invisible/flashing windows

[Leigh_Shepherd]

Howdy all - back again!

I’ve created a VASSAL miodule of a game of my own devising and have been testing the rules with a friend - as we have reworked the game mechanics, I’ve updated the game and sent different versions to him. After installing the last updater, he has encountered a problem, that nmow seems to affect his other VASSAL modules.

The game windows appear to begin with but disappear when he carries out certain actions or just palin randomly. They arent gone - he can click over them adn they appear for a while, but then vanish again soon after.

He’s uninstalled and reinstalled VASSAL and I’ve made a new installer (though based on the old module) and he still gets the same issue

Any clues?

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

Howdy all - back again!

I’ve created a VASSAL miodule of a game of my own devicing and have been test
ing the rules with a friend - as we have reworked the game mechanics, I’ve up
dated the game and sent different versions to him. After installing the last
updater, he has encountered a problem, that nmow seems to affect his other V
ASSAL modules.

The game windows appear to begin with but disappear when he carries out certa
in actions or just palin randomly. They arent gone - he can click over them
adn they appear for a while, but then vanish again soon after.

He’s uninstalled and reinstalled VASSAL and I’ve made a new installer (though
based on the old module) and he still gets the same issue

Any clues?

What version of VASSAL is your friend using? What does he have his
maximum heap set to? (If using anything post-3.0, you can find the max
heap setting in the Preferences.)

–
J.

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[Leigh_Shepherd]

Thanks for the speedy reply

3.0.17 is the version - in edit preferences, I cant find the heapsize thing, though i set it to 256 when creating the module and updaters - possibly should i do a new updater with more memory 1024?

That said, the issue is now affecting other games as well as this one, so I’m unsure that would be the answer…

It does seem potentially like a memroy problem though - how do you go about editing the size? Ive seen a few links that talk about editing teh jnlp file so show a max heap size of 1024 instead of the 256 - we tried that, but no joy. does ti need/can it be changed elsewhere? I notice mention of chagnig the initial heap as well as the max heap - is that somethign worth trying, and if so, is it as simple as adding it into the jnlp file?

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

3.0.17 is the version - in edit preferences, I cant find the heapsize thing,
though i set it to 256 when creating the module and updaters - possibly shoul
d i do a new updater with more memory 1024?

I’d recommend trying 3.1.0-beta3 instead. Let me know if you still have
the same problem there.

–
J.

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[Leigh_Shepherd]

no change with the 3.1.Beta, sadly, (though it looks good!)

Having got him to move the main map window down the screen, he can see the other windows are ‘alive’ under the main map, just covered by it - it’s as if its prioritising the main map over the smaller wndows visually, though clicking on the space the smaller wiondows inhabits brings them back to the front as it were. Once he clicks back on the main map area, they disappear behind it again - could this be a java setting problem rather than something in VASSAL, given he appears to be the only person experiencing it?

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

no change with the 3.1.Beta, sadly, (though it looks good!)

Having got him to move the main map window down the screen, he can see the ot
her windows are ‘alive’ under the main map, just covered by it - it’s as if i
ts prioritising the main map over the smaller wndows visually, though clickin
g on the space the smaller wiondows inhabits brings them back to the front as
it were. Once he clicks back on the main map area, they disappear behind it
again - could this be a java setting problem rather than something in VASSAL
, given he appears to be the only person experiencing it?

Could I get a copy of this module so I can see what’s going on myself?

–
J.

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[Tim_M]

The mod is running in windowed mode as opposed to combined application mode
(setting in preferences).

When a mod is run in the combined mode, any chart/ map that opens/pop ups
will always stay in the front and wont get lost behind the main map when
main map is the focus, otherwise it will do what you are seeing.

Change this pref if you want to switch how it is handling the focus

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[Leigh_Shepherd]

Cheers for that - sounds likely (he says optimistically!), though not able to check at the mo - will report back if that s the answer once I can catch the chap online tomorrow

Thanks for the help and offers of help - hoping that will do the trick

[Leigh_Shepherd]

Sadly, no joy with that fix. The comboned app window was already ticked in his preferences - we tried switching it off and then back on, but to no avail. I’ve sine sent the same module to another player and they arent having any problems at all, so I suspect its something to do with this one chaps Java - I’m tempted to get him to delete his temprary java files or reinstall Java, but not being an expert (as you can probably tell!), I’m a bit scared of potential repercussions - is it worth trying either approach?

As i say, I suspect the problem is with the chaps java rather than the module itself, so Im not sure sending the module to anyone else to look at would help - any clus appreciated

cheers

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

Sadly, no joy with that fix. The comboned app window was already ticked in h
is preferences - we tried switching it off and then back on, but to no avail.
I’ve sine sent the same module to another player and they arent having any
problems at all, so I suspect its something to do with this one chaps Java -
I’m tempted to get him to delete his temprary java files or reinstall Java, b
ut not being an expert (as you can probably tell!), I’m a bit scared of poten
tial repercussions - is it worth trying either approach?

As i say, I suspect the problem is with the chaps java rather than the module
itself, so Im not sure sending the module to anyone else to look at would he
lp - any clus appreciated

cheers

I still don’t understand from your description of the problem what it
is that you’re seeing. Are the other windows minimizing? Are they
windowshading? Are they being sent to the bottom in the window order?
Are they going blank, so that nothing is drawn inside them? Which windows
are these that you’re talking about?

It’s extremely unlikely that this is a problem with your friend’s Java
installation. What operating system is your friend running? What version
of Java?

–
J.

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[Leigh_Shepherd]

"Are they being sent to the bottom in the window order? "

That sounds like the best way of putting it:

The module has a main map window, and 4 more floating windows containing the various card decks. These floating windows are the ones that disappear.

As described to me, they are not minimising, but are not visible to him - he can only see the main map window, until he points and clicks on the spot where the floating window should be showing on the screen. It then pops back into view until he clicks on the main map, at which point the floating window disappears back behind the main map.

He can actually see the floating windows are still in the correct place on screen as he has moved the main map window to one side and they are revealed to be in the right place. They are hidden ‘under’ the main map when he moves the main map over them, or when the main map is maximised. These floating windows for me and my other tester are always on top of the main map. Once he’s moved the main map out of the way, or clicked in the correct spot to bring the floating window to the front, he can view and use the window as normal - its just that the windows are usually being hidden under the main map, and are frustrating to find by clicking roughly where you expect them to be.

His preference settings are all the same as mine, having gone through them last night, and as I say, myself and the other chap I sent it to isnt having the same problem. He also didnt have this problem to begin with - the first few versions fo teh module worked fine for him. He is also now getting the same problem the other module he has, which has worked OK for many months until this point, and has not been updated.

As always, thanks for the help on this - Feel like a pest, given its such a specific and unique error, but its really making it a grind for him to play the modules.

He is XP, and he tells me his java is up to date (updated only a couple of days back apparently), so I assume the same version as mine - when hes about, i’ll check wiht him

So far, we’ve

done a new update of the module
reinstalled the module
reinstalled VASSAL
tried the beta
checked his preferences

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

The module has a main map window, and 4 more floating windows containing the
various card decks. These floating windows are the ones that disappear.

As described to me, they are not minimising, but are not visible to him - he
can only see the main map window, until he points and clicks on the spot wher
e the floating window should be showing on the screen. It then pops back int
o view until he clicks on the main map, at which point the floating window di
sappears back behind the main map.

This sounds to me like he has his window manager set to raise windows when
clicked.

He can actually see the floating windows are still in the correct place on sc
reen as he has moved the main map window to one side and they are revealed to
be in the right place. They are hidden ‘under’ the main map when he moves t
he main map over them, or when the main map is maximised. These floating win
dows for me and my other tester are always on top of the main map. Once he’s
moved the main map out of the way, or clicked in the correct spot to bring th
e floating window to the front, he can view and use the window as normal - it
s just that the windows are usually being hidden under the main map, and are
frustrating to find by clicking roughly where you expect them to be.

His preference settings are all the same as mine, having gone through them la
st night, and as I say, myself and the other chap I sent it to isnt having th
e same problem. He also didnt have this problem to begin with - the first fe
w versions fo teh module worked fine for him. He is also now getting the sam
e problem the other module he has, which has worked OK for many months until
this point, and has not been updated.

As always, thanks for the help on this - Feel like a pest, given its such a s
pecific and unique error, but its really making it a grind for him to play th
e modules.

What operating system is your friend using? What window manager?

–
J.

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[Leigh_Shepherd]

That does sound the case in terms of the problem he’s having, though he hasnt noticed any differences in other areas (though he may not given the ‘sticky’ windows is not the norm)

He is XP, and as far as he’s aware, he is using whatever window manager he had from the beginning - that is, he’s never downloaded a separate window manager so I’m assuming whatevers managing his windows is whatever comes as standard “out of the box” as it were with XP?

Presumably there’s somewhere you can go to change the setting, or do you have to download an actual window manager to be able to do that? Sadly my attempts to discover this by googling have let me down!

Sorry for my general lack of knowledge here!

[uckelman]

Thus spake “Leigh Shepherd”:

That does sound the case in terms of the problem he’s having, though he hasnt
noticed any differences in other areas (though he may not given the ‘sticky’
windows is not the norm)

He is XP, and as far as he’s aware, he is using whatever window manager he ha
d from the beginning - that is, he’s never downloaded a separate window manag
er so I’m assuming whatevers managing his windows is whatever comes as standa
rd “out of the box” as it were with XP?

If you’re using Windows, then Windows is both your OS and window manager.
I thought this might be a problem with a window manager setting when
running X on, e.g., Linux. But Windows gives you almost no options w/r/t
how it behaves as a window manager.

Presumably there’s somewhere you can go to change the setting, or do you hav
e to download an actual window manager to be able to do that? Sadly my attem
pts to discover this by googling have let me down!

Sorry for my general lack of knowledge here!

I’m baffled. Some XP users need to chime in here about what could be wrong.

–
J.

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