IRScope 2.01 Beta posted

Post by **mathdon** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 2:17 pm

garyb.ncc wrote:If you would change the IRScope code to allow upper and lower case, or convert toupper it would sure make it easier.

That shouldn't be a problem. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't think of it when doing the implementation. I'm working on another new feature at the moment - I'm not saying what it is in case I meet some insuperable obstacle - and will deal with your issue, and Vicky's, when I'm ready to post it for testing. If I've seemed to be quiet recently then it is because my time has been taken up with developing this new feature.

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Graham

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 1:01 am

I've tried the new version in 8 different computers and it works flawlessly in four of them. In the others, I can't use the "Export" item and pressing "Summary" after a capture makes the program crashes.
I've been trying to solve this problem for a week but I have no clue.
Does anyone have the same problem?

Post by **mathdon** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:10 am

Can you please give details of the computers involved, both the ones on which it works and the ones on which it doesn't? Make, processor, Windows version and anything else that you think may be relevant. Also, when you say you can't use "Export", what happens when you try? You say "Summary" crashes the program, but it sounds as if "Export" fails in some other way.

My only thought at present is that these new facilities may inadvertently use some Windows feature that is not present in older Windows versions. Info about the computers and their OS should at least support or refute that idea. Oh, I suppose another possibility is that some computer setting is preventing IRScope from opening files for writing - this would block Export, though I don't see why it would make Summary crash. Are you logged on as Administrator?
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Graham

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:15 am

I am logged on as administrator in all computers.

I can't choose the "Export" menu item . In "Actions on items selected" doesn't appear the "Export" button. It seems that neither "ExchangeIR.dll" nor "MakeHex.dll" are loaded . The "DecodeIR.dll" works fine.
IRScope_201_Image

Summary:
1 computer with Win SP1: It doesn`t work. (PIV 2,2 Ghz-1,5 G RAM)
4 computers with Win SP2: only works in one (Atlhon 1,67GhZ with only 512M RAM!. The faulty ones are PIV 2,2 Ghz-1 G RAM).
2 computers with Win Sp3: it only works in one. (P IV 3,1 Ghz- 2 G RAM)
1 computer with Win 7: It works. (P IV 3,2 Ghz- 4 G RAM)

I have updated one computer from XP SP1 to SP2 then to SP3 without success. It's strange that it works with the oldest computer.

Post by **mathdon** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 8:42 am

I'm sure it's a silly question, but have you checked that ExchangeIR.dll and MakeHex.dll are actually present in the same folder as IRScope.exe? The loading command is identical for all three DLLs, so at present I cannot understand how one of them can load but the other two do not. Their absence wouldn't affect Summary, however, as far as I can tell (though I haven't tested that yet - I will do so, just to make sure.)
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Graham

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:16 am

mathdon wrote:I'm sure it's a silly question, but have you checked that ExchangeIR.dll and MakeHex.dll are actually present in the same folder as IRScope.exe? The loading command is identical for all three DLLs, so at present I cannot understand how one of them can load but the other two do not. Their absence wouldn't affect Summary, however, as far as I can tell (though I haven't tested that yet - I will do so, just to make sure.)
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Graham

ExchangeIR.dll and MakeHex.dll are in the same folder than DecodeIR.dll.
Summary only fails after a capture. If the capture is empty it works.
I suspect that the O.S. is failing in some way, but I can't find how.

Post by **mathdon** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:02 am

I was being stupid when I said that the absence of ExchangeIR.dll should not affect Summary. Summary calls this DLL to generate the Analyzed Timings data. So when you write

Summary only fails after a capture. If the capture is empty it works.

I take it that Summary opens with just headings, no data, so that it does not need to call the DLL. I have corrected this for the next beta, so that if ExchangeIR.dll has not been loaded then Summary does not display the Analyzed Timings section. Summary then opens without crashing. I have also made the Export button be disabled rather than hidden when neither ExchangeIR.dll nor MakeHex.dll is loaded, as I think this looks nicer.

So the source of all the problems is the failure to load ExchangeIR.dll. I am running out of ideas as to why that is not loading, when DecodeIR.dll is loading. (You can tell which DLLs load, as they are listed in the title bar.) You write

ExchangeIR.dll and MakeHex.dll are in the same folder as DecodeIR.dll.

Is that the same folder as IRScope.exe, or have you put the DLLs into a different folder, such as Windows\System32? If you have done that, there is a possibility that the OS is finding an older version of ExchangeIR.dll, which will not work. That DLL is under constant development and only the version that I include in the IRScope Beta package will work with that beta.
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Graham

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 6:09 am

Is that the same folder as IRScope.exe, or have you put the DLLs into a different folder, such as Windows\System32?

All the files are in the same folder (dlls and IRScope). I am using the same version in all computers. I only have the beta 2. I have renamed (hidden) "DecodeIR.dll" to test if IRScope is loading it from the same folder and it is indeed been loaded from the folder.
I think that the load dll function of the O.S. is to blame (No memory for more dlls?), but I don't know how to debug it.
May be I need to update something in the computer, but after searching for several days in the web without success I am more and more confused about it.
Do I need some MFC libraries in my system to run this program properly?

Post by **mathdon** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:35 pm

You should not need anything that does not come as standard with the Windows OS. The intention is that IRScope and IR.exe should work with Windows 2000 and anything later, and certainly with XP with or without service packs. Anyway, if you were missing a library that is needed then I think you would get an explicit error message to say that it is missing.

I have no other ideas at present. If you want to hunt the web further, the DLLs are all loaded with the C++ LoadLibrary function. If neither of us comes up with anything soon, I shall try to create a special version of IRScope that gives further details of the error when LoadLibrary fails, but I'm tied up with other matters at present. Maybe someone else watching this thread can think of something we have missed?
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Graham

bob_m · Post by **bob_m** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 6:10 pm

Not sure if this is the preferred place but I have to suggestions/request for IR SCOPE software.

A) Scaleable font (or size selectable) for the main windows columns/row - I like entering data into KM manually from IR SCOPE and my eyes are not getting any younger

B) OPTION to have NOTE field pop up after every capture - Check on/off for those who won't like this feature

Question:

Am I missing something or do you HAVE to hit the capture button (or enter) for each button capture? That's fine just making sure.

Post by **ElizabethD** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 6:46 pm

mathdon wrote:Can you please give details of the computers involved, both the ones on which it works and the ones on which it doesn't? Make, processor, Windows version and anything else that you think may be relevant. ... Are you logged on as Administrator?

Administrator or not, one other thing to include in the computer description would be the firewall and antivirus. Because both, these days, just to spite us, may contain HIPS (host intrusion prevention system) and/or "behaviour blockers", and if one hasn't a chance to make the rules permitting IRscope to load a DLL or open a Notepad or whatever other process, loading DLLs may well be prohibited without the user logging it and/or knowing about it.

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:14 am

IRScope loads all the dlls now!

Using DisplayLoadedModules I have compared two different computers (one that worked and other that didn't) and I have found that, in order to load all the dlls, the Microsoft C++ Runtime Library 2008 vcredist_x86.exe is required.

Post by **mathdon** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:46 am

calisoto wrote:IRScope loads all the dlls now!

Using DisplayLoadedModules I have compared two different computers (one that worked and other that didn't) and I have found that, in order to load all the dlls, the Microsoft C++ Runtime Library 2008 vcredist_x86.exe is required.

That's wonderful! I had totally run out of ideas on this one, and have never heard of the runtime file that is required. I'm really glad you were able to track down this elusive problem.

Now you have found the cause, I will look further into this to see if I can find out the circumstances that can cause this file to be missing. Although you had a problem with 4 out of 8 computers, no-one else has mentioned the same problem so it seems as if this required file is in most, but not all, Windows distributions. I am also puzzled why it is required for ExchangeIR.dll but not for DecodeIR.dll, as both of them were compiled by me with the same compiler and, as far as I can tell, the same settings. I will have to compare the settings again carefully to be sure.

You didn't find any clues, I suppose, as to why it was present on some of your machines but not others? Anything you found out in the course of your investigations would be very helpful.
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Graham

calisoto · Post by **calisoto** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:09 am

I think that the Runtime Library was installed by another program. It is not in Win XP SP1/SP2/SP3. Most of the computer failures (3 of 4) were in machines not connected to Internet (old programs). I believe that, in some way, the Library update the system call LoadLibrary in Kernel32.dll.

Post by **mathdon** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:52 am

IRScope 2.01 Beta 3 posted

I have now posted IRScope 2.01 Beta 3. This includes minor improvements suggested by Vicky but the substantial change is an entirely new feature in the Summary display. It now gives a description of each signal in IRP notation, constructed by analysis of the signal rather than by look-up, so it should work with a wide range of new protocols as well as known ones.

I have started a new thread, Automated analysis of IR protocols, for discussion of this. My opening post in that thread shows a screenshot of the display and discusses its interpretation, so I shall not repeat that here.
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Graham