Design and Architecture

22-Jan-08 1:47

I am collaborating on a Visual Studion 2005 project with a German colleague. The application is being published in Germany, but he (in Germany) and I (in the US) work on different parts of the overall project to suit the needs of our constituency.

We have noticed a new problem lately. He wrote a routine to create a text file that we can both use. During the running of the code, however, I get a trapped error trying to create the file, while in Germany the routine works fine.

Stepping through the sub-routine it turns out the error is being generated because when the application is published to the German server, a file path to my colleague's Documents and Settings folder is being referenced. The program only shows me this in debug mode, and neither of us is sure how a Visual Studio program written in VB stores this kind of data.

Is anyone aware of the mechanics of this?

led mike22-Jan-08 4:59

22-Jan-08 4:59

Mike Nelson wrote:
I get a trapped error

So you don't think the error message might help us to help you? Is that why you didn't post it?

Mike Nelson wrote:
is published to the German server

Is this an ASP.NET application?

led mike

Mike Nelson22-Jan-08 7:49

22-Jan-08 7:49

This is primarily a desktop application but is published to an ftp site so that each time a user starts the app if there is an internet connection, it goes and searches for updates to the program.

led mike22-Jan-08 7:58

22-Jan-08 7:58

Ok it's a desktop app. that helps. Now what about the error message?

led mike

Mike Nelson28-Jan-08 2:55

28-Jan-08 2:55

Sorry for the delay in responding -- I'm a one man shop and got tied up in an entirely different project. Here's what I get when I step through the relevant subroutine:
First, I get this:

"The source file is different from when the module was built. Would you like the debugger to use it anyway?" The paths shown are:
Source file: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\CAPS Project\Src 1-21-08\CAPSpro.NET\frmDocManager.vb
Module: C:|Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\CAPS Project\Src 1-21-08\CAPSpro.NET\bin\CAPSpro.exe

Click Yes:

Then a message comes up telling it cannot find the file, showing a path which is the path of the German developer who originally published the program ("The file 'C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\teg\Eigene Dateien\CAPS\Src\VB2005\CAPSpro.NET\frmDocManager.vb' does not exist.").

On one occasion I was able to change the path to my local machine where I am working on the source code, and the output file was successfully saved. Without the debugger, however, there is no message that the file cannot be found. This only appears when I step through the debugger one line at a time.

led mike28-Jan-08 5:58

28-Jan-08 5:58

Mike Nelson wrote:
"The source file is different from when the module was built. Would you like the debugger to use it anyway?"

Well clicking "yes" to that could cause any number of completely useless things to happen. This messages indicates you don't have a valid development environment for debugging your application.

Mike Nelson wrote:
when I step through

In order to debug you should have the source code and be debugging from a build on your local machine. If you were doing that you should not see the first message about source file being different from the module.

Based on your latests post it seems likely that you are no where near discovering the actual problem. I have no idea how to help you at this point since it seems likely you lack understanding "how things work" that are helpful during debugging efforts.

led mike

Mike Nelson28-Jan-08 7:41

28-Jan-08 7:41

I am debugging from source code on my local machine. The project, however, is a copy from the German developer. We both believe that is probably the source of the error, but don't know if our approach to collaboration on this project is typical or not. He sends me a copy of the code, I make corrections or additions necessary for US localization, test it, then send the code back to him where he recompiles and publishes the project. In this one case, however, trying to create a text file, neither of us understands where the reference to his file path comes from. I was hoping that someone else my have run into this during a similar collaboration.

Thanks, anyway, for your comments.

led mike28-Jan-08 8:42

28-Jan-08 8:42

Mike Nelson wrote:
where the reference to his file path comes from

What about "when" it comes. Based on your posts I am unclear when the reference is used, it seems in your last post there is a reference to source code meaning the reference is a development environment reference.

All the Visual Studio files are in XML form now I believe so you could open them in a text editor and search for the path string in the file.

led mike

Mike Nelson28-Jan-08 9:34

28-Jan-08 9:34

Well, these messages only appear when stepping through the code in debug mode. During normal program execution there is no message, the text file is merely left empty.

I'll take your hint about searching through the files with a text editor. I'm just not sure what file this would even be in.

led mike28-Jan-08 9:51

28-Jan-08 9:51

Mike Nelson wrote:
He wrote a routine to create a text file that we can both use.

Well somewhere in that code the path for the file is obtained or created right? Post that code.

led mike

Mike Nelson29-Jan-08 2:15