macOS Help needed for debugging

[Soulstorm]

I have an application that has caused me much trouble the last few days. I am the developer and maintainer of the FS2_Open Launcher for OS X. Recently, I made an update, which is supposedly not working.

I have tested it on my machine (Intel OS X 10.5.2) and 2 G4 machines running 10.4.11. The application is running fine. But other people in some forums tell me that the application won't even start! After suggestions about deleting preferences, etc, I came to the conclusion that they indeed have a problem.

One of them has posted the below code taken from the console.app:

 Identifier:      com.soulstorm.MMST2_3
Version:         ??? (3.0.5b)
Code Type:       X86 (Native)
Parent Process:  launchd [70]

Date/Time:       2008-05-22 18:58:40.948 +0200
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.2 (9C7010)
Report Version:  6

Exception Type:  EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread:  0

Application Specific Information:
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Invalid parameter not satisfying: aString != nil'

As you can see, this is a generic error, and I can't figure out where it is! I searched for aString in my application, but those parts of the application were working fine before the update, and I haven't changed them since then!

So, what I want now is:
- Please, test the application. I only want to know if it starts up. If the application manages to launch, it will be OK.
- Can anyone tell me if there is any way of spotting a bug that I cannot even reproduce?

You can download the test application here.

 

[Soulstorm]

anyone? I just want to know if it works...

 

[pilotError]

I got a few dialog boxes the first time I launched,

Flag file not found and another that I missed. The second message didn't pop up on the 2nd launch.

I'm able to get to the main screen, but when I click launch it dissapears.

From the console:

5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/chum.plist
5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist
5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] launchctl: Please convert the following to launchd: /etc/mach_init.d/pilotfish.plist
5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.distccdConfigd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.cups.cupsd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
5/23/08 10:36:12 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (org.ntp.ntpd) Unknown key: SHAuthorizationRight
5/23/08 10:36:16 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.distccdConfigd[30]) Exited with exit code: 255
5/23/08 10:36:22 AM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[69]) Exited: Terminated
5/23/08 10:36:23 AM org.ntp.ntpd[14] Error : nodename nor servname provided, or not known
5/23/08 10:38:38 AM FS2_Launcher[119] 1
5/23/08 10:39:00 AM FS2_Launcher[119] /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app
5/23/08 10:39:00 AM FS2_Launcher[119] Unable to identify Exe at the given location
5/23/08 10:39:00 AM [0x0-0x13013].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[119] sh: /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app/Contents/MacOS/: No such file or directory
5/23/08 10:39:10 AM FS2_Launcher[119] Making User Interface...
5/23/08 10:39:10 AM FS2_Launcher[119] loading preferences from the command line...
5/23/08 10:39:10 AM FS2_Launcher[119] -
5/23/08 10:39:11 AM FS2_Launcher[119] found mod folder: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open
5/23/08 10:39:11 AM FS2_Launcher[119] 1
5/23/08 10:39:11 AM FS2_Launcher[119] adsasdasdasFS2_Open
5/23/08 10:39:11 AM FS2_Launcher[119] parsing file at: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/fs2_open.ini for screen properties...
5/23/08 10:39:35 AM FS2_Launcher[119] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 10:39:35 AM FS2_Launcher[119] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 10:39:35 AM FS2_Launcher[119] Application Terminating...
5/23/08 10:39:35 AM [0x0-0x13013].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[119] FSPathMakeRef(/Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app) failed with error -43.
5/23/08 10:39:35 AM [0x0-0x13013].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[119] File not found in place
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] 1
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] parsing file at: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/fs2_open.ini for screen properties...
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] found mod folder: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] 1
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Unable to identify Exe at the given location
5/23/08 10:40:16 AM [0x0-0x16016].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[127] sh: /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app/Contents/MacOS/: No such file or directory
5/23/08 10:41:09 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Making User Interface...
5/23/08 10:41:09 AM FS2_Launcher[127] loading preferences from the command line...
5/23/08 10:41:09 AM FS2_Launcher[127] -
5/23/08 10:41:09 AM FS2_Launcher[127] adsasdasdasFS2_Open
5/23/08 10:42:11 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 10:42:17 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 10:42:17 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 10:42:17 AM FS2_Launcher[127] Application Terminating...
5/23/08 10:42:17 AM [0x0-0x16016].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[127] FSPathMakeRef(/Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app) failed with error -43.
5/23/08 10:42:17 AM [0x0-0x16016].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[127] File not found in place

 

[pilotError]

Moved App to Applications,

Console output:

5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] 1
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] adsasdasdasFS2_Open
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] found mod folder: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] 1
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] parsing file at: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/fs2_open.ini for screen properties...
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM FS2_Launcher[192] Unable to identify Exe at the given location
5/23/08 11:00:16 AM [0x0-0x20020].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[192] sh: /Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app/Contents/MacOS/: No such file or directory
5/23/08 11:08:00 AM FS2_Launcher[192] Making User Interface...
5/23/08 11:08:00 AM FS2_Launcher[192] loading preferences from the command line...
5/23/08 11:08:00 AM FS2_Launcher[192] -
5/23/08 11:08:38 AM FS2_Launcher[192] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 11:08:38 AM FS2_Launcher[192] Preparing to save the current command line:
-
to file in location: /Users/testuser/Library/FS2_Open/data/cmdline_fso.cfg
5/23/08 11:08:38 AM FS2_Launcher[192] Application Terminating...
5/23/08 11:08:38 AM [0x0-0x20020].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[192] FSPathMakeRef(/Users/testuser/Applications/FS2_Open.app) failed with error -43.
5/23/08 11:08:38 AM [0x0-0x20020].com.soulstorm.MMST2_3[192] File not found in place

Window shots:

 

[Soulstorm]

That is normal. You are prompted with this message because you don't have Freespace 2 installed. (it's abandonware, so if you want to download it, you can pm me to give you the free installer. You are not violating any laws by doing so)

Since you are able to go into the main screen (which is empty, since the Launcher didn't found the FS2_Open application in order to make the UI) then this means you don't have any problem.

What system version do you have?

 

[yeroen]

If it wasn't working for me I'd run a trace on it to see what files it was trying to open, what libraries it was trying to load etc.

I wouldn't expect ordinary end users to know how to do this, so I'd distribute a debug version that wraps the executable in a shell script that in turn runs the program under DTrace. Capture the output of the trace into a file and have the end user send it to you.

 

[pilotError]

Leopard 10.5.2 - Macbook Air

If it wasn't working for me I'd run a trace on it to see what files it was trying to open, what libraries it was trying to load etc.

I wouldn't expect ordinary end users to know how to do this, so I'd distribute a debug version that wraps the executable in a shell script that in turn runs the program under DTrace. Capture the output of the trace into a file and have the end user send it to you.

Problem is that it does work for me and has an issue on his machine. Maybe the problem is after the actual launch.

 

[Soulstorm]

Problem is that it does work for me and has an issue on his machine. Maybe the problem is after the actual launch.

Actually, the problem is that it does work for me also, but it has problems on certain hardware-software of other users in other forums. I'm not doing anything low-level, so I still don't have a clue as to what's wrong.

My assumption is that something is happening with memory management. Problem is that, I don't know why certain hardware lets you get away with this, while other doesn't.

All people that have tested the application have done so using 10.5.2. Some of them have problems. The application works fine under 10.4.