Android Question Error opening Designer

[Amateurtje]

I have spend a long time designing 2 bal files and after the last save, i can not open either one of them. it gives an error (in dutch, so I do not know exactly in english and there is no error number: The index is outside of the range...

Is there a way to open a *.bal file?? (like a designer file in vb.net??)

it seems he messed up some indices of some elements but at 2 different files at the same time.

This project is based on the customlistviewexample. If I copy the Original 1.bal and cellitem.bal, it works again but I loose everything I have done.

I tried to only replace them 1 by 1 to see if I can at least save half of my work (and ideas) but both files have the error...

I have B4A 7.80...

Can anybody please help me?

 

[MarkusR]

can you upload this files here?
.bal looks like a binary file for me.

i found this converter tool here: (its from 2014)
https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...e-layouts-files-to-json-and-vice-versa.41623/

 

[Erel]

i found this converter tool here: (its from 2014)

The latest version which is attached there is from January 2018.

 

[Amateurtje]

and when it is a json, what can I do with it? I will try it.

The files are attached.

 

[Erel]

They are indeed corrupt. I doubt whether the BalConverter tool will help here. Was there any crash when you saved the project?

 

[Amateurtje]

no, no crash at all. I saved and was working in file 1. I noticed I could not open cellitem. I closed (with saving 1) and reopened. At that time, both would not reopen anymore….

PS, I can not try to use the bal converter while there is no exe file included. I do not have B4J. Can anybody try for me?

PPS,

I just started with a new Cellitem.bal file. I made some small changes. Saved it undr a diferent name and it does the same. It seems my designer can not save anymore……

PPPS,

Even just pressing save on a new file (original1.ball) makes this happen.. My designer program saves corrupted files....

 

[Erel]

I do not have B4J

You can install it: https://www.b4x.com/b4j.html

Which version of B4A are you using?

 

[MarkusR]

this tool need also a library
https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/byteconverter-library.6787/

 

[Erel]

I've uploaded a new version. It only depends on ByteConverter and other internal libraries.

 

[MarkusR]

it can not open cellitem.bal, it said unsupported version and if you skip this it crash elsewhere.

btw, did you save your files at a harddisk, network drive or a cloud system?

 

[Amateurtje]

I have B4A 7.80

I have reinstalled B4A and I am beginning to realise I probably have to start again. I do not mind, I still remember what I did… I am only getting a bit worried that it will happen again…

After the reinstall it seems to work..

 

[MarkusR]

corrupted files can have much reasons. software fault, network trouble (using network drives), virus, old harddisk, interuppted save

 

[Amateurtje]

Hi MarkusR,

No network drives, just local. Even not in dropbox folder.
Virus: is never impossible but highly unlikeliy.
Interrupted save: why was it repeatable. That means the interupted save would have destroyed the program, not the files.
old harddisk: relatively new laptop.
a harddisk error would only be on the program (files)…. Than I must assume the reinstall put the files ion a different sector... When I have time, I will run a surface check...

 

[MarkusR]

agree, in your case the files are so very small, maybe you found a rare bug in designer or it was caused by java enviroment.

 

[Amateurtje]

I Always thought I was the only one making bugs

 

[Erel]

I don't remember any case where the IDE saved a corrupted layout file, with the exception of system crashes that happened while the file is saved.

Have you somehow deleted all variants?

 

[MarkusR]

the
cellitem.bal is just blank? anti virus?
i contains just spaces ..

 

[Amateurtje]

I had no variants inside. The only thing I did was:
I took the Original 1.bal and cellitem.bal
added some edittextboxes and buttons
the rest is history…

after some different tries (before doing the re-install)
I took the orginal 1.bal. This I could open. I just pressed "save". and closed it. After this, I could not re-open it anymore..

 

[DonManfred]

i contains just spaces ..

No single one.... It contains null bytes (Hex 00 00 00 [..])

 

[MarkusR]

No single one.... It contains null bytes (Hex 00 00 00 [..])

ok, i opened in notepad and replaced a space char with *.