iOS Question B4i reinstall causes compilation errors

[JohnCLB]

Hi,
This is my very first post so my apologies if it is in the wrong thread or something…

I have and use both B4A and B4i on a virtual Windows 7 machine hosted on my MacBook by VMWare Fusion. All my files though ,live on my Mac in my home directory. Last week, for painful reasons, I had to completely restore the Mac from a TimeMachine backup. Everything came back with the exception of the VMWare virtual machines. I thus had to reinstall Windows 7 and the B4X packages. B4A was relatively easy and worked quite quickly (I could compile/download/run MyFirstProgram successfully).

B4i was more of a challenge. I downloaded the 5.30 package, added my licence key and set up the paths (see screenshot). I use the Mac for building so started the build server running, set the Buildserver settings Tools->Build Server->Server settings (screenshot). I used Chrome to check it (https:172.16.1.79:51042/test) and it worked fine. I also set the Tools->Device IP Address to point to my iPhone and the B4i-Bridge attached smoothly.

I then tried to build the simple app and got a ‘mobileprovision’ file error (screenshot) which I can’t seem to get around. I have all the correct files (screenshot) (including a mobile provisioning file) because until last Thursday it all worked fine. Therefore it must be something simple that I haven’t done which is causing the errors. Because of this, I am loathed to go through all the Apple developer stuff again.

Can anybody point out where I have gone wrong please?

Thanks,
John.

 

[Erel]

Updated Xcode to Version 10.2 (latest)

I recommend you to use Xcode 10.1 for now.

If the simulator doesn't work then it means that the issues are not related to the certificates and other keys.

Compare your "test" page results with: http://builder1.b4x.com:51041/test

Especially check the date and size of libiDebug2.

 

[JohnCLB]

Hi, Sorry about the delay, couldn’t be helped.

The update for Xcode came through the day of the post. I'm not sure how to downgrade it.

I did what you suggested and compared the outputs of the ‘test’ command to the two builders and was very surprised how different the outputs were considering they were both version 5.5, many changed libraries and lots of new ones. Taking libiDebug2 as an example my builder had:

libiDebug2, size=1124736, modified=12/13/2018 12:18:10

whilst your builder had several versions:

libiDebug2, size=1097984, modified=01/08/2019 21:29:04
libiDebug2_v8, size=1094272, modified=08/17/2017 14:41:24
libiDebug2_v9, size=1128136, modified=05/10/2018 14:43:36

So mine is about a month older than yours. My builder was built from the link in the email “B4i v5.50 is available for download” in January.

I remembered I had another MacBook available that never had B4X on it but did have Xcode so I loaded and ran the builder on that. I saw exactly the same results as I had seen previously on my normal MacBook Pro. Interestingly, after running the builder, it also developed the same problems of losing Google and iCloud passwords, something that had never happened before. Curious.

John.

 

[Erel]

Interestingly, after running the builder, it also developed the same problems of losing Google and iCloud passwords, something that had never happened before. Curious.

This happens because the builder adds its own default keychain account.

libiDebug2, size=1124736, modified=12/13/2018 12:18:10

This is fine.

Start a new empty project and run it on the simulator in debug mode. Does it crash? Do you see anything in the logs?

 

[JohnCLB]

OK, done that (called MTProject) and it crashes. I have attached the simulator log but the salient lines (from the first mention of MTProject) are:

Apr 5 17:19:33 WhiteMacBook MTProject[6413]: assertion failed: 17C88 15C107: libxpc.dylib + 72226 [EE650BC3-0539-32F0-9205-ECF6755E856F]: 0x7d
Apr 5 17:19:40 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.AnnotationKit.MigratorService): Unknown key for Boolean: EnableTransactions
Apr 5 17:19:40 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.AnnotationKit.MigratorService): Unknown key for Boolean: EnablePressuredExit
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.Safari.History): Unknown key for Boolean: EnableTransactions
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.Safari.History): Unknown key for Boolean: EnablePressuredExit
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.Safari.ImageDecoder): Unknown key for Boolean: EnableTransactions
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.Safari.ImageDecoder): Unknown key for Boolean: EnablePressuredExit
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.avkit.SharedPreferences): Unknown key for Boolean: EnableTransactions
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (com.apple.avkit.SharedPreferences): Unknown key for Boolean: EnablePressuredExit
Apr 5 17:19:41 WhiteMacBook assistant_service[6292]: objc[6292]: Class CKEntity is implemented in both /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/iOS.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/CoreKnowledge.framework/CoreKnowledge (0x112c06220) and /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/iOS.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ChatKit.framework/ChatKit (0x1242004f0). One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined.
Apr 5 17:21:15 WhiteMacBook MTProject[6464]: assertion failed: 17C88 15C107: libxpc.dylib + 72226 [EE650BC3-0539-32F0-9205-ECF6755E856F]: 0x7d
Apr 5 17:21:16 WhiteMacBook com.apple.CoreSimulator.SimDevice.504F0656-E79B-42F4-B15C-227A2804F38B[6182] (UIKitApplication:com.braziersystems.MTProject[0x570][6208][6464]): Service exited due to signal: Segmentation fault: 11 sent by exc handler[0]

so death by Segmentation violation.

 

[Erel]

I have a feeling that Xcode was not installed properly. I'm now using Xcode 10.2 here and everything works properly.

You can try to run the project from Xcode and see whether you find any more information about this problem.

 

[JohnCLB]

I'll certainly give it a go but have never actually used Xcode, I have just used it for compiling B4i projects. Do you know if there are any tips/tutorials/etc. for getting at a B4i project from Xcode and building it manually?

 

[Erel]

You can just open it and run it (make sure to target the simulator).

 

[JohnCLB]

Sorry to have disappeared for so long but I was pulled off to fix another project!

I am back on this now and still banging my head against a wall. I have two MacBooks both with Xcode and the Buildserver on them and both create apps which work fine if built as a Release App but crash with a Signal 11 in debug mode. It doesn’t seem to matter if the app is installed on my iPhone or the Simulator, the result is the same. The application code is irrelevant, it happens with any app including the empty app created with 'New'. This has only happened since I lost (and had to rebuild) the Windows 7 Vmware virtual machine that hosts B4i. Before that, B4i worked fine.

Please correct me if I am wrong but I guess there are two basic differences between debug and release versions namely:

• The debug version is linked with a debug library
• At app startup, the Debug code tries to contact the IDE before it does anything

Since it all used to work before, I am starting to think that it is the communication between the debugged app and the IDE that is causing the crash. The only thing against that is that it when I used the hosted builder via a temporary id, the problem went away.

My question therefore is: Who actually installs the app onto the device, is it the IDE or is it the buildserver? Also, is the buildserver involved in the debug communication?

John.

 

[Erel]

Who actually installs the app onto the device, is it the IDE or is it the buildserver?

B4i-Bridge starts the installation process. You can also start the installation yourself by opening the same url you used to install B4i-Bridge. It will not change anything.

Also, is the buildserver involved in the debug communication?

No. The IDE starts a Java process that connects to the debug app. It also connects directly for the logs.

 

[JohnCLB]

In the intervening time, I have built a real PC and loaded Windows 7 and B4i on it and I get the same effects. I now have 3 PCs, 2 virtual and 1 real all with B4i on them and 2 MacBooks with B4iBuilder on them. In addition I test apps on both the simulator(s) and my iPhone SE. All combinations only let me build/run Release apps, Debug apps always crash except when I had a temporary licence for the hosted builder service which worked fine. I have also rebuilt the B4iBridge several times. The communication between the IDE and BriBridge seems to be ok and also mirrors changes made in the Designer.

The only thing I can think of is that there is a mismatch between the B4i IDE and the B4iBuilder. Would it be possible to send me a link to a ‘matched pair’ of IDE and Builder which is known to work.

Not having any debug and log facilities makes app development really tedius.

John.

 

[Erel]

I've sent you an id for the hosted builder. Use it until you are able to solve this issue.

I will send you the upgrade mail again. Maybe it will help.

 

[JohnCLB]

Very many thanks for that. It is so nice to have the debug/log again. I will let you know when I finally crack it!