Need to find out which parts of the "machine.config" file are related to XMetaL

[Bill Vlach]

In a related topic (titled "Trisoft customization is not appearing correctly in file menu"), I was (am) looking for help to determine why one specific installation of XMetaL and the SDL Trisoft Authoring Bridge applications refuses to operate correctly: when launching XMetaL, there are first four error message pop-ups that we must click through before XMetaL opens and, once open, the SDL Trisoft menu plug-in is corrupt (or incorrect).

We have recently discovered that if we rename (to "hide") the "machine.config" file on a working system (found in the "c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG\" folder), XMetaL then launches with those same four error messages and the same "bad" menu plug-in. And, once renamed correctly, XMetaL and the plug-in again launch properly with no errors.

We are running XMetaL 5.5 and are trying to figure out if the machine.config file itself could be corrupt on the bad system, or if there is a specific pointer to a bad file(s) or setting(s) inside this .config file that could help us identify the problem files on the failing system. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

[Derek Read]

Can you please let us know what the error messages are? That might give us a better idea of what's going on.

XMetaL itself does not directly interact with machine.config. It might do so indirectly if something else that XMetaL uses or has been configured to use needs it (but we don't think this is the case either).

Searching the web for issues related to "machine.config" suggest that they might indicate troubles with the .NET Framework.

XMetaL Author itself does not use .NET but two of our CMS integrations do: IBM FileNet and Microsoft SharePoint. Perhaps Trisoft has a reliance it as well? Best to check with their support people.

[Bill Vlach]

Hi Derek:

Thanks for the reply. We're baffled, too, but seems odd that, with only XMetaL installed on this failing installation, it opens fine. But once the SDL plug in (Authoring Bridge) is installed, we get the following error messages that we have to click through before the XMetaL window launches:

1. TrisoftApplication.constructor: Following error occured:
     (there is no "following" information besides the successive error pop-up windows)
2. Trisoft Application.initialize: Following error occured: 'this.trisoftDocuments' is null or not an object
     (the XMetaL window opens after clicking OK on pop-up error #2 but then get the following pop-ups)
3. Error_FollowingErrorOccurred_Tpl
     (there is no "following" info, just another instance of this same pop-up error message.
4. Error_FollowingErrorOccurred_Tpl

After clicking OK to the second "Tpl" pop-up error, the window is opened but the SDL Trisfot menu plug-in that should appear instead says "InfoShareMenu_Text" and all menu items in that menu also include the "_Text" suffix and none perform any actions.

Then, when we close XMetaL, we get the following error:
5. TrisoftApplication.terminate: Following error occured: 'this.trisoftDocuments' is null or not an object

Click OK and the XMetaL window closes.

We have been told that SDL is dependent on .NET Framework 2.0 so we have focused mostly there. And the error messages in a log file we were just able to produce from the failing machine seems to confirm that the error messages point to .NET 2.0 files. But initial feedback from some other folks has us feeling less than confident that this log file holds the key.

And, to reiterate from my initial post on this thread, on a known good system (mine), I can change the name of the machine.config file so that it does not exist and it causes the exact same series of error message pop-ups and failed menu item that we get on the failing installation. So we were hoping that either the machine.config file or the machine.config.default file (which doesn't get run, either, if the first does not exist) might point us to the cookie, file, setting, or other attribute that is corrupt or missing/incorrect on the failing instance. Any ideas?

(Not sure what is safe/unsafe to add as an attachment but will find out and provide it or specific info if you think it might be helpful.)

Thanks for your help!

[Derek Read]

There isn't much we can do to help in this case. As you say XMetaL is working fine until the SDL bridge is installed. None of these messages are coming from XMetaL.

A little googling turns up a few pages discussing problems with machine.config and the reliance of completely unrelated software on .NET 2.0, with the resolution being to reinstall .NET 2.0. Here's an example:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/xprepair/thread/52e9dd11-78c6-4b07-809e-11f7b6cf81ee

My google search was simply for this: "c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG"

Perhaps best to try that as a first step, then follow up with SDL to see if they can help you troubleshoot the errors if they persist.