Maya Crashes When I Reload Plugin?

[daviddoria]

here is the entire script:

CODE
global proc SyntheticLiDARGUICreate()
{
global string $SyntheticLiDARGUI;

$SyntheticLiDARGUI = window -height 500 -title "SyntheticLiDARGUI";
rowLayout -numberOfColumns 2 -width 100 MainRow;
columnLayout -width 30 -parent MainRow Column1;
columnLayout -parent MainRow Column2;
setParent Column1;
int $TextHeight = 22;
text -height $TextHeight -label "Phi Start:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Phi Stop:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Theta Start:";    
text -height $TextHeight -label "Theta Stop:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Phi Points:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Theta Points:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Indicator Radius:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Type Of Scan:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Move Scene Every:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "File Path:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "File Name:";
text -height $TextHeight -label "Number of Poses:";
checkBox -label "Show Progress" -value 1 ShowProgress;

setParent Column2;
floatField -editable true -minValue -90 -maxValue 90 -value -45 PhiStart;
floatField -editable true -minValue -90 -maxValue 90 -value 45 PhiStop;
floatField -editable true -minValue -90 -maxValue 90 -value -45 ThetaStart;
floatField -editable true -minValue -90 -maxValue 90 -value 45 ThetaStop;
intField -editable true -minValue 1 -maxValue 200 -value 60 PhiPoints;
intField -editable true -minValue 1 -maxValue 200 -value 60 ThetaPoints;
floatField -editable true -minValue .001 -maxValue 1000 -value .2 IndicatorRadius;
radioCollection radioScanType;
    radioButton -label "Uniform Angle" -select radbtnUniformAngle;
    radioButton -label "Uniform Linear Spacing" radbtnLinearSpacing;
radioCollection radioMoveScene;
    radioButton -label "Strip" radbtnStrip;
    radioButton -label "Point" -select radbtnPoint;
textField -width 80 -editable true -tx "c:/data/" FilePath;
textField -width 80 -editable true -tx test FileName;
intField -editable true -minValue 1 -value 10 NumPoses;
button -label "Scan!" -command "LiDARScan";
button -label "Show Boundary" -command "ShowBoundary";

showWindow $SyntheticLiDARGUI;

}

global proc LiDARScan()
{
    float $PhiStart=textField -query -text PhiStart;
    float $PhiStop=textField -query -text PhiStop;
    float $ThetaStart=textField -query -text ThetaStart;
    float $ThetaStop=textField -query -text ThetaStop;
    int $PhiPoints=textField -query -text PhiPoints;
    int $ThetaPoints=textField -query -text ThetaPoints;
    float $IndicatorRadius=textField -query -text IndicatorRadius;

    string $selectedScanType = radioCollection -query -select radioScanType;
    string $ScanType;

    if($selectedScanType == "radbtnUniformAngle")
        $ScanType = "angle";
    if($selectedScanType == "radbtnLinearSpacing")
        $ScanType = "linear";
    if($selectedScanType != "radbtnUniformAngle" && $selectedScanType != "radbtnLinearSpacing")
        $ScanType = "invalid";

    string $selectedMoveScene = radioCollection -query -select radioMoveScene;
    string $MoveScene;

    if($selectedMoveScene == "radbtnStrip")
        $MoveScene = "strip";
    if($selectedMoveScene == "radbtnPoint")
        $MoveScene = "point";
    if($selectedMoveScene != "radbtnStrip" && $selectedMoveScene != "radbtnPoint")
        $MoveScene = "invalid";

    string $FilePath=textField -query -text FilePath;
    string $FileName=textField -query -text FileName;
    string $ShowProgress=checkBox -query -value ShowProgress;

    float $NumPoses=textField -query -text NumPoses;

    SyntheticLiDAR $PhiStart $PhiStop $ThetaStart $ThetaStop $PhiPoints $ThetaPoints $IndicatorRadius $ScanType $MoveScene $FilePath $FileName $ShowProgress $NumPoses;

}

The idea is it collects all the information from the GUI and the very last line calls my plugin command with all the parameters.

If you have any other style comments on this script I'm happy to accept them!

Thanks,

Dave

[korchkidu]

Hi,

could you please post your SyntheticLiDARGUIDelete function too?

K.

[daviddoria]

sorry, sure

CODE
global proc SyntheticLiDARGUIDelete()
{
global string $SyntheticLiDARGUI;
if (window -exists $SyntheticLiDARGUI)
deleteUI $SyntheticLiDARGUI;
}

[lnorri]

hmm... sounds like you have some debugging to do. I would forget the scripts for a moment and double check that your doIt() function is not the culprit. Remove your script loading code and check your command by loading your plug-in and calling your command manually via the script editor. Do this multiple times per load with different arguments and make sure to unload and reload the plug-in many times during your test.

If you don't find any problems on the command side, it's time to check the script in a stand alone fashion. Rebuild your plug-in, but this time include your MEL GUI sourcing and releasing code. However, configure your doIt() function so it doesn't actually DO anything. This will test the script itself and how it interacts with your plug-in from a UI creation and deletion standpoint. (also you could manually source and delete your UI, to check ONLY the MEL)

If both work fine, it's most likely your script passing some funky values to your command. Do you error check your incoming values? If your using Visual Studio use the debug->attatch to process->maya to figure out what exactly is getting sent to your command.

Outside of that, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what your doIt() command actually does.

As far as scripting tips, I generally prefer that any controls that need to be queried in separate functions should be passed to that function as arguments. It takes a little more code, but you could avoid a naming conflict. Just like in C++ avoid globals whenever possible. (when they are necessary make sure to prefix them somehow) (i.e. $MyWin is a really bad name for a global variable)

good luck,

[daviddoria]

I am checking all the passed values by writing them to a file. They are all fine. I can load and unload the plugin all day and change values and everything runs fine without crashing. The problem is introduced when I use the .mel script GUI. The GUI interacts with my program just fine, but then if I leave the GUI open and unload/load the plugin and run it again, maya crashes. I attached the mel to the plugin and now it opens/closes when I load/unload the plugin. But the same thing happens, namely that when i unload/load and run it again maya crashes.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

Dave

[lnorri]

Did you try making your doIt() function do nothing? did it still crash?

If it still crashes...

try using plain old "source file" in your plug-in init.

and call your UI create and delete functions like so...

initializePlugin
{

MGlobal::sourceFile( "MyUIcode.mel" );
MGlobal::sourceFile( "MoreUIcode.mel" );

MGlobal::executeCommand("CreateMyWindow();");

}

uninitializePlugin
{

MGlobal::executeCommand("KillMyWindow();");

}

You can always try using "evalDeferred" on your "deleteUI" call. If for some reason you think that your window might be being accessed right after it is deleted. (I don't think that is your problem to be honest.)

All I can say is keep simplifying your plug-in until you track down the root of the cause.

[joojaa]

Mel shouldnt crash maya. So i highly doubt the problem is in the mel. More likely ist aleak in the code or accessing a long gone mObject

[daviddoria]

TG_Maya - WOOOHOOO! worked like a charm! I wonder why it didnt work the other way? Oh well, I dont see any down side to doing it this way.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

[_dk_]

QUOTE(David Doria @ 04/10/08, 11:18 AM) [snapback]284052[/snapback]
TG_Maya - WOOOHOOO! worked like a charm! I wonder why it didnt work the other way? Oh well, I dont see any down side to doing it this way.

Ok, I ran across the same problem. The solution proposed here is not too general (e.g. you're using your plug-in from different scripts). What helped me was to add additional source command to the file it is called from just before calling plug-in function:
[codebox]//name.mel
...
// add a button calling a function saying to source our MEL file before calling the actual plug-in
button -command "source \"name.mel\";pluginFoo();"
...[/codebox]

Looks like in this case interpreter recalculates cached address of the imported DLL-function and does the job.