Initialization Error - failed to load external?

[croivo]

I'm getting this error when launching my app on Windows...
When I launch app inside folder that Livecode created when compiling the app, it works. But when I copy it in any other directory, it gets this initializing error.

[ghettocottage]

Not sure if this is related to your problem, but: http://revolution.byu.edu/extfiles/exFiles.php

In particular, note the little handler you can add:

Code: Select all

  set the itemDelimiter to "/"
  get the effective fileName of this stack
  set the defaultFolder to item 1 to -2 of it

so then your defaultFolder will be wherever your stack (or standalone) is launched from.

[SparkOut]

When you created the standalone did you find a folder inside the one containing the standalone called externals? That is where LiveCode will look to find any externals it needs, such as database drivers or browser. If you move the standalone exe, and it has any dependencies on such externals, you will need to move that folder too, so that when LC looks for the externals folder the relative path is alongside the standalone exe. (Alternatively you can script the path to the externals folder in the application but that assumes it will be permanent.)

[croivo]

@ghettocottage Tried that, didn't help...

@SparkOut Just now I noticed that folder "externals" with some revdb.dll inside. But that revdb.dll was not there before... I'll check if that happens with older versions of Livecode.

[ghettocottage]

which version are you using?

[TEDennis]

I'm having the same problem -- "failed to load external"

First of all, it's frustrating to have a message like that display when it doesn't identify the external it's trying to load.

This error didn't happen in prior versions (6.1 and prior).

It also doesn't happen in 7.0.3, but it does happen in 7.0.4. Unfortunately, I need a bug-fix that is in 7.0.4.

My app doesn't use any externals. It's the only file in my execution folder (copied from where LiveCode "built" it).

I don't want to drag along DLLs that aren't going to be used. I never needed the "Externals" folder prior to 7.0.4.

Providing an empty Externals folder doesn't circumvent the problem. I wouldn't want an empty folder laying around, anyway, but I tried it to see if it would work.

For the time being, I have copied the Externals folder to my app's execution folder.

This seems like a bug to me.

At the very least, the error message should be "enhanced" (aka: fixed)

TED

[ThatOneGuy]

Same problem here.

Even with all inclusions disabled the revdb.dll file persists as though it was selected for inclusion and the program crashes with an error if the dll is not there even though it was not directly included and will not be used. As far as I can tell, nothing can be done to prevent this error from occurring.

This bug is in the most recent stable version (7.0.4) and makes it impossible to create standalone programs.

[KimD]

Just in case anyone else finds themselves at this post because they made the same rookie mistake as me.
1) I copied my standalone's .exe file; and
2) Pasted it onto my desktop

When I ran the .exe file from my desktop, I got the "failed to load external" error message.

When I replaced step 2 with "Paste shortcut" onto my desktop everything worked fine. Paste mucks up the relative paths to the Externals; Paste shortcut doesn't.