the dreaded red x symbol

HelenAA

What causes the infernal and annoying red x symbol in maps?

I closed a map before my mid-day meal and went back to it just now and was greeted by a background full of the annoying symbol.

2zxcv_Deck 1.FCW

I did rectify things so no harm done -- this time!

JimP

Cc3 either cannot find the item because it isn't there. Or the path to it is incorrect.

I had this happen to me several times.

Ralf

Hi Helen,

Jim is correct, the red X means there is a link to a bitmap file (external to CC3+) which CC3+ can't find. This can happen if you moved the map to a different computer where the add-ons/bitmaps are not installed, or you imported a bitmap relative to the location of the map and moved the map to a different folder.

The example you attached refrences a few custom symbols in a folder /User/Throk, which I (naturally don't have) and therefore appear as red Xs to me. Everything else seems to be from Cosmographer and works fine here.

HelenAA

I don't move symbols! I can go into CC3+ in the morning and everything is OK but the next time I open the map I see the symbol that I know means that CC3+ can't find the symbol(s). Next time it happens I'll try to take a screenshot, but this time it was the background.

Theschabi

I once had a similar problem. In my case it was solved when I ealised, that the USB slot the external Harddrive on which the symbols were was damaged and only worked some of the time.

Monsen

It is certainly not normal behavior for CC3+ to intermittently show red X'es for images that worked earlier, but there are a few external factors I can think of:

• If you have the CC3+ data directory on an external drive like Thescabi mentions, it may be an issue with the drive or connection to the drive. Could also happen with an internal drive if the drive itself was bad.
• Your antivirus is a bit too greedy. Antivirus software often scan files that are opened, and while it does that, it denies other software access. If it keeps the file locked for too long, CC3+'s request may time out, which means it fails to load the file. If this is the case, just hitting Display Speed Settings and clear the bitmap cache, check "redraw on ok" and then hit OK should force CC3+ to reload all bitmaps.
• Either the actual bitmap on disk the drawing refers to have been moved, OR if the image is set up with a map-relative path, and you moved the map file but not the corresponding files (The latter is really only a possibility witch custom artwork though, not with the standard symbols and fills from CC3+ and add-ons). You already mentioned you didn't move things, just kept this point here to have a complete list.