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:-

1. 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])
2. Examine the first line, which should take the form
          12345  1  37   or    12345  1  38
3. 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.
4. 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)
5. 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.