progeCAD support, tips and troubleshooting forum. progeCAD works very similar to some versions of AutoCAD. Moderated.

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#1131 by riroko2
Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:53 am
Having created a few scripts over the years, I never had any problems with previous versions of ProgeCad. But with the 2010 version something is definitely wrong.

With any script, I notice, it is reading in the script line by line but stops every few seconds for a second or two, before it continues to read in the next lines of the script. Reading in points files with a few thousand scripts lines is already slow, but is even slower in ProgeCAD2010.

Another script I'm using is creating a frame around my drawing. It read in with any of the previous ProgeCad versions up to 2009 within 2-4 seconds. With the 2010 version it takes nearly a minute. The script is only 135 lines, so it is ridiculously slow.
#1132 by caddit
Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:06 pm
Hi riroko2,


Until now there has only been reported a polar error in AutoLISP, which we fixed in the last update. Are these AutoLISP or VBA scripts?

I have a strong suspicion that we will need to see the script before we can be of any help.

#1133 by riroko2
Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:20 pm
Sure, where do I need to send the file.
It's neither AutoLisp nor VBA. Just a script with Cad commands.

#1205 by riroko2
Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:50 am
Did you receive the script files, I sent on the 24th of June?

Have you looked into the problem?

Is there any obvious thing I am doing wrong?
#1207 by caddit
Mon Aug 16, 2010 12:31 pm
riroko2,


To be honest I was hoping it was something the new release we had of progeCAD 2010 10.0.10.8 would solve for you.

May I ask if you have tried to run these .scr script files on more than one PC? Thus far we have not been able to duplicate the behaviour you describe running the same scripts here.

For example, FrameTestA1.scr requires about 3 sec. to run. There was also no noticeable pause while running AllMarks09.scr you sent us.

Do you run this script when a certain file loaded at the same time?

#1208 by riroko2
Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:22 pm
I've only updated to 10.0.10.8 yesterday.
The frame-script runs now much quicker, just a few seconds. But any script still stos after a few seconds before it continues. So there is still something wrong.
It's not related to any file loaded. It happens anytime, even when I open ProgeCad in a blank file.

#1290 by riroko2
Wed Oct 13, 2010 10:33 pm
Finally I had the chance to try my scripts on another computer. It's an HP Laptop running with XP and 480MB RAM. With ProgeCad2010 the only progeCad version installed it still does the same thing. The scripts are running, but if you look at the command bar, all the lines of my script are processed with a speed that you can't follow reading the commands in the command bar. But after about roughly 2 seconds it pauses on an arbitrary line of my scripts for nearly a second, before it continues to process the rest of the script. It maybe doesn't matter too much for a short script, but it does if you want to run a script, which is hundreds or thousands of lines long.

Again, my scripts are running without any problems in any of the older version of progecad (2009, 2008, 2007 ...).

As I've installed ProgeCad on another computer and had the same problem, I think it should also be reproducable for you. So maybe you could have another look at this. Thanks
#1296 by caddit
Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:24 pm
Hello riroko2,


No wonder your script is running slow. It definitely sounds like you are running on very old low-spec hardware there. 480MB is not really enough memory to run Windows XP in any kind office-production environment today, let alone run progeCAD on top of it. Our website suggests your hardware to be under the minimum requirement:
http://www.caddit.net/progecad/progecad.php

The system we tested your script on was XP SP2 Core2 2GB RAM - modest by today's standards.

You are most likely spilling out onto system cache page during script execution, and since it involves some file I/O each iteration you might have I/O bottleneck which slows things down when Windows cache is continually trying to stay updated. Have a look at your system monitor plot in the Windows program manager once while running the script and see if you are hitting any ceilings - like physical RAM.

Good regular system hygiene helps ("Disk Cleanup" "Disk Defragmenter") There are some tips for XP system optimization that might help you also, here:
http://www.caddit.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=390#390

But I believe using modern hardware will make the biggest difference for you.

#1298 by riroko2
Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:10 pm
Sorry for the misunderstanding,

I am working on a Dell Vostro 1500 with Intel Core Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.2GHz with 4GB RAM on XP SP3.

You just wanted me to try my script on another computer, hence the trial on the "old" laptop.

I could reproduce the problem by going on the other "old" laptop. And I'm still having the problem with my current computer described above.

And again: I didn't have any problems running my scripts with any of the previous ProgeCad versions. Therefore I can't see how it can be related to anything system related.

#1310 by riroko2
Fri Oct 22, 2010 2:58 am
I've just sent an email to cad@caddit.net with a little screen video showing my problem. Hopefully this explains it a bit more

Thanks
#1313 by caddit
Fri Oct 22, 2010 1:52 pm
Hello riroko2,


It doesn't really help, first because no one else outside your company so far has duplicated the problem and second because the script you show in the video is not the same as what was sent to us on 26 June (FrameTestA1.dat and AllMarks09.dat) but in your video the script appears to be named WK400PontMark.scr

I will trade you video for video. This is what happens when both CADDIT and progeSOFT support run your script (yes we had our colleagues in Italy double-check our own conclusions on this one):
http://www.progecam.com/cad/progeCAD/su ... script.wmv

...and believe me it just keeps running like that. Not that I would consider the one-second pause that occurs intermittently during your script execution to be more of an irritation for you than an actual show-stopper.

It could be that you use some drawing template, system setting or PC configuration common to both of your systems but not to any of ours so far..

#1317 by riroko2
Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:13 pm
I really don't know what it is. I've just had another colleague have a go at his computer. Same results: my script pauses after very few seconds.

I thought it doesn't matter, that I've chosen a different file on my video, because whatever script I'm using, I'm always having the same problem.

I can see on your video, that you haven't got the problem, so I really don't know, why it is not working for me. I've removed all my previous versions of ProgeCad, I've restored toolbar and menus, deleted the profile and local setting files, and I'm not using any drawing template. Still the same thing. I've also reproduced the problem on other computers!!!

Actually it is a bit more than just an irritation. Running a script with a few thousand lines, the time lost by the pausing adds up quickly and it's pretty boring waiting for a script to finish.

What frustrates me really, is the thing that I'm using ProgeCad since 2005. And I'm using those scripts with all versions 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and never had a problem with those scripts. So why is it not working the same way with ProgeCad 2010?

With the other problems I've got with ProgeCad 2010 it just adds up. Over the years I've developed some routines how to produce results and now I'm not getting the same result as with previous versions of ProgeCad, which is just disappointing.

#1323 by caddit
Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:34 am
I still suspect a system problem.

To solve this problem we should probably be looking for the common denominators between your systems which are pausing, and compare those for denominators not common to any of the systems that either we or our colleagues use for testing.

Please list all aspects: CPU type (AMD? 64-bit?), OS level (INCLUDING HOTFIXES), antivirus software, firewall, printer config, graphics card, environment etc - anything that all systems which pause have in common - and compare with all of ours which do not.

I do note that your video indicates the script always pauses at the actual POINT command, is this accurate?

Are all systems running this script doing so on a completely new, blank drawing (NOT from template), do you share default DWT templates for certain settings that you use in progeCAD?