solved Strange ME Issue

[Rex]

Loading the attached template causes all subsequent [Save]s of the mission to result in a file size of 0.

I downloaded the set of templates from:

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3312219/

And they all exhibit this behavior.

 

The Log is as follows:

2022-03-20 21:19:04.894 INFO    APP: Screen: MissionEditor
2022-03-20 21:19:52.845 INFO    LuaGUI: Loading Static Template: CAU - Red - Airbase Gudauta (by Rudel_chw).stm
2022-03-20 21:19:55.265 ALERT   LUACOMMON: Error: GUI Error: [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: attempt to index field 'mapObjects' (a nil value)
GUI debug.traceback: stack traceback:
    [C]: ?
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: in function 'scale_group_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6436: in function 'scale_mission_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2254: in function 'setZoom'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2235: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:395: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:30: in function <[string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:29>
    (tail call): ?
2022-03-20 21:19:56.436 WARNING LOG: 21 duplicate message(s) skipped.
2022-03-20 21:19:56.436 INFO    GUI_MAP: levelformap=0
2022-03-20 21:19:56.445 ALERT   LUACOMMON: Error: GUI Error: [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: attempt to index field 'mapObjects' (a nil value)
GUI debug.traceback: stack traceback:
    [C]: ?
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: in function 'scale_group_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6436: in function 'scale_mission_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2254: in function 'setZoom'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2235: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:395: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:30: in function <[string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:29>
    (tail call): ?
2022-03-20 21:20:36.143 WARNING LOG: 112 duplicate message(s) skipped.
2022-03-20 21:20:36.143 ALERT   LUACOMMON: Error: GUI Error: [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:3398: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)
GUI debug.traceback: stack traceback:
    [C]: ?
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:3398: in function 'unload_static_groups'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:3718: in function 'unload'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:3881: in function <[string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:3868>
    (tail call): ?
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_toolbar.lua"]:655: in function 'saveMissionFileDialog'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_menubar.lua"]:675: in function 'func'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_menubar.lua"]:237: in function 'onChange'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/Menu.lua"]:26: in function 'callback'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/Widget.lua"]:368: in function <[string "./dxgui/bind/Widget.lua"]:363>
2022-03-20 21:21:09.061 ALERT   LUACOMMON: Error: GUI Error: [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: attempt to index field 'mapObjects' (a nil value)
GUI debug.traceback: stack traceback:
    [C]: ?
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6466: in function 'scale_group_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_mission.lua"]:6436: in function 'scale_mission_map_objects'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2254: in function 'setZoom'
    [string "./MissionEditor/modules/me_map_window.lua"]:2235: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:395: in function 'onMouseWheel'
    [string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:30: in function <[string "./dxgui/bind/NewMapView.lua"]:29>
    (tail call): ?

 

CAU - Red - Airbase Gudauta (by Rudel_chw).stm

Edited March 20, 2022 by Rex
place log output in code block

[Rex]

Nevermind, I figured it out.

There's a required VPC Equipment Mod at the end of the template that I didn't see and installing this fixed it.

The weird thing is, the whole time, the template is loaded into the ME, and it appears to be both working and saving fine.  It's not until you come back to it later that you realized nothing saved ... after putting hours of work on top of it.

Maybe we could gen some kind of warning on 0 byte file saves?

 

[Rudel_chw]

1 minute ago, Rex said:

Maybe we could gen some kind of warning on 0 byte file saves?

Actually, it would be best if the Mission Editor gave a warning at the moment of attempting to load a Static Template, that it needs a User Mod, like it does when you load a Mission … it should be easy to implement, as each Template includes an internal list of user Mods that it employs.

[Rex]

I am having a hell of a time unwinding it.  Let me explain:

I have made a lot of drawings on the Caucasus map.  The entire birder of Russia & Georgia, the territorial waters of each (approximately), I've drawn in Sevestapool and so on. So, I want to preserve my drawings.

But, unfortunately,if I have the VPC mod pack installed, then DCS crashes when I try to fly.

So, I delete the mod,then try to load the mission, but it won't let me load it because it says I need the VPC mod

This being the case, I restore the VPC mod, open the mission, and go about trying to delete all of the objects on map.  2,000+, but most of them static (I have 64GB RAM).

I takes a very long time, but somewhere in the process, the ME always crashes to desktop.  I can't delete many items before it takes a dive. Good grief trying to recover my drawings has become such a scrotal itch.

I think you templates are awesome, but something about the VPC mod is very unhappy on my system.  I'm just going to unzip the mission and see what I can recover.

[Rudel_chw]

6 hours ago, Rex said:

something about the VPC mod is very unhappy on my system

Here is a copy of the VPC mod as used on my system, updated to run properly on the latest version of DCS:

 

 

If your VPC has not been updated in a while, you might want to replace it with mine. Best regards,

 

Eduardo.