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VUTRAX Technical Support
VUTRAX SOFTWARE ADVICE NOTICE 202 -
29 Jan 1999
VUTRAX 12.0 & Some Interface
Modules Thereafter
Interface Utilities - Hanging
while Reading Graphics Files
The Problem
An unusual set of circumstances can lead to
some of the interface utilities hanging (stopping and
failing to
respond) while reading Vutrax-11 and Vutrax-12 graphics
files. For the problem to arise all of the
following conditions must pertain:-
The file is saved in Expanded Text
Format. This is the format output by most interface
modules, but
programs such as DRAFT use this form only if
specially instructed.
The final point in the graphics database
is a type that includes extended data (e.g. a Script,
Data or
Silk point).
The text file finishes with an ASCII code
26 (Ctrl+Z) character.
Immediate Action:
Activate the [Close Program] Task list
(e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Del in Windows 95), select the program
and click
[End Task].
No damage has been done to the original
file, though the new file may be left as (harmless)
unallocated
sectors later picked up by Scandisk or similar.
Workaround:
Removing the ASCII code 26 from the end of
the file is the easiest way of rectifying the problem:-
Start the SEE text editor on the file
(because you are editing a 'graphics' file with the text
editor, the
normal file type selection will have to be overridden
using [Browse])
Examine the first line, which should take
the form
12345 1 37 or 12345 1 38
If the middle value is 2 then the
file is not plain text and will be corrupted if you
save it. Thus Exit
without Saving, e.g. click the [X] at the top right
of the Window Frame. This is not the problem.
Otherwise select [Save] from (File)
(or Ctrl+S) and then [Exit]. The act of saving
the (unchanged)
file removes the ASCII code 26 (Ctrl+Z) character from
the end of the file. The file should be one
byte shorter if you wish to examine the sizes (the
original file has extension .BAK)
Re-run the utility that failed
Which Programs are effected
- For Vutrax 12.0 only
- VTX12_11 to version 1.01a
SCHEMLIB to version 3.00b
OBJLIB to version 3.00b
PARTDATA to version 4.00a
EMTOVTX to version 4.00a
GBTOVTX to version 10.00a
GERB274X to version 1.00c
- Longer Term
- SPECCTRA Interface to version 4.01
SDRC IDEAS Solid Modelling Interface to version 5.00
Distribution:
- Internet Site.
- Customers Reporting Problems.
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