[maplab-users] MapLab (ms4w) erratic

[Zak James]

Hi Richard,

Java is only used in Maplab to draw the map controls in the preview
frames within the various components. The symptoms you describe are
unrelated and are the result of limitations inherent in the design of
the application.

The three elements of Maplab are implemented in a combination of PHP
and javascript which creates the interface you see in your browser.
Since the various frames in the applications each submit information
to the web server independently, failure to wait for each to complete
before interacting with others can lead to synchronization problems.
While the software attempts to give warnings when this occurs, not
every possibility is handled cleanly.

The best advice I can give is to be patient when interacting with the
interface and watch for visual confirmation of actions before
continuing. For instance, the file browser may not show up if you
don't wait for the toolbar frame to finish loading and execute it's
javascript before selecting File->Open.

zak


On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 17:39:44 -0800, Richard A. Milewski <ram at rampage.net> wrote:
> I think this may be a Java problem as much as anything.  I'm not a Java
> programmer so I'm out of my element, but.....
> 
> MapLab is erratic on my machine.  It simply stops working in odd ways at
> random.  A typical symptom is:
> 
> File Open in MapEdit and MapBrowser only works about 20% of the time.
> Sometimes switching from Edit to Browser lets me open a file and then I
> can move back to Edit.
> 
> Sometimes closing and reopening the browser helps, sometimes not.
> Sometimes a reboot appears to help... sometimes not.
> 
>  There's nothing in the Apache error log except messages about not
> finding favicon.ico and a_pixel.gif.
> 
> This is a ms4w installation (ms4w is the slickest Apache install for
> Windows on the planet!). The machine is running Windows XP Media Center
> Edition, and it has Java Runtime Environment Standard Edition 1.4.2_06,
> Default Virtual Machine 1.4.2_06-b03 and Java(TM) Plug-in 1.4.2_06
> installed.
> 
> I get essentially the same results with all three browsers, IE 6, Opera
> 7.54, and Firefox 1.0.1.
> 
> There's nothing in either the Firefox Javascript console or the Sun Java
> console that indicates a problem.
> 
> Can anyone point me at a How-To on debugging a Java installation?
> ...right now Java is just another four-letter word around here.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -- Richard
> 
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> 

-- 
Zak James
Applications and Software Development
DM Solutions Group Inc.
http://www.dmsolutions.ca