4.1.40 Update Released

[Robotman]

Loaded Flare and up came SP1 for Flare 4.1. This takes it up to 4.1.40 (mine was originally on 4.1.19). The new one is dated 15/12/2008 (12/15/2008 for those who get the dates the wrong way around ).

Can't remember the list of stuff it fixes but we'll see how this one goes.

[SteveS]

...strange installation dialog...

Seems like you are installing the whole 199M from the dialogs, not the 480K. Going on the time though, its just the dialogs that are confusing.

[RamonS]

So you are saying that the download is only 480k? That would mean that MadCap followed my (and probably someone else's) advice to replace only those files that really need to be replaced rather than download the whole big piggish packet. Nicely done!

[mattbnh]

That is one of the weirdest installs I have experienced. I clicked Finish and the whole thing disappeared. I restarted Flare and it still gave me the SP1 available message, so I did it again, and then again. Then I tried to run it manually from my desktop.

At that point the original repair started! Along with three other instances!

But each of those realized another install was occurring and stopped with a message box.

So there was a delay in starting, but the SP was well disciplined and didn't strangle itself. So good work on robustness, Madcap.

All's well... It installed successfully. Yay!

I post mainly to tell folks not to be impulsive like someone I know.

Sometimes patience is its own reward (though an 'in progress; please wait' prompt would help the anxious among us).

[RamonS]

See, this is a DotNet application, you need a lot of patience.

[NorthEast]

That is one of the weirdest installs I have experienced. I clicked Finish and the whole thing disappeared. I restarted Flare and it still gave me the SP1 available message, so I did it again, and then again. Then I tried to run it manually from my desktop.

I did exactly the same thing too. I selected the repair option and the installer just disappeared for about 2 minutes before it came back again, by which time I'd restarted Flare and the update process again. Very confusing!

[wijnand]

the new update is an MSP file or beter known as a Patch Setup.

Just download the file and run it, aslong as you have never cleared out your C:\Windows\Installer folder everything should be fine. It basically checks for the original MSI file of 4.1 and then compares its files against the files you have stored in the temprorary and replaces the one thats older. Its a very quick way to make a patch but the downside is if you miss the MSI file it will ask for the setup you used when you installed Flare 4.1 if you dont have it anymore patching will become problematic.

I just downloaded it and ran the MSP and it all went fine. So maybe you need to chec the temp folder for a .MSP file?

[Richard Ferrell]

In this update:
- New update mechanism
- Word import and Word output fixes
- Frame import fixes
- PDF output fixes
- Internal Feedback pane fix

Also it will be listed in The Add and Remove programs under the Flare v4.1 so if you need to remove it you can.

[gotm]

I have to agree with mattbnh. There was no indication that anything was transpiring at all. However, I decided not to start Flare right away in case there was still something happening that wasn't obvious. After a few minutes I got the notification that the installation had been successful.

I hope this fixes the disappearing text. After having no problems with 4.1 I got a nice dose of that yesterday--the entire text for a topic disappeared---all of it: spans, tables, lists, plain text--everything! Very unnerving. "Undo" did nothing. Closing the topic without saving the changes restored it. Whew!

[helen]

That is one of the weirdest installs I have experienced. I clicked Finish and the whole thing disappeared. I restarted Flare and it still gave me the SP1 available message, so I did it again, and then again. Then I tried to run it manually from my desktop.

I did exactly the same thing too. I selected the repair option and the installer just disappeared for about 2 minutes before it came back again, by which time I'd restarted Flare and the update process again. Very confusing!

Me too - took about 3 minutes to kick into life. All my Flare upgrades/patches do come to think of it. I've never emptied that folder wijnand refers to - at least not to my knowledge.

[KevinDAmery]

Also had the off-to-never-never-land thing. I've seen that before with other Flare installs, so I started working on some forum posts. Then the installer popped up and immediately asked if I really wanted to cancel the install - apparently it took the typing that I was intending for the forum as a press on the Cancel button (So I clicked No and carried on with the installation...)

[RamonS]

Never ever delete anything in the Install folder that wijnand refered to (I think that was the intention of the post). Did that once since it takes up sometimes excessive amounts of drive space and then could neither repair or uninstall any application that uses the dreadful, malfunctioning Microsoft Installer (the worst product Microsoft ever published). MSI is broken by design, but clearing the Install folder really breaks it for good. Other installers are much quicker and waste less space, but are not from Microsoft, so they must be really bad.
Still, nice to see that applying updates no longer requires downloading the whole installer package.

[todd.richardson]

I installed the update this morning, and have since not been able to build PDF output. I encounter the following error soon after the build initiates.

Internal Error: Parameter is not valid

This has been reproduced by one other writer on a different machine.
Has anyone else seen this?

Rolling back...

[KevinDAmery]

FWIW, I just built a PDF here and it ran without incident.

Did you try any other PDF targets or a different project? Could be something in that target or some of the files (was this same output working previously?)

[panda]

Also had the off-to-never-never-land thing. I've seen that before with other Flare installs, so I started working on some forum posts. Then the installer popped up and immediately asked if I really wanted to cancel the install - apparently it took the typing that I was intending for the forum as a press on the Cancel button (So I clicked No and carried on with the installation...)

Had a similar experience. Eventually realized that you are supposed to go away and have a coffee while it decides if it's going to run or not.

I haven't lost Flare while typing since then, but I didn't really do a lot of plain text, so can't be sure... however, it now will only let me preview a page once (primary target AIR), thereafter generating a message 'Failed to compile document: Object is currently in use elsewhere.' Which left me wishing I was elsewhere too - especially as I don't know which Object it's talking about so have to reboot system in order to carry on.

And then of course you have to restart Flare.... which sometimes doesn't start at all and then eventually I have to restart Windows Exploder and then everything is fine.... until I want to preview a page to see if it's working.

I don't know what to do... should I just do the project in Flare 3.1 and then import it into 4.1 to compile it? I wish I'd never told my client about AIR...

[todd.richardson]

We reproduced this with two different projects (different targets/output) on two different machines. I've gone back to the previous update.

[KevinDAmery]

I haven't lost Flare while typing since then, but I didn't really do a lot of plain text, so can't be sure... however, it now will only let me preview a page once (primary target AIR), thereafter generating a message 'Failed to compile document: Object is currently in use elsewhere.' Which left me wishing I was elsewhere too - especially as I don't know which Object it's talking about so have to reboot system in order to carry on.

Try setting WebHelp as your primary target. I'm not suggesting not to build to AIR, but it's possible that something in the AIR code isn't agreeing with the preview system. Webhelp should be more predictable in that regard (and should look the same as the AIR output for the most part).

[Richard Ferrell]

Dear Todd,

Can you open a support ticket so that we can look at your project with 4.1.4 on our system.

https://www.madcapsoftware.com/support/contact.aspx

[LTinker68]

Also had the off-to-never-never-land thing. I've seen that before with other Flare installs, so I started working on some forum posts.

Unfortunately, I can't blame it on Flare, because we have McAfee installed and every time I try to install something, McAfee has to scan the entire .exe file as well as the entire destination. On full Flare installs, it can take 4 or 5 minutes before the install wizard appears. With this little patch, it was only a minute or so. I've gotten used to the delay, but I still have that question of, "Did I really double-click on the file or did I only think I double-clicked on the file?" So I usually open McAfee's stats screen to make sure it's actively scanning.

[RamonS]

McAfee dismantled our flagship software product this week....but they fixed it a day later. Would be one thing if it blocked the executable, but it deleted the whole thing.

[helen]

Ahh I wonder if it is McAfee that's killing my Flare installs as well then? I've been fine building PDFs as well FWIW.

[LTinker68]

It hasn't killed the installs, but it does delay them significantly. And it delays other programs from launching quickly. The longest delay is StarTeam, which some of the software guys use for source control. I'm not using it for source control through Flare, but when I try to launch StarTeam, it takes several minutes to bring up the login screen.

[helen]

Sorry, bad choice of words on my part. Delays them significantly would be more appropriate. I'll try disabling it for the next Flare installation and see what happens.

[panda]

Try setting WebHelp as your primary target. I'm not suggesting not to build to AIR, but it's possible that something in the AIR code isn't agreeing with the preview system. Webhelp should be more predictable in that regard (and should look the same as the AIR output for the most part).

Good Idea, Kevin. I could sneak up on it with AIR at the very last minute.

It turned out to be only one page, and as that page is having problems obeying orders from the style sheet, I'll assume it's corrupted and start again. Heigh ho

[panda]

Ahh I wonder if it is McAfee that's killing my Flare installs as well then? I've been fine building PDFs as well FWIW.

Well. as I have McAfee too, it does seem to add to the body of evidence that it is the culprit.