CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

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bboursaw
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Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 4:20 pm

CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by bboursaw »

Is anyone else experiencing non-stop penalty holds while using Flare 2018? Almost every 30 seconds to two minutes, Flare will hour-glass for anywhere between a few seconds to a minute or so. It is borderline usable at this point. I am working with a tiny project, my system resources are plentiful (working on a 100% solid state system with a Samsung 960 Pro (SSD stick) for the main OS drive. I have zero system performance issues outside of Flare and even when Flare hangs, the rest of my system is fine.

Just me?
ChoccieMuffin
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Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:01 am
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by ChoccieMuffin »

Have you tried the usual remedies?

Close your project and delete the Analyzer and Output folders.
Reinstall .NET

Those two can sometimes fix problems (though I agree, it's a pain that the problems happen in the first place).

Other than that, I have no suggestions.
Started as a newbie with Flare 6.1, now using Flare 2023.
Report bugs at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx.
Request features at https://www.madcapsoftware.com/feedback ... quest.aspx
cdschroeder
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 189
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 9:18 am
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by cdschroeder »

I had your exact issue about two years ago, and it turned out that Windows Defender flagged my Flare project as a possible threat, and kept rescanning it every few seconds. Our IT guy did something in the Defender settings to mark my Flare project and program folders as "safe"/"never scan," and I haven't had any problems since.

Also, my coworker had similar issues after the fall Creator's Update (Windows). The Defender fix helped a bit, but the issue was permanently resolved by installing the 32-bit version of Flare (which you can request from MadCap support).

And finally, I'm not sure if these are still present in 2018, but in 2017, there are some analyzer settings in the Flare Options window that can cause the program to slow down.
Casey

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Beaver
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Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:09 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by Beaver »

Sometimes, it take more time than in Flare 2017 r3
By me it takes about:
1.52 seconds to view a folder with 365 htm files,
3.31 second to view my snippet file with 1050 snippets, see step #2 (Content is also marked/hangs)
It is workable. :)
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jack16
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Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:42 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by jack16 »

We've been experiencing the following problems with Flare 2018:

Elasticsearch flat-out isn't working. Also, when we try to use it, everything is slowed.
Click Create Topic, enter info, click OK, topic is created but frozen for 10 to 15 seconds, then black screen appears for another 5 to 10 seconds, then we're clear to start typing.
Editing the stylesheet is a painfully slow process, i.e., click a field, delay. Type an entry, delay.
If the File List is open, and especially if "all files" has been selected, closing the project results in a black screen and a 15- to 20-second delay.
Create a file in the Project Organizer, black screen ...

There's more, but you get the idea. One of our IT guys is doing a bit of research into these issues. Pre Flare 2017, never had a problem.
ktbCA57
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Posts: 472
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:45 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by ktbCA57 »

I have noticed similar issues now that I've upgraded. In fact, for awhile, my monitors were going black for a few seconds... so after replacing ALL of my hardware, including my laptop, the problem is now limited just to the Flare window.

I also have noticed delayed response in several areas as the above forum member mentions - just seems to be hanging randomly at save or trying to use the style panel, etc.

I have tried the suggested remedies: delete Analyzer, Output, and User folders... SEVERAL times... but it doesn't change anything.

Has this been reported to Madcap as an issue/bug?
Rls8
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Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:13 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by Rls8 »

I had a similar problem with Flare slow performance issues, but mine occurred when I would try to open the app, and synchronize project files. The desktop app would take up to 3 minutes to launch. When I would attempt to synchronize project files (even small projects), it would take more than an hour to synch. The "Synchronize Files" window was open, and the green status bar would say "Comparing" but the green bar did not move. The Synchronize File popup window said "Not Responding" for an hour or longer.

I reported a bug on Madcap software's website, and a Madcap Technical Support rep responded with the below instructions. Clearing the registry did not resolve my issue, but uninstalling and repairing Flare DID resolve my issues. I am sharing this in case this helps anyone else with their Flare slow performance issues.

Clear Registry

This will return the application back to factory defaults.
1) Click on Start then place your cursor in the Search field
2) type in "regedit" and click the OK button.
3) In the Registry Editor, go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/MadCap Software folder
4) Find the Flare folder, right click and select the Export key (This will create a backup)
5) Again, right click the Flare folder, and press the Delete key

If this issue persists, let's try repairing Flare.

Uninstall and Repair Flare

1. Go to your Add or Remove Programs list.
2. Click uninstall Flare
3. When prompted click uninstall again
4. Click Repair
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Rhonda
Analyst Technical Content
ktbCA57
Sr. Propeller Head
Posts: 472
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:45 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by ktbCA57 »

Thanks... did all that early on... didn't really fix it... I suspect it has to do with our TFS integration... but i'm used to it now! lol

THANKS! Happy Monday! :D
rgrace
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Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:08 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by rgrace »

bboursaw wrote:Is anyone else experiencing non-stop penalty holds while using Flare 2018? Almost every 30 seconds to two minutes, Flare will hour-glass for anywhere between a few seconds to a minute or so. It is borderline usable at this point. I am working with a tiny project, my system resources are plentiful (working on a 100% solid state system with a Samsung 960 Pro (SSD stick) for the main OS drive. I have zero system performance issues outside of Flare and even when Flare hangs, the rest of my system is fine.

Just me?
No, it happens CONSTANTLY with me and it's extremely frustrating. Makes me remember Framemaker fondly. This a relatively new (few months old) installation, I feel strongly that ripping it out and reinstalling is a chump move. I have a lot of CSS tweaks that I need to preserve (yes, I know how to do that). But seriously - deleting one character imposes a 5-10 second wait? Really? And I deal with this throughout the day.

(EDIT: removed a value judgment statement on my part which while possibly accurate, wasn't constructive towards dealing with this issue.)
Last edited by rgrace on Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
rgrace
Propeller Head
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:08 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by rgrace »

I reached out to Flare Support and found somewhat of a solution - delete the Analyzer folder from your project folders and see if that improves matters. it did for me.

They also suggest cleaning out the CatapultMDIEditor. I have not done this yet because I still have work I want to do. Quote:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clean the CatapultMdiEditor:

If you have any UI Layouts you wish to save, go into the CatapultMdiEditor folder and please save the layouts to a different location.

1. Go to C:\Users\[Your User]\Appdata (make sure hidden files and folders are turned on)\Roaming\MadCap Software\Flare
The folder should be within the Flare directory.
2. Rename or delete the CatapultMdiEditor folder.
3. Restart Flare and try again.

Let me know if you have additional questions about this.
Regards,
Vickie Reilly
MadCap Technical Support
jamestw
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:18 am

Re: CONSTANT hanging using Flare 2018

Post by jamestw »

I experienced the same issue as ris8. When doing a Project > Synchronize, Flare entered an interminable 'Not Responding' state. The longest I left it before forcibly shutting down Flare was 1.5 hours.
For each of the Mapping elements in the .flprj file, I looked at the ProjectPath element and checked whether those folders existed. Some of them did not. I created the missing folders, tried the synchronize again, and then it worked. This time I had to wait for only a couple of minutes before the synchronize finished.
So, if you experience this problem, check for missing folders and try again.
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