preview windows is displayed as garbish

[Björn Ruberg]

Binary package hint: xsane

Since the update on karmic I cannot use the preview window in x-sane anymore with my Epson Perfection 2580.
When I start x-sane and select the dummy scan device, it works. But when I select the epson scanner, the preview windows stays completly grey. Moving the mouse on the window displays some edgemarkers, but I cannot see neither use any menubars, buttons or selection marks. It looks like garbish painted on the screen - although compiz is turned off.

[Ken Foskey (foskey)]

I have this problem as well. I am using a HP Photosmart 2610.

I notice it more if I am running picasa at the same time or immediately after switching on printer. Logging off and on again (not simply shutting xsane, completely logging off) and trying again generally works. I can get a similar circumstance by pressing the scan button on my printer which shows an error message on the little LCD and the preview then has problems.

The application remains locked but does eventually become responsive. Once it it is in an invalid state no amount of shutting preview and reopening it will make any difference. No buttons or options appear. If you mouse over the top (say) 5mm and the left edge 5mm show some detail but nothing appears in the centre. The Acquire button does not appear.

My guess is that the scan device is somehow locked by another program and it is not sensed properly by the preview code. It may also be invalid data returned from the device confusing sane.

[tifff (horst-fiedler)]

Same problem (Preview window not usable/empty with Canoscan N670U). When preview window option was turned of in previous session and is turned on, problem shows up. One has to keep the option turned on and to restart xsane to get a useable preview window, closing the bad preview window and turning it on by selecting the show preview option does not recover the window.

[Ken Foskey (foskey)]

This error is common for me when I disconnect the scanner and reconnect. I now find that turning scanner on and off will fix the problem as well.

[whitis (whitis)]

HP 7650

Click X to dismiss preview window
Click X to dismiss main xsane window
restart xsane
Window - > Show preview window
window is corrupted
dismiss preview window
exit program
restart program
Window - > Show preview window
window is corrupted
Do NOT dismiss preview window
Click X to dismiss main xsane window
restart program
window is not corrupted.

Preview window must be enabled when xsane starts up or it is corrupted.

While you are at it, fix the preview window so that when you do a real scan, the real scan data replaces the image in the preview window.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Ville Ranki (ville-ranki)]

After 4 years this is still happening in Saucy. I suppose nobody is maintaining XSane. Whitis's workaround works.

[pdecat (pdecat)]

Still happens with Trusty.
Whitis's workaround works.

Regards,
Patrick.

[pdecat (pdecat)]

Fixed by xsane-0.999 : https://code.launchpad.net/~noskcaj/xsane/packaging

[pdecat (pdecat)]

Here is how to test the fix:
# mkdir xsane
# cd xsane
# wget http://www.xsane.org/download/xsane-0.999.tar.gz -O xsane_0.999.orig.tar.gz
# bzr branch lp:~noskcaj/xsane/packaging
# cd packaging
# sudo aptitude install libgimp2.0-dev liblcms1-dev libsane-dev
# dpkg-buildpackage
# cd ..
# sudo dpkg -i xsane_0.999-1_amd64.deb xsane-common_0.999-1_all.deb

[pdecat (pdecat)]

# diff xsane-0.998/xsane.CHANGES xsane-0.999/xsane.CHANGES
3033a3034,3039
> xsane-0.998 -> 0.999:
> ---------------------
> - better preview window size calculation (thanks to Nils Phillipsen)
> - removed null-pointer bug in xsane_update_param (thanks to Nils Phillipsen)
> - manual page bugix
> - changed email password storage

[pdecat (pdecat)]

Oops, after additional tests, the bug reappeared :(

[pdecat (pdecat)]

Whitis's workaround still works with xsane 0.999.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Björn Ruberg, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

As per https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases your release is EOL.

If you have an issue in a supported release (ex. 16.04) please file a new report, and feel free to subscribe me to it.