TGB "Unable to open project" and other project file errors

#1 That's odd behaviour. Try deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.garagegames.torqueGameBuilder.plist?
What does your project file actually look like if you open it in a text editor? There's probably not much there, but worth a look.

TGB just lives in one directory, plus that config file, so there shouldn't be any traces of the trial if you deleted that. After installing, I just compressed the pristine source down and made copies in ~/src/ which I work on.

#2 Ronny,

Followed your suggestion, deleting com.garagegames.torqueGameBuilder.plist.
The next time the Behavior Playground project file was opened, it still did not look right (unexpected sprites).
But the second time it was opened, it looked okay (with the expected sprites).

Then used view to open both Behavior Playground files (new 1.7.3 and old trial version), and found something interesting:
The new file says it's 1.7.2.
The old file says it's 1.7.3.

Copies from view are below.

***************************************************************************
TorqueGameBuilder (new 1.7.3 install):



T2DProject
v1.7.2
v1.1.4
Torque Game Builder
ct.t2d


***************************************************************************
TGB_Backup (old trial version):



T2DProject
v1.7.3
v1.1.4
Torque Game Builder
game/data/levels/playground.t2d

***************************************************************************

Could you tell me more about your procedure for compressing and keeping copies in ~/src/ ?

Thanks much!

#3 Very strange - it goes a version down in your case.

The way I've installed TGB is as follows:
*Install with the latest installer package
*Right-click this directory and select compress to make a simple backup I can uncompress in place later
*Open up the XCode project and check that it builds, changing some strings in the process
*Rename the directory
*Compress this directory again, making another backup archive with some changes

The installer is a bit primitive, wanting me to type any different destination to uncompress TGB, so I prefer to just have ZIP archives I can double-click to have a fairly pristine source to work from on new projects.

I use the app from the original installation just for the editor, and have it a shortcut on an available dock. When actually building the projects, I copy the custom app I've compiled into the resulting directory, just so that launching the app gives me a different name than "TGBGame", and any custom icons.

(I'll have to experiment with adding Sparkle for automatic program updates later :)

The only directory I need for individual projects is the engine directory with the source code. The rest is demos and stuff to support the editors.

My source code directory (~/src/) looks something like this:
src
|
--TorqueGameBuilder/
|
--TorqueGameBuilder.zip
|
--Secret project 1/
|
--Secret project 1.zip

..and so on. Add version control for fun and peace of mind (VersionsApp is in a beta of sorts now if you need something like TortoiseSVN for Mac).

#4 Problems returned. This time, deleting .plist did not work, so decided to uninstall TGB, remove files that did not uninstall, and download fresh copy of 1.7.3.

Followed suggestions: created .zip files, and opened XCode project. But XCode complained "The application XCode quit unexpectedly."

Noted two things of possible significance:
(1) At the same time that TGB problems returned, OSX failed to recognize dial-up modem. (This has happened before. I work around it by changing the config.)
(2) While searching for TGB files, found header files in the developer directory containing the string "Torque". These date from before I owned this Mac. (This is a refreshed Mac.) Left the header files alone, though I could remove them, if it would help.

#5 XCode crashing indicates your problems are outside Torque. I suspect a defective harddrive. Download a program called OnyX for some drive diagnostics and SMART reports. Boot your system from the installation disc and run Disk Utility if there are any errors.

Driver problems could be a side-effect of that. If the drivers (kexts) aren't actually faulty, you could delete /System/Library/Extensions.mkext and reboot to refresh all drivers.

If none of that helps, and there aren't any errors reported on the drive, I dunno what's wrong. I've rarely seen a reinstallation being required, but that might be just it. Erase the disk content with Disk Utility on the installation disc and fully reinstall the OS and XCode. You can keep your home directory on a USB disk or something, but try starting fresh first.

Oh, and check out any logs in Console.

#6 Ronny,

Leopard OS was running Tiger Developer Tools.

This morning, a Console message reported an error and suggested reinstalling a Developer Tools component. I then checked my install disk. Developer Tools is an optional installation, not part of the standard install that I had done when upgrading from Tiger to Leopard.

After installing Developer Tools, I confirmed that the problem had been solved by running Torque2D.xcodeproj. The Torque 2D window opened with no problem. Previously, Xcode had errored, exiting unexpectedly.

Thank you for your patient assistance.

#7 Ah, old XCode. Better get used to reinstalling completely when there's a major change like that :)