IP problems

[admin]

update:

this bug seems to have gotten worse in newer xy versions.
now not even clicking on a list item updates the IP.
i had to actually change the selected IP tab to force it to update...

Strange, never seen this here.

[Muroph]

Strange, never seen this here.

yeah, i know.
especially because i can't find a reliable way to reproduce it.
it just happens for no aparent reason.

this week i decided to try some things to eliminate possible variables.
first i disabled and uninstalled mediainfo, which i thought could be the cause since it modifies the property sheet for some file types.
it didn't work.
then i uninstalled a few other apps that could have been doing the same thing, but it also didn't help.
finally, i tried do something a bit more extreme: i used a tool to completely disable almost all non default shell extensions in my system.
even then the bug is still the same as it used to be.
well, actually it's worse because, as i said before, in the newer betas clicking on a list item also stopped working.
to update the IP i have to switch to the "version" tab.
to make it worse, the IP preview stopped working completely, giving a "file empty" error.
restarting xy does not fix it, but sometimes it goes back to normal if i stop using xy for a while and go do something else.
its like xy is doing something that causes a shell function to freeze for a while.

also, i disabled file info tips in xy, but the bug didn't disappear.
so it's not, as i had thought, caused by them.
the bug is most likely in the IP, and/or (considering it also affects the info tips) in the function that access the files to get their info.


i'll try a few more things, but i'm about to give up.
this has been so bad since last week that i'll probably revert to v9.10 for a while.
if i have the time i'll even try the ultimate hardcore solution: set up a new windows installation on my spare HD, and hope the bug does not show up there as well.

[admin]

Don't you have a second computer anywhere to try?

[Muroph]

Don't you have a second computer anywhere to try?

unfortunately, no.
and that wouldn't really work well since i can't trigger the bug at will.
to test it i would have to spend a few hours using xy on that pc.


a few minutes ago i remembered a situation from some years ago and had a (hopefully) good idea.
i looked for and downloaded a free API monitor/debugger.
next time i get the bug i'll use it to see if anything weird is happening behind the curtains.

[Muroph]

well, i tested it using the API monitor and apparently i'm on the right track.

when xy is normal, a call for SHGetFileInfoW is logged every time i change the focused item.
but when xy is bugged this does not happen.
instead, the SHGetFileInfoW is logged when i select the "version" tab in the IP (normally changing the IP tab does not do this).


it would be useful if i could log this calls from inside xy instead of relying on 3rd party app.
wasn't there a debugging command that did smth like this?
does it still work?

[admin]

well, i tested it using the API monitor and apparently i'm on the right track.

when xy is normal, a call for SHGetFileInfoW is logged every time i change the focused item.
but when xy is bugged this does not happen.
instead, the SHGetFileInfoW is logged when i select the "version" tab in the IP (normally changing the IP tab does not do this).


it would be useful if i could log this calls from inside xy instead of relying on 3rd party app.
wasn't there a debugging command that did smth like this?
does it still work?

I have a theory... wait for the next version...

[Muroph]

I have a theory... wait for the next version...

i haven't seen this bug again after i started using v0008 two or three days ago.
since it used to happen many times every day in older versions, i assume it is fixed.
your theory was correct.

out of curiosity, could you tell what was causing the problem?

[admin]

I have a theory... wait for the next version...

i haven't seen this bug again after i started using v0008 two or three days ago.
since it used to happen many times every day in older versions, i assume it is fixed.
your theory was correct.

out of curiosity, could you tell what was causing the problem?

I cannot say it exactly (as I was never able to reproduce it here), but apparently it had to do with the way I detected HOW a selection was made. You may have noted that selections by keyboard only update the IP when all keys are up again. This is to allow fast usage of Key Up/Down in a list by bypassing the IP. Some part of this detection was done a bit dirtily (this code was over 10 years old... it got dusty). I polished this and it seems to work.

[Muroph]

since it used to happen many times every day in older versions, i assume it is fixed.

looks like i spoke too soon.

it happened again a few minutes ago.
on the bright side, only the keyboard is not working.
clicking an item does update the IP, so the bug was at least half-fixed.

[admin]

since it used to happen many times every day in older versions, i assume it is fixed.

looks like i spoke too soon.

it happened again a few minutes ago.
on the bright side, only the keyboard is not working.
clicking an item does update the IP, so the bug was at least half-fixed.

From the code POV there's only one thing that could explain this, but I'm not able to create this situation by normal civilized usage. Anyway, it should be harder for you to reproduce it in the next version.

[Muroph]

Anyway, it should be harder for you to reproduce it in the next version.

i can't say if it's harder to reproduce or not, but it still happens.
at least the mouse is working again (since last week), so it is a bit less noticeable/annoying.
*sigh*
this is one damn stubborn bug, huh?

From the code POV there's only one thing that could explain this, but I'm not able to create this situation by normal civilized usage.

the problem is that, as far as i know, i'm not doing anything uncivilized.
i'm just browsing normally, and when i notice the bug is already there.

[admin]

Anyway, it should be harder for you to reproduce it in the next version.

i can't say if it's harder to reproduce or not, but it still happens.
at least the mouse is working again (since last week), so it is a bit less noticeable/annoying.
*sigh*
this is one damn stubborn bug, huh?

From the code POV there's only one thing that could explain this, but I'm not able to create this situation by normal civilized usage.

the problem is that, as far as i know, i'm not doing anything uncivilized.
i'm just browsing normally, and when i notice the bug is already there.

But you don't have a way to reproduce it at will?

PS: Are or were you previewing an HTML or Office file before the bug happens?

[TheQwerty]

As this seems related to retrieving file information, I wonder if it might have to do with a particular type of information? And since Muroph and myself seem to be the only ones afflicted maybe we share a particular setting or usage.

Muroph, out of curiosity do you typically keep the IP open and on a certain tab in everyday use?

I tend to keep my IP closed and probably, but not sure really, on the Find Files tab. I have the tree locked and hidden, and mostly use the list view. I do have custom icons & overlays enabled and while I have all the properties enabled ToolTips are restricted to only be visible when holding Shift and hovering over the icon.


It was already very rare that I would see this issue, and I haven't noticed it again (since my last posts in this thread). I'm not sure if that means it's fixed here or just undetected.

[Muroph]

But you don't have a way to reproduce it at will?

no.
i spent hours trying to find a way to force the bug, but nothing worked.

PS: Are or were you previewing an HTML or Office file before the bug happens?

no, i rarely preview these files.
and i disabled them in the "preview formats", so i can't preview them by accident either (i get the "preview now" button in the IP instead).

Muroph, out of curiosity do you typically keep the IP open and on a certain tab in everyday use?

I tend to keep my IP closed and probably, but not sure really, on the Find Files tab. I have the tree locked and hidden, and mostly use the list view. I do have custom icons & overlays enabled and while I have all the properties enabled ToolTips are restricted to only be visible when holding Shift and hovering over the icon.

my IP is always open, usually in the properties or preview tab.
my (full) tree is always visible and unlocked, though i never use it to navigate.
i also use custom icons and overlays (for NTFSlink, only appears on hardlinks and junctions).
i use the default shell info tips, triggered when hovering an item's icon for half a sec.

It was already very rare that I would see this issue, and I haven't noticed it again (since my last posts in this thread). I'm not sure if that means it's fixed here or just undetected.

maybe it's because you keep your IP closed, since that's where the bug is more evident.
i'm mostly a mouse user, so (now) i don't see it so often, only a couple times a day.
but on the few xy betas where the mouse had also stopped working i saw it dozens of times every day.

[admin]

Is it still that the statusbar shows the correct file but the IP does not?