0

BUG REPORT: Apostrophe in file name vs. User Variables

BS: XT1143

FW: 6.2.147

BA: 4.6.0.18

 

I just had a frustrating experience trying to track down an issue with a presentation crashing one of my BrightSigns.

A presentation I had used multiple times on multiple models of BrightSign absolutely refused to stop crashing, forcing the BrightSign to reboot. After spending a significant amount of time troubleshooting, I found that the crash was happening whenever the presentation tried to access the user variables.

In the original presentation, an HTML page used a script to read the variables. (This was fortunate, because I only discovered the problem through the Javascript console.) After removing the script from the HTML document, the presentation stopped crashing. I then attempted to retrieve the user variables by loading http://<ipaddress>:8080/GetUserVars in my web browser, and the BrightSign promptly crashed.

I went back to a known-good version of the presentation, published it to the BrightSign and experienced no issue. I then saved the presentation with the new name and published it again. No changes had been made to the presentation.

Crash.

There was literally only one difference between the two presentations: the file name. The only thing even remotely unusual in the new file name: an apostrophe. That was the source of my crash.

The file name had an apostrophe.

I saved the file again, this time sans apostrophe, and my problems were solved.

The moral of the story: If you're ever going to need to fetch your variables, don't put apostrophes in your file names.

 

2 comments

  • 0
    Avatar
    Bright Scripters

    There is always a special character that is used in file names, that works 99.9% of the times, and once, would waste hours of your time...

    I have a rule of only using letters, numbers, dashes, and under_scores in file names. Even spaces can be problematic at times.

    You live and learn :)

     

  • 0
    Avatar
    Mitch

    A few days too late, just spent a few hours figuring this one out.

    Now making filenames super clean.

Please sign in to leave a comment.