Preview + Activity (Mouse/Keyboard Action) = Bugs

[Zardoz2293]

Since v13.30.0103 I've been encountering a whole host of related bugs that I remember previously existing, and why I used the workaround feature "PreviewMaxArea=2" to bypass the "real native preview."

Preview is always active and either the mouse or keyboard action is taken in the LV if you don't WAIT until the Preview has finished generating it's image -- you will get one of the following and more events occurring:

* Rename operation gets stuck with XY appearing to halt when actually there's an XY msgbox in the background (behind XY) which isn't displayed and it can almost be impossible to close it (msgbox) as it doesn't have the focus -- minimizing XY sometimes allows access to the msgbox dialog.

* VB Error 91 - Can occur by many ways, one way is enter rename operation on file in LV, change name AND then press up/down arrow to next file (in LV) and make quick change, and go to next via the same method. If the file is being rendered in the Preview (such as PDF) cannot be created before you move to the next file the error is thrown. (Once the 91 is displayed that's it folks).

* Sometimes through clicking/selecting file (in LV) and then pressing key combination (with long rendering files in preview, such as PDF) will cause a funky top/home of the file list positioning (which should not have occurred) and then the file-prefix name (left of extension) is deleted with the insertion pointer sitting just to the left of the period in the extension.

* There are others, but always Preview must be active and some action occurring in the LV *before* the rendering has finished in the Preview.



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UPDATED
It appears in all cases keyboard action is always involved. If there was a feature prevented the Preview not to be updated until 'edit' mode was ended on an inline-rename might resolve several or more, or all of the problems.

Tested with v13.60.0006 and above items still exist.

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That PreviewMaxArea=2 worked for you before v13.30.0103 is due to a bug that I fixed in v13.30.0103. You did not get the real native preview but a shell preview of the image. So the shell kind of bypassed the PreviewMaxArea limit. These times are over now. You won't find many images that will pass the PreviewMaxArea=2 limit.

[admin]

Hmm, way to vague. Looks like something that will either disappear by itself or change form to something unrecognizably different.

[Zardoz2293]

Anything in the Preview which takes the focus away from XY plays havoc with the workflow within XY and periodic bugs occur based on a timing issue within XY and the called Preview app (with the keyboard message buffer). There must be a way to shell out to perform the Preview *without* giving Focus to the shelled app. If so, then I'd expect all of this strange behavior to stop.

I'm not sure why the workflow within XY should be based on what type of file has focus if you are just pressed up/down arrow from one line/row to another (and editing the file names) -- it's not like the file that has focus has been executed or enter was pressed.

[admin]

Are you using Adobe to view PDFs? In that case all sorts of errors come as no surprise and you should change to something better, e.g. PDF-Xchange.

[kodyman]

I don't know if this is a similar problem. Posted here instead of as new topic.
When I have the Info Panel on, Preview selected/highlighted, and select a PDF file I get a file download popup instead of a preview. Here's a screenshot.

Xyp PDF Preview_ver001a.png (129.21 KiB) Viewed 4455 times

Since Don is also a fan of PDF-XChange I thought he may know if it is somehow tied to it.
I have deleted Adobe PDF viewer from my system and only use a bought copy of PDF-XChange Editor, not just the free viewer, and have it set as default for anything PDF.
I've looked for settings in Xyp and PDF-XChange that could be causing the popup but haven't seen anything.
What am I missing to get this to stop?

Thanks

[admin]

Looks like this issue: http://www.xyplorer.com/faq-topic.php?id=office

[kodyman]

So I'll need to do a registry change or live with it?

Sorry about the double image showing in the post. 1st time I think I've added one here.

[TheQwerty]

So I'll need to do a registry change or live with it?

I think you only need to do this part:

When asked about Open, Save, or Cancel, just uncheck the box "Always ask..." and then click on Open. After that any other file will be opened directly in the XYplorer preview.

[kodyman]

When asked about Open, Save, or Cancel, just uncheck the box "Always ask..." and then click on Open. After that any other file will be opened directly in the XYplorer preview.

Tried this and now when I select a PDF it opens in PDF-XChange Editor. Still doesn't show in the Info preview.

[kodyman]

When asked about Open, Save, or Cancel, just uncheck the box "Always ask..." and then click on Open. After that any other file will be opened directly in the XYplorer preview.

Tried this and now when I select a PDF it opens in PDF-XChange Editor. Still doesn't show in the Info preview.

Now I need to figure out how to get the popup back instead of automatically opening PDF-XChange.
Is it a setting in Xyp, PDF-XChange or Win? Hmmm.

[TheQwerty]

Now I need to figure out how to get the popup back instead of automatically opening PDF-XChange.
Is it a setting in Xyp, PDF-XChange or Win? Hmmm.

This is good question..

From the sounds of it in Vista/7 you have to edit the registry, but it also sounds like the key most often referred to is not often found. WinZip has some good-looking directions: http://kb.winzip.com/kb/entry/69/


However, I fall in the cannot find that key group, so I'm still investigating...

[kodyman]

Now I need to figure out how to get the popup back instead of automatically opening PDF-XChange.
Is it a setting in Xyp, PDF-XChange or Win? Hmmm.

This is good question..

From the sounds of it in Vista/7 you have to edit the registry, but it also sounds like the key most often referred to is not often found. WinZip has some good-looking directions: http://kb.winzip.com/kb/entry/69/


However, I fall in the cannot find that key group, so I'm still investigating...

I don't guess it's a big thing that it opens the PDF instead of previewing in the info bar. I could be wrong but it doesn't seem to have affected any other programs that need that popup. I tried selecting a PDF on a web page in Firefox and it still pops up save or open. That's the only other program I think I need it in.
If you happen to come across anything post it back. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

[TheQwerty]

If you happen to come across anything post it back. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

Did you try the instructions from WinZip?

Unfortunately, I didn't find anything else of use. It seems that dialog was removed in IE 9 and replaced with a different prompt bar, so I'd think it would be removed in the component XY uses as well. Which version of IE do you have installed? Maybe Don can comment on how to check the version of the component XY uses as well?

This also explains why I've had a hard time getting the dialog to show on my machine with IE 9 installed.


Some things I might try if the WinZip instructions don't help (though I understand if you don't want to)....
Disassociate pdfs from all apps - if the system doesn't know how to open the file maybe it will ask again?
Uninstall & Reinstall PDF-XChange.
Update IE - if you still have IE 8 maybe updating will reset this option?


So sorry I got you into this mess!

[admin]

The version of that component is the version of IE installed on the user's machine.

[kodyman]

If you happen to come across anything post it back. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

Did you try the instructions from WinZip?

Unfortunately, I didn't find anything else of use. It seems that dialog was removed in IE 9 and replaced with a different prompt bar, so I'd think it would be removed in the component XY uses as well. Which version of IE do you have installed? Maybe Don can comment on how to check the version of the component XY uses as well?

This also explains why I've had a hard time getting the dialog to show on my machine with IE 9 installed.


Some things I might try if the WinZip instructions don't help (though I understand if you don't want to)....
Disassociate pdfs from all apps - if the system doesn't know how to open the file maybe it will ask again?
Uninstall & Reinstall PDF-XChange.
Update IE - if you still have IE 8 maybe updating will reset this option?


So sorry I got you into this mess!

Sorry I haven't been back to answer you.
Thanks for the suggestions but I decided to leave it alone. It's not bothering me that much and my luck I'd break something else trying to fix it.

And you didn't get me into a mess. I'm sure I would have tried the same thing on my own after a while.