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Author Topic: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.  (Read 16813 times)

rtc99

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x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« on: January 24, 2007, 03:43:58 PM »

I've had and been using x10 for several years now and have all along with my cm15a and AHP been getting the "subject line" message failures.  I've been able to keep it to a minimum by adding delays between commands.  But after trying X10's SDK command language and executing commands straight from DOS, I can make the failure notice appear after doing a lamp on/off several times.   The message says to notify Microsoft of the problem, but don't feel that this is the real problem.  Anyone have the same problem and/or fix other than the time delays between commands?

Am running Microsoft Windows XP "home addition" and SP2.  Noticed that my newly downloaded "adcmd.exe" as well as the one loaded when I installed AHP, version is: 3.0.0.183  Does anyone know if there is a later version?

Thanks,

rtc99
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roger1818

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2007, 01:08:37 PM »

I don't think I have seen this before.  Are you making an ActiveX call or are you using the command line interface?
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-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2007, 09:53:57 PM »

I don't think I have seen this before.  Are you making an ActiveX call or are you using the command line interface?

roger1818,

After re-reading the post, it appears that AHP is having problems and when he tried the dos command line tool from the SDK (ahcmd.exe) it is even easier to recreate the problem.

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Dan Lawrence

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2007, 10:30:17 PM »

Question:  Is the SDK (ahcmd.exe) any different than the AHP (ahcmd.exe)?  I can do command line instructions with ahcmd.exe, a copy of which is on my D: drive.
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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2007, 11:59:17 PM »

Question:  Is the SDK (ahcmd.exe) any different than the AHP (ahcmd.exe)?  I can do command line instructions with ahcmd.exe, a copy of which is on my D: drive.

On my system at least, the ahcmd.exe in the Program FilesAHSDKin folder and the Program FilesCommon FilesX10Common folder are both version 3.0.0.183, however, the version in both the Program FilesAHSDKsamplesperl and Program FilesAHSDKsamplesPHP folders are both version 3.0.0.159.
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rtc99

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2007, 02:08:01 PM »

Thanks for the four replies, but still having the problem.  I'm not an active X programmer and not sure of how that is accomplished.  Here is an example of what I'm trying.  I've written a python program to do lights on and off at different times and intervals which seemed a lot simpler than using AHP (btw: I can do this from AHP and it works most of the time, but still gives me the failure notice occasionally when sending commands to turn lights on and off between short delays). 

Executing the command from a DOS window with different lamp modules/switches:  e.g. "ahcmd sendplc b6 on" and then a "ahcmd sendplc b6 off".  Doing this four or five times with a 10-15 seconds delay between each command, causes the error message that I mentioned in my first message. If you reduce the delay, you can cause it to happen more quickly.

I'd really like to solve this problem and any suggestions/questions greatly appreciated.

rtc99

After more trouble shooting, found that the error I get "X10 ActiveHome Scripting Commandline has encountered a problem and needs to close" also yielded the Error Signature

AppName: ahcmd.exe    AppVer: 3.0.0.183    ModName: ole32.dll
ModVer: 5.1.2600.2726    Offset: 00120f57

Looking on the internet, it seems that the ole32.dll library can become corrupt.  But so many different vendors out there offer a free download (and being parinoid about downloading and installing software from the net) I'm leary to do this.  Anyone done this for this particular file?  Please let me know the version of your ole32.dll file for XP. 

Thanks again for all your help.

rtc99
« Last Edit: January 27, 2007, 02:52:18 PM by rtc99 »
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hkactive

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2007, 01:32:34 PM »

Quote
Looking on the internet, it seems that the ole32.dll library can become corrupt.  But so many different vendors out there offer a free download (and being parinoid about downloading and installing software from the net) I'm leary to do this.  Anyone done this for this particular file?  Please let me know the version of your ole32.dll file for XP.

That's most likely not your problem.  ole32.dll  Is a collection of Dynamic Link Libraries (dll's) that work with objects created by other programs; e.g. an Excel Spreadsheet created by Excel. In our particular situation, we're using the Activehome objects in our Python, Visual Basic, etc. program. When you see an error as you have posted:

Quote
After more trouble shooting, found that the error I get "X10 ActiveHome Scripting Commandline has encountered a problem and needs to close" also yielded the Error Signature

AppName: ahcmd.exe    AppVer: 3.0.0.183    ModName: ole32.dll
ModVer: 5.1.2600.2726    Offset: 00120f57

The problem stems from the ahcmd.exe program not properly handling errors or sending information that the ole32 libraries have no idea what to do with. In essence, the ahcmd.exe has sent a command and the ahcmd.exe program has not handled an 'error' situation. It should have dealt with the situation before sending information to be processed by the libraries and functions of ole32.  Most likely, the program works, if everything is just right. If not, you've got problems. You have to <ctl + alt + delete >, restart, reboot, etc.

In other words, you've got a simple program that does what it does as long as everything is hunky dorey. That is the main reason why it would be nice to have the same type of information that we have been provided in the CM11A_protocol.txt so that we could write our own programs from scratch and develop our own drivers and programs with well developed error handlers.

Hank
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rtc99

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2007, 08:01:48 AM »

Thanks Hank for your reply and info.  I've fought this problem for several weeks now.  I kept thinking I was doing something wrong or my computer was hosed.  It almost seems to be a timing problem.  e.g.  Sending a light command on and waiting 3-5 seconds between commands, seems to work most of the time, but if you speed up the sendplc command up, it fails.  You didn't mention if you could simulate the same problem.  Can you and let me know.

Thanks,
Richard
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hkactive

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Re: x10's SDK periodicallly fails when sending a sendplc command.
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2007, 03:24:42 PM »

Here's a nice little tool that can be helpful in tracking problems with .dll's .exe, etc.
I used it on ahcmd.exe and it shows all the dependencies: it showed ahscript.dll , msvcrt.dll, etc.
And you can use it to profile a command. It  goes through all the processes that occur and reports on what is going on behind the scenes. It looks kind of complicated, but I've used it before to trace dependency problems with installers.

But in profile mode you can use it; and it should show where the program is breaking down.

Hope this helps you out.

I've used ahcmd.exe before and it works. But it isn't bug free, as you say. And yes, I've had the same problem. I think most of us have who have used that command from the command prompt.

http://www.dependencywalker.com/
« Last Edit: February 01, 2007, 07:10:10 PM by hkactive »
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