Blank Scripts

[LSunday]

So, I've been using Storyist without problems for over a year now, and today when I opened it I found all my scripts were just blank. Looking through the forums, I couldn't find anything about it, so it is either an old glitch that I just missed, or it's not common enough for there to be a topic about it.

 

So, yesterday it was all working fine, and I needed to update my computer. So, I saved all my files, quit, and ran software update. Today, when I turned on my computer and opened up Storyist, I found a blank page in the script I had just been working on. When I try to type in it, I cannot see my text, and highlighting does not show up either. So, I loaded a backup, and the same thing was true. None of my script would show up. I then went to open one of my older files, one I have saved, exported, and printed more than once. It too was showing up as a blank page.

 

However, all my character and scene sheets still have their information in them, and the character pictures I keep in the second screen were also still fine. Looking at the bottom of the page, it still says there are around eight thousand words in the script, but none of them are showing up and I can't select anything. The drop-down menu still shows all my scenes, but clicking on them just takes me to a section of the page.

 

I have checked for updates and it says I have the most recent version.

[Steve]

HI LSunday,

 

So, I've been using Storyist without problems for over a year now, and today when I opened it I found all my scripts were just blank. Looking through the forums, I couldn't find anything about it, so it is either an old glitch that I just missed, or it's not common enough for there to be a topic about it.

 

So, yesterday it was all working fine, and I needed to update my computer. So, I saved all my files, quit, and ran software update. Today, when I turned on my computer and opened up Storyist, I found a blank page in the script I had just been working on. When I try to type in it, I cannot see my text, and highlighting does not show up either. So, I loaded a backup, and the same thing was true. None of my script would show up. I then went to open one of my older files, one I have saved, exported, and printed more than once. It too was showing up as a blank page.

 

However, all my character and scene sheets still have their information in them, and the character pictures I keep in the second screen were also still fine. Looking at the bottom of the page, it still says there are around eight thousand words in the script, but none of them are showing up and I can't select anything. The drop-down menu still shows all my scenes, but clicking on them just takes me to a section of the page.

 

I have checked for updates and it says I have the most recent version.

 

So it sounds like everything was fine until you updated OS X. Is that when the problems started?

 

It would be helpful to know what versions of OS X (Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard) and Storyist (version 1 or version 2) you are running. It would also be useful to see the console log messages relating to Storyist.

 

You can send the info to the support address (the ticket comes right to me). I'll take a look and we can figure out how to proceed. Don't worry, we'll get you up and running.

 

-Steve

[LSunday]

I am on Mac OS X 10.6.7 (Snow Leopard), with version 2.3.1 of Storyist. The problems did start when I reopened Storyist upon the reboot of the computer after the update.

 

Where can I find the console log messages?

 

Also, It is worth noting if i click on the blank page, hit Command-A to select All, and copy, It does grab the text. However, It will not allow me to paste it into either Word or Pages- doing so causes both to crash. It will let me copy it into my browser and chat windows, but no word processors.

 

Thank you for your quick response!

[Steve]

Hi LSunday,

 

 

Where can I find the console log messages?

 

To find the console messages:

1) Open the Console application in your /Applications/Utilities folder.

2) Click on "Console Messages" in the list on the left.

3) Copy any Storyist-related message. You can use the Search control in the toolbar to find these.

 

Also, It is worth noting if i click on the blank page, hit Command-A to select All, and copy, It does grab the text.

 

That's great news. It means it is probably a drawing issue, not a problem with the data.

 

However, It will not allow me to paste it into either Word or Pages- doing so causes both to crash. It will let me copy it into my browser and chat windows, but no word processors.

 

Hmmm. That makes me wonder if there is a conflict with a 3rd party tool or service. Have you installed any third party text add-ons? If so, it would be worth checking their websites to see if there is an upgrade available. In general, it's very hard for one app to crash another one. If Storyist crashes on you, be sure to submit the crash report with a little note referring to this thread. I'll be able to see from the crash report what 3rd party tools are loaded into Storyist's memory.

 

-Steve

[LSunday]

I haven't installed any third-party applications as far as I remember. I installed Celtx as well, but I don't think the two applications ever speak to each other, so I don't think that should be a problem.

 

However, looking at the error messages, it does seem to imply there is one missing somewhere that got screwed up with the architexture:

 

3/30/11 8:01:39 PM Storyist[1531] Error loading /Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib: dlopen(/Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib, 262): no suitable image found. Did find:

/Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib: mach-o, but wrong architecture

 

I have not have Storyist crash on me, however. Storyist itself doesn't seem to think anything is wrong at all- it lets me use all the features I should be able to. I just can't actually see the text.

[Steve]

Hi LSunday,

 

I haven't installed any third-party applications as far as I remember. I installed Celtx as well, but I don't think the two applications ever speak to each other, so I don't think that should be a problem.

 

Not unless Celtx installs an input manager.

 

However, looking at the error messages, it does seem to imply there is one missing somewhere that got screwed up with the architexture:

 

3/30/11 8:01:39 PM Storyist[1531] Error loading /Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib: dlopen(/Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib, 262): no suitable image found. Did find:

/Library/ScriptingAdditions/XMLLib.osax/Contents/MacOS/XMLLib: mach-o, but wrong architecture

 

Interesting. This particular component isn't provided by Storyist. A quick Google search says that this is part of the Smile package. I would try temporarily disabling this package and see if the problem still exists.

 

Another thing to try:

 

1) Select Storyist in the Finder.

2) Get Info.

3) Make sure that "Open using Rosetta" is not checked. "Open in 32-bit mode" should be OK, but you'll get better performance if you turn that off too.

 

-Steve

[LSunday]

I just checked, and neither of those is currently checked. Also, I am no longer getting any Storyist-related messages in the console at all.

[Steve]

I just checked, and neither of those is currently checked. Also, I am no longer getting any Storyist-related messages in the console at all.

 

OK. There are a few next steps.

 

First, if you have a small file that shows this behavior (it can be lorem ipsum), please send it to the support address along with a brief description of what is happening (page number, etc...). I don't think there is an issue with the file, but I'd like to rule that out.

 

Second, it would be very useful to see a crash report, which will tell me what 3rd party software is loaded. You can crash Storyist by turning on the Debug menu and choosing Debug > Crash. To enable the debug menu:

 

1) Open the Terminal application in your /Applications/Utilities folder.

2) At the prompt, type "defaults write com.storyist.storyist STEnableDebugMenu 1" and press Return.

3) Relaunch Storyist.

 

After you crash the program, restart it and submit the results when asked.

 

When you're done, you can turn the Debug menu off by typing "defaults write com.storyist.storyist STEnableDebugMenu 0"

 

Third, we should set up a screen sharing session so you can show me what you're seeing. I'm not sure where in the world you are writing from, but we can probably find a time to sync up. It is sounding like a graphics driver issue (not drawing the text), so I'd like to see how exactly the problem is manifesting itself. Let me know what model Mac you have and I'll try to find one to test with.

 

-Steve

[LSunday]

I just sent both an email and crash report, with my username and a quick recap of the issues. As far as the time zone, I am in EST (New York). I am currently a high school student (with a lot of extracurriculars) so weekends or friday nights are the best times for me in general, for any screen sharing session.

[LSunday]

I have just found reason to believe that it is not Storyist that is causing the problems- Because of Script Frenzy, I kept trying to start my project, and I found that no scriptwriting software anywhere was letting me operate it. Eventually, I got an error message from Pages that gave me a Google Result, and traced it back to the fonts. I checked my own fonts, and found that several font types were causing problems with various programs- including the Courier font. I am in the process of fixing it now, and will get back with an answer if it starts working again.

 

EDIT: It did indeed fix the problem. Somehow, during the update, 27 fonts got installed a second time, and were causing glitches in all the programs that were using them. The reason other programs were crashing when I copied the text was the fact it was copying the font as well- it worked in the browser because the browser was defaulting to Times New Roman.

 

It is apparently a recurring problem with certain Apple system updates.

[Steve]

Hi LSunday,

 

I have just found reason to believe that it is not Storyist that is causing the problems- Because of Script Frenzy, I kept trying to start my project, and I found that no scriptwriting software anywhere was letting me operate it. Eventually, I got an error message from Pages that gave me a Google Result, and traced it back to the fonts. I checked my own fonts, and found that several font types were causing problems with various programs- including the Courier font. I am in the process of fixing it now, and will get back with an answer if it starts working again.

 

EDIT: It did indeed fix the problem. Somehow, during the update, 27 fonts got installed a second time, and were causing glitches in all the programs that were using them. The reason other programs were crashing when I copied the text was the fact it was copying the font as well- it worked in the browser because the browser was defaulting to Times New Roman.

 

It is apparently a recurring problem with certain Apple system updates.

 

That was a good bit of detective work. Thanks for posting the solution.

 

-Steve

[Steve]

 

EDIT: It did indeed fix the problem. Somehow, during the update, 27 fonts got installed a second time, and were causing glitches in all the programs that were using them. The reason other programs were crashing when I copied the text was the fact it was copying the font as well- it worked in the browser because the browser was defaulting to Times New Roman.

 

It is apparently a recurring problem with certain Apple system updates.

 

For the archives: Apple just issued an update for this bug. If you run into this one, install the Snow Leopard Font Update.

 

-steve

[Joolissa]

I know this is a bit old, but for the records I would like to add that I believe I had a similar issue with duplicated and corrupt fonts after updating to Snow Leopard, though I noted the problem first in Word. Going into the Font Book and validating your fonts to find issues and then removing the problem fonts fixes the issues, so I would recommend anyone who has just updated do this, or anyone who notices weird font issues.

 

And with Lion coming out sometime soon, it would probably be worth doing it after updating to Lion just to be safe.

- Jules

[Steve E]

IAnd with Lion coming out sometime soon, it would probably be worth doing it after updating to Lion just to be safe.

- Jules

I would hope that Apple would install all it's fixes in the new release.

-Thoth.

BTW: I like your new icon. Very post-modern, if not as cute as the old one.

[Joolissa]

Thanks!