you can wipe the sweat off yer brow on that one.)

without sitting at your computer there's not much i know - you could try installing to different directory, try running a deep-scan on the hardrive (takes all night), uhh

Mapview1 writes to the registry, so if that's an issue try a registry cleaner like CCleaner. Mapview2 does not write to the registry and all its files ought be under its parent dir.

unless it's using a so-called virtual store ... which you could search around for .. on my machine it's under C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\VirtualStore and perhaps delete a MapView folder (or rename it like, "Mapview_") I've done that with a few other old programs that wanted to use the virtual store and it doesn't seem to cause problems but you should google it first, i guess.

It partly depends on what the computer was doing when the power was cut.

I really can't think why an app that ran before would refuse to run again. I'd try installing to a different directory. and google is our friend, try "power cut application won't run" ( + permutations )

[Keth01]

Thanks for weighing in. I'll check the virtual store possibility later tonight.

Failing that, I'm getting a new machine in a couple of weeks so I guess I'll start over on a clean system

[kevL]

that's a bingo 

[Keth01]

Okay, I've got it starting again, which is progress. But none of the 'right click' functions (such as viewing/editing tilesets or starting a new map) are working, nor am I able to change level in the main window unless I close the tile view and top view.

I'm only mentioning this on the off chance that these particular errors shed some light on the problem?

[kevL]

not to me unfortunately :|

But none of the 'right click' functions (such as viewing/editing tilesets or starting a new map) are working, nor am I able to change level in the main window unless I close the tile view and top view.

That sounds like a problem that was/is happening on circa post-Win7 machines. MainView would refuse to take focus if any of the other viewers were open. So i put in an option under MainView->Edit->Options->AllowBringToFront

it should default to FALSE - which is a 'safe' setting. Ie, a user would have to change it to TRUE to allow the bring-to-front behavior, when MainView is clicked to take focus (but TRUE is the setting that could also enable the bug.)

So, and this might be a longshot, since MainView (specifically the view-panel) needs focus for the mousewheel to scroll through levels ... and probably for a right-click on the MapTree to work also ... have a look at MainView->Edit->Options and check the "AllowBringToFront" setting. suggested: FALSE

[Keth01]

For some reason it's not showing 'AllowBringToFront' as an option on the screen you suggested...

[kevL]

from here?

https://github.com/kevL/OpenXCOM.Tools/tree/master/Distribution

I just downloaded those files and ran MapView.exe in a clean dir, and after the installation dialog this appears under MainView|Edit|Options