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AIFP errors when opening traffic bgl file

S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
When I open a bgl traffic file, AIFP pops up with 3 errors:

1) Unable to read "Z:\ORBX Library\p3dv5\Global openLC Africa Mesh and Photoreal\add-on.xml", (ExMessage: Root element is missing.)
2) Unable to read "Z:\ORBX Library\p3dv5\NA Pacific Northwest\add-on.xml", (ExMessage: Root element is missing.)
3) Unable to read "Z:\ORBX Library\p3dv5\TrueEarth US Libraries\add-on.xml", (ExMessage: Root element is missing.)

These 3 files are 1) installed correctly and 2) have nothing to do with AI traffic. How do i get AIFP to stop giving me these errors?
 
Firebird

Firebird

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101
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unitedkingdom
I looked up the message on the net and found that the file maybe missing an element.
Open one of the files and see if you can see the lines :-
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rootElement>

</rootElement>

If any of them are missing try adding them and see what happens.
From what I quickly read the <rootElement> is the equivalent to <html> brackets so those lines should be the first after the header and comment lines and the last line.
If that works it maybe that the xml code may work but may not follow the protocol strictly.
 
G

gadgets

Resource contributor
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Steven, what have you directed AIFP to do that it is attempting to load these three files. The ORBX Library folder is not a p[lace I would expect to find traffic files.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
gadgets said:
Steven, what have you directed AIFP to do that it is attempting to load these three files. The ORBX Library folder is not a p[lace I would expect to find traffic files.
Click to expand...


Exactly my point in trying to get AIFP to not look in the ORBX library.

All I did was open AIFP, select open bgl traffic file, select a bgl traffic file, and while AIFP is opening it is when it pops up with the 3 errors.
 
G

gadgets

Resource contributor
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All I did was open AIFP, select open bgl traffic file, select a bgl traffic file ...
Click to expand...
Why don't you tell me what file you asked to open and send me a screenshot of, or otherwise describe, the folder in which it resides.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
gadgets said:
Why don't you tell me what file you asked to open and send me a screenshot of, or otherwise describe, the folder in which it resides.
Click to expand...

I did tell you ... traffic bgl file. Installed by AIG AIM. Doesn’t matter which of the 900 or so traffic files I open, I get that error. I don’t think I need to screenshot 900+ files for you, and they are in the folder I installed AIG AIM into.
 
G

gadgets

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AIFP doesn't usually go off looking for irrelevant files. So, it must have encountered those files in one of the folders you directed it to look. I know nothing of your machine configuration. So, I need you to tell me about the "environment" of that file. Whether or not you give me that information is up to you. But, if you don't, I can't help you.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
gadgets said:
AIFP doesn't usually go off looking for irrelevant files. So, it must have encountered those files in one of the folders you directed it to look. I know nothing of your machine configuration. So, I need you to tell me about the "environment" of that file. Whether or not you give me that information is up to you. But, if you don't, I can't help you.
Click to expand...

Installed AIG AIM into a separate drive and separate folder from ORBX libraries. AIG AIM installs traffic BGL files into drive “E” whereas ORBX installs into drive “D” AIG AIM installs about 900+ traffic files into its own subfolders inside where AIG AIM is installed.
Fresh install of AIFP. Use AIFP to attempt to open one of the the 900+ traffic bgl files in the AIG AIM custom install location (not “C” drive) and AIFP will give those errors. I don’t know what more you need to know. AIFP and AIG AIM are not even on the same drive as ORBX.

AIfP must be looking at those xml files to find something, right? Is it looking for airport data?Since those 4 files are not airports, can I adjust AIFP from looking into that folder for airport data?
These are the thing I’ve been asking since the beginning, not did I somehow manage to install ORBX, AIG AIM, and AIFP into the exact folder path so AIFP would look at an ORBX file when opening a AIG AIM traffic file.

I haven’t directed AIFP to look anywhere. I’m asking what setting I need to change so it doesn’t look there. Please read the 1st post again “how do I get AIFP to stop giving me those errors” is a clear indication that I want to remove AIFP from looking at those files altogether.
 
Last edited:
G

gadgets

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Telling me you attempted to load a traffic .bgl file tells me nothing. I want to know what specific file you asked AIFP to load and how you asked AIFP to load it. When you clicked on Files/Open Traffic File .bgl, AIFP should have presented you with a folder "tree". Did it. ? if not, what did it present you with? Then, what exact sequence of operation did you use and what, exactly, did you enter where. Screenshots at each level would be helpful. No, I don't need a screenshot of 900 files. But something showing me how you got to those files would be nice.

In the 12 year history of AIFP, nothing like this has happened before. So, I have to assume the issue is related to your specific machine configuration. I'm happy to try to get to the bottom of this, but I can only rely on you to give me the information I need.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
gadgets said:
Telling me you attempted to load a traffic .bgl file tells me nothing. I want to know what specific file you asked AIFP to load and how you asked AIFP to load it. When you clicked on Files/Open Traffic File .bgl, AIFP should have presented you with a folder "tree". Did it. ? if not, what did it present you with? Then, what exact sequence of operation did you use and what, exactly, did you enter where. Screenshots at each level would be helpful. No, I don't need a screenshot of 900 files. But something showing me how you got to those files would be nice.

In the 12 year history of AIFP, nothing like this has happened before. So, I have to assume the issue is related to your specific machine configuration. I'm happy to try to get to the bottom of this, but I can only rely on you to give me the information I need.
Click to expand...
1) Open AIFP program (running as administrator)
2) click “file” then “open traffic file (.bgl)”
3) point to where AIG AIM installed traffic files (would be in a subfolder inside where AIG AIM was installed and again is not even the same drive, or even same type of items installed on that drive so I’m not mixing up the drives)
Select ANY of the 900+ bgl traffic files inside that folder (I’m not listing all 900+ in here for your sake, literally just pick any one of the files at random, doesn’t matter which one of the 900+)
4) errors pop up.

I can click “ok” on the 3 errors and the file comes up fine so not that big of a deal. I don’t know how to explain it any more clearly than what I already have. Again, AIFP and AIM are installed on the same DRIVE (not same folder) as P3Dv5. ORBX library is installed on a completely separate drive and is not touched by any program except ORBX. AIFP has absolutely no reason to even be looking into the drive ORBX is installed on as the only thing in that drive is the large scenery files (not smaller addon airports, but like TrueEarth Oregon which is about 10 gigs - only ORBX library has been installed in that drive so far). I can’t be more clear than that if it’s not clear enough for you then I don’t know what t tell you.
 
G

gadgets

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Ok. It looks like you are going to have to live with this one." I went back and looked at the initial message. All three are add-on.xml files. In the current version, AIFP "works its way" through all the registered add-on.xml files only when looking for aircraft - which is the only time it should encounter add-on.xml files.

Do you actually have a Z: drive? (That letter is usually reserved for a DVD or external memory card). You didn't mention it earlier. If you do have a Z: drive, are those three paths correct? Is that drive used in normal processing or is it offline storage.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
Yes I have a Z:/ drive. I have 5 2tb hard drives each with their own installs. One is for the simulators and smaller cross-platform compliant utilities (same install will work fine with both v5 and v4 like AIFP, AIG AIM, Lorby addon manager ADE, etc), one for addon programs and scenery, one for back up of the addon scenery and other files like the downloaded exe files to install addons, one for just windows and what must be installed on the C:/ drive, and the last for personal files and documents.
The Z drive is a stand-alone drive, not external, not removable, not a disk drive (don’t even have a disk drive bay in my tower). I just named it Z because I was in a rush to format the drive when I got it and just went to the bottom of the list. Everything in the drive works fine and ORBX writes to it just fine, and P3D reads the scenery addons from it just fine.
 
G

gadgets

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When you ask AIFP simply to load a traffic file (I assume that's what you are doing and not attempting to analyse that file with the Traffic & Parking Analyser or some other operation) AIFP calls the NET OpenFileDialog - which allows you to select the file of interest, reads the header of the selected file to confirm that it is, in fact, a traffic file and then asks Windows to read the whole file. How Windows does that is up to Microsoft. Any resulting errors reported by Windows are simply displayed by AIFP.

I can see no way that AIFP is complicit in what you are experiencing. I can only conclude that something in your system configuration is causing Windows to do what it is doing.

I find it curious that all three errors involve Add-on.xml files. That suggests a search for scenery add-ons. AIFP does search for scenery addons when it starts up and when collecting airports, but not when loading traffic files.

You still have not identified the version of AIFP you are using. If earlier than 3.3.1.2 , I recommend you install Development Release 3.3.1.11. It will be downloaded automatically if you select the option to check for development releases.
 
tgibson

tgibson

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I'm confused Don. When you load a traffic file AIFP also reads the aircraft involved and gets the aircraft information from the installed aircraft, right? And in the post above you state that when reading aircraft AIFP works its way through *all* the addon xml files, which is what is generating the error messages, as far as I can tell. So isn't this behavior caused by AIFP, but is expected due to the way AIFP works?
 
G

gadgets

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And in the post above you state that when reading aircraft AIFP works its way through *all* the addon xml files
Click to expand...
Yes, I did say that.
When you load a traffic file AIFP also reads the aircraft involved and gets the aircraft information from the installed aircraft, right?
Click to expand...
Yes, that's true as well. I stand corrected. (It's been a long while since I've looked at that area of the code. The loading of individual files is mostly original code. Most other parts of the program rely on a previously-prepared list of installed aircraft. It appears I never updated this section.)

OK, so now we know why AIFP is looking at the Z: disk. (AIFP checks every add-on contained in Documents\Prepar3D vn Addons and Documents\Prepar3D vn Files when creating the installed aircraft list since add-ons may contain SImObjects. Based on what's happening, I infer from your statement above: "the last [disk is] for personal files and documents", I infer that the Z: disk contains the system Documents folder.) But that alone doesn't explain the error messages being reported by Windows.

However, when extracting the data from these files, they are read as .xml documents, not text files. The error being thrown by the Windows .xml reader suggests those ORBX files do not comply with .xml file standard format. Please post the three files or e-mail them to me at don at stuff4fs dot com so that I can try to determine what is causing that error and avoid it.
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
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us-california
I’m only opening AIFP and then immediately opening a traffic file, ot for editing but just to see the list of aircraft and verify no reds.

AIFT version is whatever the one that was latest as of 2 weeks ago when obtained from the website. I’m not in front of my computer at the moment so can’t give the latest version but I always do regular checks for updates if the program do not do them automatically upon launch.

All 3 files in question do in fact have the required header in the xml files.

I did open a couple of random traffic files installed by AIG AIM early this morning and none gave the error. This was after I was finally able to go into P3D to do more than just verify the install and adjust settings. I’ve been busy trying to rebuild all the databases that were outdated due to the data loss and reinstalling/updating aircraft. This morning I was to the point of testing out everything (user aircraft, add on scenery, AI traffic, settings, etc) and it was just after thatI opened the files. It seems likely that ORBX had created the addon xml files but were not fully installed until P3D was started with an actual flight. Seems strange, but getting the errors prior to that and not after that seems to be the only explanation I can think of.
 
G

gadgets

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I’m only opening AIFP and then immediately opening a traffic file ...
Click to expand...
As explained above, that's when AIFP will look for addons

I did open a couple of random traffic files installed by AIG AIM early this morning and none gave the error.
Click to expand...
It was a long and torturous path getting here, but it would seem we've "arrived".
 
S

Steven D

Messages
118
Country
us-california
gadgets said:
As explained above, that's when AIFP will look for addons

It was a long and torturous path getting here, but it would seem we've "arrived".
Click to expand...
It does seem so. Sorry it took so long, but couldn’t work much faster as I’m still trying to juggle my job plus personal life along with rebuilding the simulator.
 
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