Bug? B4A IDE occasionally becomes totally unresponsive!

[Andris]

I've used B4A for quite a few years now and presently have the latest update (10.70). Up until a year or so ago (can't remember the version numbers then), B4A would rarely (if ever!) crash or become unresponsive to clicks of the cursor. But for the last few versions, it becomes unresponsive with some regularity. With each version, I keep thinking the problem will disappear, but it hasn't. So I've decided to post about it.

The only thing I can say conclusively is that it has something to do with the Designer window. At certain times when that window is open, both the Designer and the main B4A window will become totally unresponsive to cursor clicks. The only way I can get out of this problem is to terminate B4A through the Windows Taskbar at the bottom, right-clicking on B4A>Close Window. B4A sometimes responds at that point with "Do you want to save your work?" but choosing YES is impossible because the click isn't detected. AutoSave keeps me from losing work, but the experience is a nuisance.

I've tried to come up with a sure-fire way to duplicate this problem at will but so far haven't had any success. The last time it happened (a short while ago), I had just closed the Designer window. B4A was then unresponsive. I'll continue to monitor this to see if there's more I can add to the story. All other apps remain responsive by the way, so this isn't a problem with my laptop or Win 10. But who knows.

 

[agraham]

Have you tried turning off AutoSave in IDE Options to see if that improves things?

 

[agraham]

I've just noticed you are using a laptop. If the laptop spins down the hard disc then AutoSave can take a long time as the disc has to spin up again and this can make the IDE freeze for a while.

 

[Andris]

Have you tried turning off AutoSave in IDE Options to see if that improves things?

I have not. Will try at some point.

 

[Andris]

I've just noticed you are using a laptop. If the laptop spins down the hard disc then AutoSave can take a long time as the disc has to spin up again and this can make the IDE freeze for a while.

My ThinkPad has an SSD drive. But I'll let it sit there for a while next time to see if it unfreezes. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Erel]

On large projects, the auto backup can cause the IDE to freeze for several seconds. I don't think that this is the case here.
Try this: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4a-6-3-freezed-on-designer.71579/post-455326

 

[Andris]

On large projects, the auto backup can cause the IDE to freeze for several seconds. I don't think that this is the case here.
Try this: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4a-6-3-freezed-on-designer.71579/post-455326

Thanks Erel. I've just done this and will report back here if/when it happens again.

 

[Andris]

On large projects, the auto backup can cause the IDE to freeze for several seconds. I don't think that this is the case here.
Try this: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/b4a-6-3-freezed-on-designer.71579/post-455326

Erel, the problem seemed to have gone away due to your suggestion ... until just now. Here's the sequence of events:

• did a manual save (even though autosave was on); B4A and Designer were both open
• had dinner
• came back and laptop was in sleep mode (not hibernating)
• tapped keys and laptop woke up
• went to B4A and Designer with touchpad arrow; found them unresponsive to clicks
• noticed that last state of B4A was exactly as I had left it in terms of highlighted text and previous cursor position; couldn't change them however
• other apps on laptop responded normally; B4A only one affected
• while clicking on B4A, a black rectangle without graphics appeared and then disappeared after 15 seconds or so
• B4A shut down and disappeared

I'll continue to report these incidents if/when they occur.