iChat Error

[eclipse525]

Everytime I try to chat with someone I get the following error message.

"NSInvalidArgumentException:
NSConcreteMutableAttributedString addAttribute:value:range:: nil value"

Any clues on what it is and how to fix it? Thank you!


~e

 

[Doctor Q]

Do all of your other applications work, so it is only an iChat problem? And does it happen with everyone you chat with, or only some of them?

If it happens only to iChat and with everyone you chat with, iChat seems to have some setting mixed up. Here are three things you could try:

1. Restart, if you haven't already tried that.

2. Try deleting files in folder /Users/(yourname)/Library/Preferences that have names beginning com.apple.iChat. You will lose your iChat settings but it's worth seeing if that will help with the problem.

3. Consider deleting and reinstalling iChat. Which O.S. are you using, which version of iChat, and did you install iChat separately?

 

[eclipse525]

Everything else works fine. Browsers, Mail.

It happens with everyone I try to chat with.

I am using Mac OS 10.3.9 and iChat 2.1.

I did what you suggested as far as trashing the ichat preferences. It still didn't work.

I really don't want to reinstall iChat from the OS disc's unless I really have to, but I don't know what else I can do.

Thank you for your help


~e

 

[Doctor Q]

I'm sorry to hear that those easier tricks didn't work. Here are three less-helpful ideas I can offer:

1. Search these forums to read up on how other people re-installed apps from their install disks. I know that you can extract individual installers, rather than do a MacOS update, if you know how.

2. Wait patiently for somebody with more details to post in this thread.

3. Use iChat to talk to Steve Jobs directly and ask him what's going on. Oh wait, you can't use iChat. Scratch that idea.

 

[Le Big Mac]

Do all of your other applications work, so it is only an iChat problem? And does it happen with everyone you chat with, or only some of them?

If it happens only to iChat and with everyone you chat with, iChat seems to have some setting mixed up. Here are three things you could try:

1. Restart, if you haven't already tried that.

2. Try deleting files in folder /Users/(yourname)/Library/Preferences that have names beginning com.apple.iChat. You will lose your iChat settings but it's worth seeing if that will help with the problem.

3. Consider deleting and reinstalling iChat. Which O.S. are you using, which version of iChat, and did you install iChat separately?

Don't forget to repair permissions as well.

Oh, and doesn't iChat 2+ work only in Tiger? That could be a problem for you.

 

[eclipse525]

so I reinstalled it and it still doesn't work. WAIT but the "Audio" Chat portion works fine. Now if I can get the basic text chat to work. I just don't get it. Don't know what else to do.

~e

 

[fayans]

Don't forget to repair permissions as well.

Oh, and doesn't iChat 2+ work only in Tiger? That could be a problem for you.

I chat 2.1 works with Panther too. At least for me

 

[eclipse525]

I did some research and I got to work again. This was the solution....

"If you turn off (disable) the Helvetica font (the Apple-created one) on your computer, you won't be able to start an iChat chat. Instead, you'll see some gibberish message, like this:

iChat Internal Error! NSInvalidArgumentException: NSConcreteMutableAttributedString addAttribute: value: range:: nil value

iChat needs the "Helvetica" font included with Mac OS X to start a chat (you may have other "Helvetica"-type fonts installed with similar names). It's easy to turn the font back on if you used Font Book to turn it off. If you disabled the font using another third-party font management application, use that software to turn it back on, or disable the software."

SO, whinds up, I was using Helvetica other than the system one BUT for some reason, when i reinstalled Suitcase recently, it didn't activate it. SO, I had to turn the system "helvetica" back on. Geessh!

~e