Assert before starting almost any KiCad sub-program

[Kevin Cozens]

I just updated my build of KiCad. I started up the main KiCad dialog. When I click on icon for any of the main programs (except the icons for Import Bitmap or PCB Calculator) I get an assertion message. I have to click the Continue button before the program I selected will start. The assertion message appears every time. You don't need to exit KiCad and restart it to see the assertion again.

I have attached a copy of the assertion and backtrace as captured by KiCad.

Application: kicad
Version: (5.0.0-rc2-dev-97-g218f66a), debug build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.2
    libcurl/7.47.0 GnuTLS/3.4.10 zlib/1.2.8 libidn/1.32 librtmp/2.3
Platform: Linux 4.4.0-116-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.2 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 2.24
    Boost: 1.58.0
    Curl: 7.47.0
    Compiler: GCC 5.4.0 with C++ ABI 1009

Build settings:
    USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF
    USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_SPICE=OFF

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

Well, that's interesting. Anyone else seeing this?

The default style of the window was recently changed to make scrollbars always-on, something we used to do later in the constructor but doing it later doesn't work on Mac or Windows*. But it's a style wxWidgets supports, so it shouldn't assert on it.

* Note that doing it earlier doesn't work terribly well /either/ on Windows, but it is effective on Mac. The joys of wxWidgets.

[Kevin Cozens (qq3dh7wn6set-fehmn-mm0v6n6x10rb)]

Additional information in case it helps. I'm running Linux Mint 18.3 which has the 3.0.2+dfsg-1.3ubuntu0.1 version of wxWidgets installed.

[Kevin Cozens (qq3dh7wn6set-fehmn-mm0v6n6x10rb)]

Clicking the icon for the Footprint Library Editor I get two of these assertions. The second one appears immediately after clicking Continue. I don't get in to the FLE until I click Continue after the second time the assertion dialog appears.

[Maciej Suminski (orsonmmz)]

I see it as well and as far as I can tell it is the wxALWAYS_SHOW_SB flag in EDA_DRAW_PANEL constructor introduced in 90e2c8dd. To me it looks like an invalid wxWidgets assert, as the flag is completely legal in this place. I am also sure that it happens only on wxGTK.

[Maciej Suminski (orsonmmz)]

Jeff, does the attached patch still fixes the first-scroll jerkiness in eeschema? I am either not seeing this at all or simply do not recognize the issue. DoShowScrollbars() is the method that triggers the assert, so I am simply calling it outside the constructor.

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

No, for some reason that version doesn’t work on Mac.

I guess we’re going to have to conditionally compile it. :(

> On 6 Mar 2018, at 08:47, Maciej Suminski <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> Jeff, does the attached patch still fixes the first-scroll jerkiness in
> eeschema? I am either not seeing this at all or simply do not recognize
> the issue. DoShowScrollbars() is the method that triggers the assert, so
> I am simply calling it outside the constructor.
>
> ** Patch added: "scrollbars.patch"
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1753592/+attachment/5070518/+files/scrollbars.patch
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a bug assignee.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1753592
>
> Title:
> Assert before starting almost any KiCad sub-program
>
> Status in KiCad:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> I just updated my build of KiCad. I started up the main KiCad dialog.
> When I click on icon for any of the main programs (except the icons
> for Import Bitmap or PCB Calculator) I get an assertion message. I
> have to click the Continue button before the program I selected will
> start. The assertion message appears every time. You don't need to
> exit KiCad and restart it to see the assertion again.
>
> I have attached a copy of the assertion and backtrace as captured by
> KiCad.
>
> Application: kicad
> Version: (5.0.0-rc2-dev-97-g218f66a), debug build
> Libraries:
> wxWidgets 3.0.2
> libcurl/7.47.0 GnuTLS/3.4.10 zlib/1.2.8 libidn/1.32 librtmp/2.3
> Platform: Linux 4.4.0-116-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK
> Build Info:
> wxWidgets: 3.0.2 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 2.24
> Boost: 1.58.0
> Curl: 7.47.0
> Compiler: GCC 5.4.0 with C++ ABI 1009
>
> Build settings:
> USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF
> USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF
> KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
> KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
> KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
> KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
> BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
> KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
> KICAD_SPICE=OFF
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1753592/+subscriptions

[Maciej Suminski (orsonmmz)]

Well, it is not the first time and surely not the last time. Could you give more details about the issue wxALWAYS_SHOW_SB solves? I would like to know if I need to find another way to deal with the problem. Asserts are not displayed in release builds, so the end users will not really care about them.

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

@Orson, it's this issue:

https://lists.launchpad.net/kicad-developers/msg34653.html

(The calls to ShowScrollBars() or DoShowScrollBars() don't seem to do anything at all on MacOS.)

[Steven Falco (stevenfalco)]

I am getting an assert on a Fedora 27 build of SHA 49486b83. I posted a message to the developer mailing list, showing the details. I get this assert 100% of the time on both eeschema and pcbnew.

The attached png shows the error message.

[KiCad Janitor (kicad-janitor)]

Fixed in revision 2b34426c3627c415209a90c1396d1f72bd2a2fc8
https://git.launchpad.net/kicad/patch/?id=2b34426c3627c415209a90c1396d1f72bd2a2fc8

[Steven Falco (stevenfalco)]

I confirm that this fixes the issue. Thanks!