CC3+ Update 14: Unable to export file to bitmap, jpeg or png

wmsmitty

Hi all, I am going out of my mind right now. I've created a new map and am attempting to export the image to disk as a .png file. CC3+ seems to go through the motions, but when I open the directory in which I save the file, there is nothing there. I'm only able to save working .fcw files.

I'm on a Windows 10 environment. Steps to reproduce:
1) File -> Save As
2) From the Save as type: pull down, I select PNG Bitmap file (I've also tried saving as a JPEG too!)
3) Select Options...
4) Pixel Size: I enter 1800 Width and 2400 Height Resolution: 96
5) Print size adjusts automatically to 18.75 width and 25 Height.
6) JPEG Quality: 40
7) Click Save, enter title for Settings.
8) Click OK
9) Click Save on Save As window
10) DOS window executes...
11) Go to directory where I saved the file and NOTHING...NADAR...ZILCH!

Any ideas?

Monsen

Sounds odd. Just to narrow it down a bit, can you try the following things:

- Make sure antialiasing is off (not checked)
- Save it somewhere else (for example on your desktop, if that wasn't the previous location)
- Try using the BMP file type


Also, when the command window pops up, are there any messages in it? You should first see some messages from CC3 about rendering different sheets (possibly over different passes), does this appear? After that, CC3+ processes it through an external tool (ImageMagic), which should generally also give some status messages in the widow, like loading, flipping and saving the image. Also, just to be sure, you are waiting untill the command window closes by itself right, and not closing it yourself prematurely?

wmsmitty

Yes, quite odd. And this started happening once I installed the latest update, version 14. I've already tried all of the above and more with no success. At this point, I'm uninstalling the software, and will reinstall. Messages are clean; nothing unusual.

Monsen

This might be ImageMagic failing for some reason, although for such a small export, I wouldn't suspect that happening.

Can you add the lines in red below to your cc3pluscfg.xml file (in your CC3+ data directory). This will cause the progress window to pause when don instead of disappearing until you click hit a key (and after that you may need to close the window by clicking the top right x).
Before closing the window, can you take a screenshot of it and post it. Also, before hitting the key, check in the destination directory if there is a temporay bitmap file there.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Software>
    <EvolutionComputing>
        <CampaignCartographer3Plus>
            <Debug>
                <SaveImageFilesWait>1</SaveImageFilesWait>
            </Debug>

wmsmitty

So, after installing version 14, the problem arises. If I install the original CC3+ executable and select Repair. I am able to save the file; however, the GUI looks horrendously terrible. Reinstall version 14 and the issue comes back.

Here is the screen shot you requested

wmsmitty

Here is some follow up for you. Update version 9 works no problem. I had this version until about November or December of 2017, when I upgraded with update 13a. I didn't do any exporting of files with this updated version. But now that I recreated the install process from update 9 to update 13a, the bug was introduced. With update13a, I am not able to save/export different file formats to disk. I can only save .FCW files.

So this issue wasn't introduced in update14, like I originally thought. It was introduced somewhere between version 9 and 13a. I was looking over your Readme.txt files, and it seems like there has been a lot of work done with exporting files and some updates to ImageMagick between Versions 3.76 and 3.79

That being said, am I the only person reporting such an issue? I would find this hard to believe that this is only happening to me. Especially since I can reproduce this issue consistently.

Ralf

Yours is the only report for this problem I've seen so far, and I can't reproduce it here. Are you running a Windows account with normal admin access rights? Have you tried the "Launch Image Viewer" option in the export dialog?

Monsen

I see from that dialog that ImageMagic (convert.exe) actually gets a permission denied when it tries to save the file after doing the final work on it. In other words, it isn't really a bug/error in CC3+, but rather that your system blocks the write when it tries to do it's thing. (Although it is correct that the behavior in CC3+ changed at one point, as it used to do everything itself, instead of handing off work to imagemagic, so it does seem like your system allows CC3+ itself to write, but not imagemagic for some reason)
Getting permission denied is a very weird thing inside what looks to be your personal documents directory. Off the top of my head, there are two scenarios I can think off. Do any of them apply to you?
- Your antivirus blocks it. Try an export with the antivirus off
- You have turned on 'Controlled folder access' in windows defender (this is a new feature in the fall creators update of windows that is supposed to prevent harmful programs access to your data directories, but unfortunately the default whitelist from MS doesn't contain most programs). If you use this feature, both CC3+ and ImageMAgic must be on the whitelist. This is controllled from the Windows Defender Control Center -> Virus & Threat Protection -> Virus and Threat Protection Settings -> Controlled Folder Access

wmsmitty

Guys, thanks for helping me out on this. It is funny that you mentioned anti-virus; because I woke up this morning thinking exactly that. Fresh mind, clear ideas! What was throwing me off is that I wasn't having any issues with the earlier versions exporting files until I installed update 13a. That was consistent; and the fact that your read me text suggested recent work in those exporting areas.

However, as you mention above, the issue was with BitDefender antivirus on my Windows 10 OS. And yes, the anti-virus had the folder with protected permissions, AND was actively blocking both CC3+ and ImageMagick. Once I removed the protected permissions and white listed CC3+ and ImageMagick, I was able to export my files with no issues.

Thank you!

Monsen

You're welcome.

Remember to remove that piece of debug code from your cc3pluscfg.xml file.

wmsmitty

Posted By: Monsen
Remember to remove that piece of debug code from your cc3pluscfg.xml file.

Already done! Thanks.

Kyle

Hello! I believe this might be the problem I am facing. Having the exact issues. How would I go about "whitelisting" CC3+? Would that be in Windows Defender? Or my 3rd party anti-virus?

Monsen

If you have a 3rd party antivirus, then it takes over the job from Windows Defender, so in that case, yes, it will be in the settings for that. Where that setting might be depends on the AV, and should be in their documentation.

Loopysue

Defender doesn't cause these problems. Its the only AV I have, and I've never bothered switching it off during installation because it's never caused a problem.

Kyle

Interesting wrinkle! I just allowed it past my Firewall settings and found two things. 1, I was able to save it directly to my desktop. 2, it still doesn't save to the Profantasy folder in my file browser! The most interesting thing is that the save dialogue in CC3+ shows these missing "invisible" items, but they don't appear in my system. I even did a PC-wide search with a case-sensitive name to track it down, and found it.... but when I open it, it says it's unavailable due to being renamed, or moved somewhere else.

But the image saved to my desktop does in fact work.

Monsen

Which ProFantasy folder are you saving to?

It sounds like you're saving to C:\Program Files (x86)\ProFantasy\CC3Plus, which is the programs installation directory which is not supposed to contain user files. In fact, Windows have protections in place to prevent users to save to that folder, one of these is folder virtualization which is the reason you may see files inside the program, but not when trying to view the same folder using file explorer. The other protection is UAC.

Personally, I don't recommend saving your maps (or exports) inside either ProFantasy folder, but rather use your documents folder, this is where user files are supposed to be kept. But if you wish to save inside the ProFantasy folder, make sure to use the data directory, not the installtion directory (c:\ProgramData\ProFantasy\CC3Plus by default)

Kyle

Wow yes, it looks like that was the underlying issue. I was able to save in my Documents folder. I wasn't aware of the issues with saving inside the Profantasy folder, and I'll remember to not attempt saving there from now on!

Thank you!