CBLoader runs, but the CB doesn't include any altered or new attributes

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What steps will reproduce the problem?
1.Alter or add an element using combined.dnd40.part (I added a new weapon)
2.Run CBLoader

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
A new weapon should appear in the shop when CB runs.  It does not.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
v1.01 - with the fix to run properly in winXP

Please provide any additional information below.
The combined.dnd40 file is updated, and the added element is included, but the 
changes to it are not reflected in the running program.

After running and closing the CB, the CBLoader window displays the message 
'Pipeline is not debugging. Waiting for a debug event will hang.  Thanks so 
much.

I hope this can be rectified, I'm really glad of this program.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 3:17

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Hi, can you include the XML for the weapon you're attempting to add?

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 5:17

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Also: I initially tried with a large file containing lots of the data from Dark 
Sun, and none of it was applied.  I scaled down the amount of data I was 
putting in to ensure that it was appropriately formatted, and to make it easier 
to check it was being applied to the relevant files.

AFAIK the data I'm using works for others, so I couldn't hypothesise as to why 
it wouldn't work here.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 6:12

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I'm not able to reproduce this issue locally -- that snippet works just fine 
for me (I've deleted the example snippet for copyright reasons).

What directory is cbloader in? If it's in the <path>_p folder, try putting it 
in the root folder. Or vice versa.  

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 6:44

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It's in the path full_p folder.  I'll try moving it down to the cb root folder 
and see what happens.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 8:06

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No luck on that score, unfortunately.  Is it possible that this is due to my CB 
not being installed in Program Files?  I doubt it, but it was worth asking...

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 8:16

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You can try deleting your combined.dnd40 file and trying again.

This can happen if you downloaded your .part file from someone else. The 
application uses the timestamp of the file to determine if it should merge the 
data again. It's possible that is what happened here.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 9:55

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Nope, that didn't fix it either.  Should I try deleting all the CBLoader files 
and starting over?

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 10:17

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Try using my version of CBLoader, see if it makes a difference.

I've rewritten a large amount of the code related to part file parsing.

Original comment by YeOldeSt...@gmail.com on 23 Nov 2010 at 11:29

Attachments:

• [CBLoader (YeOldeSteve Fork).zip](https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-attachments/cbloader/issue-6/comment-9/CBLoader %28YeOldeSteve Fork%29.zip)

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I have the same problem (window stays open, pipeline error even with xp fix), 
and Steve's fork just gives me a window saying "./combined.dnd40.part" and no 
CB opens.

Original comment by elst...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 12:40

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correction - CB eventually opens, but none of my mods are in there.

Original comment by elst...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 12:43

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Can you tell me what Operating System you're on? (Type "winver" into the run 
dialog (Winkey+R))

Original comment by YeOldeSt...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 1:18

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@YeOldeSteve: I tried yours and i get the same as with the updated version, 
cbloader creates the files, cb opens, but if i make changes they dont show in 
CB. My windows version is: Version 5.1 (build 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.1006216-1514: 
Service Pack 3

Original comment by venigm...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 3:30

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Ok, What I want you to do is open the file "combined.dnd40", and see if your 
item is in there (Should be at the very bottom).  Notepad will freeze for a few 
seconds, this is expected.

Also, Which version of the Character Builder are you using? (Which month did 
you last update it)

Original comment by YeOldeSt...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 4:43

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I'm on October 12 (final) charbuilder update, running Win XP 5.1 
(build2600.blahblahasabove100427-1636: SP3)

and my combined.dnd40 file contains dark sun, etc. So close!

Original comment by elst...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 5:15

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Windows version 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100427-1636 : Service Pack 3), 
using the final CB update (which, by the way, it may matter I don't know, took 
more than 2 DAYS of continuous running to successfully update) - I cleared out 
the custom material and used the latest download with VaultDweller's 
suggestions, and no luck again.

I've checked my combined.dnd40 file in all cases, and the changes are 
definitely merged in.  They're just not being read by the CB for some reason.

I'm going to try the YeOldeSteve version above, but at this point, I'm not 
specially hopeful.

Can I upload any files that might help with bug fixing?

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 10:28

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Nope, no luck with the YeOldeSteve version either.  I hope this isn't somehow 
related to using the latest update of the CBC...

Combined.dnd40.main is not modified, but that is correct, I believe...  
Combined.dnd40 is modified to include the changes.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 10:35

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(Sorry for the email spam for those who get notified.  I had an incorrect 
statement in comment 18, so I've deleted it and restated with corrected 
information)

I'm hitting the same problem on one of my 3 VMs.  It works currently on the 
other two.

All VMs are 32-bit windows XP.  As a note, when I exit the builder, I get the 
"pipeline is not debugging any process" error message again on the two systems 
where it doesn't work, but I don't on the system where it does.

For the two non-working ones, I installed the older version of cbloader, and 
hit the Pipeline problem.

I've looked at Combined.dnd40 on one of the VMs, and the new elements are in 
the combined file.  (I changed the Radiant Weapon +3 rules, so that the 
condition is "NOT" on, and the damage bonus should always apply)

But ... the VM where it doesn't work is using the "pirate" version of the 
builder (firewall issues), and the character builder is in "C:\Program 
Files\Wizards of the Coast\Character Builder", not the full_p directory.

On a third VM, last night it did not seem to be working, but now it is.  I can 
think of nothing I changed in my process between last night and today.  (I 
deleted the combined file, launched it via cbloader.  Last night I did not 
think to check the combined file to see if the changes made it in)

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 3:32

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Updated to loader 1.1 (and reorganized data while there).  The changes are 
still making their way into the combined file, but it's not being loaded by the 
builder.

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 4:08

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COuld someone who is experiencing this issue (and is also seeing the 'pipeline 
is not debugging' issue try again using this attached debug version of the 
loader and send me the output?

The best way to do this is to type WinKey+R, type 'cmd'
then type 
cd "C:\Program Files\Wizards of the Coast\Character Builder" (or whatever the 
full path to cbloader.exe is.

then type
cbloader.exe > log.txt

This should create a file named log.txt in your character builder directory 
with information that might be useful. Please attach that file in this thread.

Thanks!

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 5:01

Attachments:

• CBLoaderv1.1.0.Debug.zip

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jeff.hamm: I'm going to go out to my LFR game in the next few minutes, but I'll 
run this as instructed tomorrow morning.

Thanks.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 5:08

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(the "pipeline is not debugging" happens AFTER I close the builder.  So the 
builder runs, I exit it, and then I get the pipeline error)

Log file attached.

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 5:12

Attachments:

• Debug.log

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Excellent. I see the problem now. Fixing it might be a little trickier, I'm 
monitoring the application for a specific event so I know when to patch the 
.dll. I'm never seeing that event in this log.

Could you run the same thing on one of your working VMs with the same 
OS/character builder version combination and attach that log file? My system 
loads things completely differently from yours, so I might get more information 
out of a more straightforward comparison.

Thanks for the help!

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 5:27

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@YeOldeSteve: did as instructed and the data is not being added to 
Combined.dnd40. I will attach the files so you can see.
@Jeff: When i run your debug version i get an error about not finding the 
C:\Program Files\Wizards of the Coast\Character Builder\Custom path, but i dont 
have a custom folder

Original comment by venigm...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 6:40

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Got home, ran again, and it's back to not working.  Trace attached.  (This is a 
normal install of the builder, 32bit XP, VM inside VirtualBox, transparent mode)

Ok, that was weird...

I popped the VM out of transparent mode, and ran it.  And it worked.  That's 
the second file.

Again: broken running in Transparent Mode, worked running in a window.  The 3rd 
machine where it has always worked is a Parallels VM, the other two are both 
VirtualBox.

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 6:57

Attachments:

• Debug-hawke.log
• Debug-hawke-worked.log

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@venigma85 If it doesn't exist in combined.dnd40 this debug version won't 
really help me solve the issue. That said, i've attached a version which fixes 
the bug you encountered. 

If the combined.dnd40 file doesn't have your changes there is an eariler 
problem. You can force a re-extract/remerge by running cbloader with the -e 
switch.

To do so, navigate to cbloader as in the instructions above, but instead of 
typing cbloader.exe > log.txt
type
cbloader.exe -e

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 7:00

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i ran it with the -e and it reextracts and merges everything. It even creates a 
4th file cbloader.merged that it didnt before and after its done it opens my 
Character Builder, then i close it and i get the pipe error thing, which i dont 
mind and i close the cbloader, i make the changes to combined.dnd40.part with 
your sample NOT magic missile, save my changes, and then load the normal 
CBLoader aaaand the changes arent there... when i try to run it with the log 
command the window closes really fast and it doesnt create any log file ( i 
might be doing the log thing wrong).

Original comment by venigm...@gmail.com on 24 Nov 2010 at 7:47

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I have no idea if this is useful since kilpatds did the same, but here' the 
CBLoader debugger log after running it once to create the various files, then 
running it again with a change in the .part

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 25 Nov 2010 at 9:03

Attachments:

• log.txt

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I'm also seeing this issue, log file attached from debug version.

It looks like the expected event to hook into the CBuilder process isn't 
happening on my system, and the pipeline debug message is flagging up when the 
CBuilder process exits as there is no debug stream to monitor anymore

Original comment by dest...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 10:39

Attachments:

• log.txt

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This is clearly an issue. The only solution I can think of without the ability 
to reproduce the issue locally will be to provide an on-disc patch for the .dll 
that I'm not seeing loaded with the debugger. Unless someone comes up with a 
reliable way for me to reproduce this locally I'll simply include that option 
in the next release and provide a toggle for it.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 4:16

• Changed state: Accepted

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Thanks very much.

I wish I could provide some form of input that would help you to reproduce, but 
it seems fairly random...  Is there anything that you can think of which might 
help in that regard?

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:08

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I think my situation might be reproducable.  I can't explain it, but I can 
reproduce it and I'd guess that you can too...

Use VirtualBox (free) as your virtualization environment.  Install XP (MSDN?), 
install the virtual box client tools.  Install the builder, run the VM in 
"Transparent" (aka, Fusion or Coherence) mode, and see what happens.

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:25

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I have made the on-disk patch. Note. This is essentially untested code. If one 
of you would be my Guinea Pig. I'd greatly appreciate it. Use the following 
steps:

Navigate to your character builder folder and locate 'D20RulesEngine.dll' back 
up this file in a safe location. If something goes wrong, you'll need to 
restore it.

Download the attached v1.1.2.BETA build. And run it as
cbloader.exe -p
This should patch your engine.dll, and create a new file 
D20RulesEngine.dll.bak. 

Hopefully this will solve your issue. Note that you cannot go back to the old 
version of the character builder. If you would like to use an unmodified 
character builder you'll need to replace the current D20RulesEngine.dll with 
D20RulesEngine.dll.bak. If something unexpected goes wrong, you might need to 
restory the copy you made in step 1. However this is unlikely. 

Please let me know if this helps.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:34

Attachments:

• CBLoaderV1.1.2.BETA.zip

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So if I do this, am I expected to run the builder via the loader?  Or just run 
it straight?

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:49

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after you do this, you can actually run it either way. You'll still need to use 
the loader to marge the .part files into the main code. After that, the custom 
stuff will be run no matter which method you use to load it.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:51

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Ok.  Looks like it werkedferme(tm).

I run cbloader -p, then ran the builder as normal (running the builder 
directly, not using the loader), and the custom content showed up.

To clarify, I'll need to rerun cbloader any time I change the content?  Or is 
there a cbloader flag that will just do the data merge without running the 
builder?

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:55

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(Interesting ... if I run the builder through the old "check for updates, then 
run", I do NOT get the custom content.  If I run it through the executable in 
full_p, I do)

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:57

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running cbloader.exe -e -n will force an extract/merge without loading 
character builder. 

cbloader.exe -n will perform the 'merge if necessary' operation that it 
typically does, without actually loading up the application.

cbloader.exe -h will print out some short help documentation about what 
switches are available.

All of this said, i'm not extremely comfortable with the on-disc patch. I'd 
like to avoid actually modifying files if I can reproduce this thing. But it's 
a decent short term solution. And also much less of an issue now that wizards 
has stopped releasing new updates. I'm going to try to get around to getting a 
new windows xp virtual box up... sometime.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:00

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Hmm, I usually run the CB through the updater shortcut I installed to begin 
with.  Could that be related to the issue?

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:28

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Except when using CBLoader, of course.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:29

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@kilpatds Check which directory your updates shortcut is pointing at. It might 
be pointing at the parent CharacterBuilder directory. You might need to patch 
the dll up there.

@iamthespaceinvader I don't think that is your issue. As long as you're running 
via cbloader that doesn't come into play. Have you tried the 1.1.2 beta with 
the -p switch? Does that solve your issue?

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:39

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The "normal" setup is that you run the builder through cbloader.  The
cbloader dynamically patches the character builder, and loads the
custom content.

So, yes.  If you run the character builder normally, you will not have
any custom content. Unless you use the patch version he attached to
this trouble ticket.

Doug

Original comment by kilpa...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:39

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jeff.hamm: SUCCESS!  Thank you.  Used the beta version.  Thanks.

Original comment by iamthesp...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 6:46

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Works out fine!

Original comment by venigm...@gmail.com on 26 Nov 2010 at 9:51

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I'm closing this one out for now. V1.1.2 has been pushed out and contains the 
-p flag. I will revisit this problem if I can reproduce it later.

Original comment by jeff.h...@gmail.com on 27 Nov 2010 at 7:40

• Changed state: Fixed

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Thank you for your quick and hard work!

Original comment by venigm...@gmail.com on 27 Nov 2010 at 8:02