File crashes

[BlackPelican]

Hello

I recently removed quite a few unused fields, relationships, value lists and scripts from my data base and now it keeps crashing with the message "Filemaker Pro.e.exe. has generated errors. An error log is being generated". I have tried recover, compacting, and saving a clone but nothing works. I do have a back-up before I made the changes.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Gogargirl]

I have had exactly the same thing recently on a PC. I'm running W2KPro on a recently re-formatted hard drive,with very few other apps. Tried everything: virus checks, scan disk, reinstall, the lot - and no joy.

Always happens when I'm trying to Find in a related field. What are you doing when the crashes come?

One or 2 others have posted the same problem in these Forums, but no conclusive answers. I did wonder if the fact that my files were created on a PC running Win98 would make a difference. It does seem to be file specific, as my new files are ok.

Good Luck!

[BlackPelican]

I have isolated the problem to just one number field. Its not a key in a relationship, I have four number fields all defined the same with a calculated field to add them up. The value for each number field is pasted in from another data base with a script button for each field. When i change from layout back to browse if i try to delete just the one field Filemaker crashes.

What is going on? I've spent 3 days on this! Help!

[Gogargirl]

I'm assuming that everything was working OK until you tried the deletes, so that you don't have to check such things as whether the data types in all the fields involved in the calcs are the set the same (e.g. all number)?

Otherwise, there was another post somewhere (from Chuck?) about difficulties in deleting damaged elements on a layout. The solution was to scroll down to the grey area in the layout with the damaged bit and THEN delete the whole layout. Now I know you've only got one field that seems troubled, but if deleting one layout and rebuilding it solves your problem, at least you don't have to re-do the whole file....

[IdealData]

Have you tried the same on a Mac ?

Different versions of FMP ?

Is the field found in any scripts ?

Is the field a component of another calculation ?

The last two points generate a dialog explaining this - but potentially the file is damaged and FMP is crashing because it doesn't know what to do.

[andygaunt]

Hi Alison, you should have put your last bit as

quote:

---

at least

you

don't have to re-do the whole file....

---

[Gogargirl]

Too true Andy!

Guess I'm just one of many who thought their clones were clean and found out later to my cost that they were besmirched....

Which takes me back to my FM beef that it is SO hard (i.e. impossible) to know what's wrong with a file when you've discounted problems with the data. In my dreams!

[Steven H. Blackwell]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BlackPelican:

I have isolated the problem to just one number field. Its not a key in a relationship, I have four number fields all defined the same with a calculated field to add them up. The value for each number field is pasted in from another data base with a script button for each field. When i change from layout back to browse if i try to delete just the one field Filemaker crashes.

What is going on? I've spent 3 days on this! Help!

---

Cut and paste is probably not a good way to move data. I would use either Set Field or Insert Calculated Result instead.

Old Advance Man

[Steven H. Blackwell]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alison Opfermann:

Too true Andy!

Guess I'm just one of many who thought their clones were clean and found out later to my cost that they were besmirched....

Which takes me back to my FM beef that it is SO hard (i.e. impossible) to know what's wrong with a file when you've discounted problems with the data. In my dreams!

---

Data corruption (usually but not always high ASCII) can be detected either by Character Sieve or by the Field Inspector plugin.

Structural corruption can be harder to diagnose, but (seemingly contradictorily) easuer to spot. Layout elements, included graphics inserted from other programs, are prime candidates. If an index becomes corrupted, it can sometimes be rebuilt. Also, improper use of Recovered files is another prime source of corruption.

I suppose we really ought to do a White Paper on this topic, but it is several items back in the line of needed topics right now.

Old Advance Man

[BlackPelican]

Thank-you very much everyone and in particular Alison. I deleted all the elements on the layout and then copied and pasted everything from a backup. This is the first time in 4 or 5 days that I can actually add a new field to my layout.Wow - does that feel good. By the way I am getting close to 300 fields on my layout. Is that getting to a limit of some kind?

[Gogargirl]

Glad it worked BlackPelican. Going back to the original problem, you mentioned you had been deleting unused stuff. I just read this on John Mark Osborne's databasepros.com site and wondered if it might be relevant. It scares me and I'm convinced I've been a victim:

"Here's a bug that's been around for quite a long time that you need to watch out for. Try creating a text block with the same name as one of your fields. Then delete your field from Define Fields and the text will also disappear. It doesn't matter what layout the text block is on, it will be removed from the layout. The same thing will happen with buttons that have a name the same as the field. In fact, my computer crashed when deleting a field with the same name as a button."

OAM, thanks for the tips. It's structural damage that's the issue. Guess I'll juts wait for a WP!

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Well, I doubt that I'll have time to do a WP on this before the DEVCON at summer's end. I will howevr talk to John Mark and be sure that this info on the text block is still valid.

Old Advance Man