map fails to drag--drag stack sometimes only moves top

Technical Support & Bugs
1

I can’t drag the map around any more. Help with my terminology or with other
ways to get help would even be useful. Also, trying to move stacks of pieces
sometimes moves only the top one.

I hadn’t run Vassal in a week or two
prior to the problem appearing. During that time I recieved various software
updates, (not Vassal, but maybe Java) and tried editing a build file for
a Stalingrad variant–not the Stalingrad build file.
The Stalingrad module and the VASSAL Vengine.jar
still match my backups in date, size, and md5 checksum. It’s possible
I’ve corrupted something more obscure, I guess.

I dont’t know if the problem is the module, VASSAL, Java, the OS
(Ubuntu Linux), my roller-mouse, or what. I’m mostly a command-line oriented
user and programmer, so lessons in GUI-oriented terminology may be appropriate.

Because the problem was not provoked by running anything new from Vassal.org,
I’m not urging anyone to go very far trying to duplicate it. I am very
interested, however, in any reports or fixes from people who have seen the
same thing or something they suspect is related.

====Details of the problem==============

If I try to drag the map to show a different part of it, a black
rectangular outline is displayed, with one
corner where I originally clicked and the opposite corner at the current mouse
location. If I release the mouse button the rectangle is gone and the map is
exactly as it was when I started trying to drag. I don’t know if some operation
while the rectangle is showing will do something dramatic and useless to it,
e.g. zoom, turn it solid black, etc.

A specific sequence:

  1. Start Vassal
  2. double-click on the Stalingrad module
  3. start a game off-line
  4. open as the Russian player
  5. click on R41 (Minor city of Gorki)
  6. drag mouse toward top left or other directions–no effect except temporary
    display of rectangle
  7. drag Russian armored stack toward Gorki.
  8. expand stack
  9. unexpand stack
  10. try to drag it further–only the top unit drags.

I can drag the maps around successfully in Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and
OpenStreetMap.org, all using Firefox. I could test dragging on a Java
application if someone suggests one.

Model–a generic “white-box” machine from a local store.
Operating System: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS (Lucid)
CPU: Intel E3200
Memory: 1 gigabyte
video card: ?
Vassal version: 3.1.14
java version: “1.6.0_18”
Vassal module: Stalingrad 1.11
Mouse: Contour RollerMouse

OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea6 1.8.1) (6b18-1.8.1-0ubuntu1)
OpenJDK Client VM (build 16.0-b13, mixed mode, sharing)

My whole Vassal error log:

06 Oct 2010 05:50:52.692 0 – Starting
06 Oct 2010 05:50:52.693 0 – OS Linux
06 Oct 2010 05:50:52.693 0 – Java version 1.6.0_18
06 Oct 2010 05:50:52.693 0 – VASSAL version 3.1.14
06 Oct 2010 05:50:52.810 0 – Manager
06 Oct 2010 05:50:58.022 0 – Loading module file /home/scs/VASSAL/Stalingrad_1.11.vmod
06 Oct 2010 05:50:58.023 0 – Loading module Stalingrad
06 Oct 2010 05:50:58.025 0 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/bin/java -Xms256M -Xmx512M -DVASSAL.id=1 -Duser.home=/home/scs -cp lib/Vengine.jar VASSAL.launch.Player
06 Oct 2010 05:50:59.582 1 – Stalingrad version 1.11
06 Oct 2010 05:50:59.582 1

06 Oct 2010 05:54:23.004 1 – Exiting
06 Oct 2010 05:54:27.979 0 – Exiting

Thanks very much.
Stewart
(scs)

2

Thus spake scs:

If I try to drag the map to show a different part of it, a black
rectangular outline is displayed, with one
corner where I originally clicked and the opposite corner at the current
mouse
location. If I release the mouse button the rectangle is gone and the
map is
exactly as it was when I started trying to drag. I don’t know if some
operation
while the rectangle is showing will do something dramatic and useless to
it,
e.g. zoom, turn it solid black, etc.

This isn’t a bug. What you’re seeing is the selection rectangle. If you
want to scroll the map, use the scroll bars or your mouse wheel.

–
J.

3

Thanks for the prompt reply. I was very worried that I had found some obscure and painful way
to trash VASSAL, Java, or my system. It’s also helpful to know that the mouse wheel scrolls the map vertically.
The roller-mouse isn’t good with vertical scroll bars at the right edge of a full screen. It drifts out of calibration
repeatedly just enough that you can’t reach the bar. Then you have to find a click-safe spot on the right edge of its current
range to bump, which tells it to expand its horizontal range.

I wasn’t too worried that there was a VASSAL bug. The general quality of Vassal and the tone of the discussions on the
forum made it seem like a bug of such a nature would have been discovered by one of the regulars and pounced on by
slightly horrified developers. (Same for the stack motion complaint, by the way.)

Since I was more comfortable “improperly” scrolling the map by dragging it, I wonder whether there’s an easy way for me to
get this back. It seems probable (?) but unfortunate that a Java update fixed some misbehavior, possibly related to
roller-mice, that sent VASSAL scroll-wheel data when I clicked and dragged away from game pieces(?). I’m not asking the developers
to research this or put it in as a feature, but if it’s something someone already knows about I’d be very happy.

I’m wondering whether something equally fishy outside of VASSAL is making stacks not drag consistently. If it’s Java, maybe
they fixed one thing and broke another. It’s likely to be somewhat specific to my configuration, whatever it is. FWIW, my
middle mouse button SEEMS to double-click everywhere but VASSAL, which probably means for everything but Java.

Thanks very much.
Stewart
(scs)

4

Thus spake scs:

Since I was more comfortable “improperly” scrolling the map by dragging
it, I wonder whether there’s an easy way for me to
get this back.

Well, it’s in our plans to make the map pan by dragging, once we switch
over to JOGL for rendering. That might be some time, though.

–
J.