Sooo many errors when switching to block

#off-topic
Also, this happens when clicking on a blank place in the Blocks editor, pressing Delete (shortcut for "delete all"), and confirming the procedure:

(Right Click --> Delete All # Blocks works, intriguingly).

1 Like

Hello Nishyanth

What name/version Browser are you using?

1 Like

Sorry, forgot to mention; this happens on all browsers. The screenshot was from Edge 94.

1 Like

We don't see it happening on the two recommended Browsers, FireFox and Chrome Nishyanth (Edge is not 100% suitable for App Inventor, do not use).

So if nobody else experiences this issue, the cause could be something to do with your set up - I'm assuming it happens in all your Projects?

Your BackPack is not in the normal right-hand top corner position............?

1 Like

Sorry, couldn't include a full screenshot due to the amount of memory used (Snip & Sketch crashed). The BackPack was both in its usual position and in the glitched one as indicated by the screeshot.

1 Like

I just need you to be more informative Nishyanth. Is the issue with one Project or is it with several (completely unrelated) Projects?

How to ask a question on the forum

1 Like

It occurs with all my projects. I'm able to use App Inventor without any hitches on a faster laptop, though. Might it be something with the amount of RAM that's causing it (~380MB average on the slower laptop)?

1 Like

Even if you open a new project and just drag a few Blocks in, the grid issue is there along with CPU and Disk usage?

There could be a number of issues on your 'slower' laptop that, added together, lead to problems. What else is running on the laptop at the same time as the Browser, and what else is running in the Browser? App Inventor should be the King.

Strong possibilities are:

  1. Your Laptop has a virus;
  2. Your Laptop has an aggressive anti-virus program. Particularly a problem if it tries to test websites within the Browser.
  3. Laptop is bloated with no-longer-required programs and files. Disk drive has not been defragmented regularly.
1 Like
  1. Laptop is overheating?
2 Likes

How is your network bandwidth?

Is some one watching videos ?

2 Likes

The error messages in question suggest there may be a bug, but without the projects it's hard to determine the underlying cause.

2 Likes

Kaspersky, so that's definitely right.

Yes.

40MB/s, so it's relatively good.

Similar behavior was obtained even after closing everything in the background, including useless background tasks.

1 Like

So based on your replies Nishyanth, the Laptop needs a physical and digital cleanup to return it to a suitable performance level. Concerning the grid thing in App Inventor and the CPU/Disk %, I'm going to blame Kaspersky as I had a very similar issue on a huge cad-cam workstation! Based on my experience, I stopped using 3rd party AV and stuck with Microsoft's efforts. Never looked back.

If you want to keep Kaspersky, dive into it's settings and white-list the folders and contents of anything todo with App Inventor and switch off Kaspersky's website testing (The browsers themselves do a good job of this anyway).

A note about cooling (Laptop switched off and not connected to a mains electricity supply). Firstly, make sure you remove dust and fluff that has gathered inside - if you have a vacuum cleaner, they do a great job but you can also use a can of compressed air to blow the dust out.

Secondly, if you have a Laptop stand with a built-in fan, check that the fan is drawing air from the Laptop and not forcing air into the Laptop (which renders the Laptop's own cooling useless). If the fan is the wrong way round, it's simple to remove and place it the right way round. I have lost count of the number of times I have done this for other people - everyone of them noticed an improvement.

I should add that if the Laptop does not have an exhaust fan on it's underside, then the stand fan should be blowing cool air at it. If on the other hand the laptop (old design) has both an intake fan and an exhaust fan on the underside, it is best not to have an external fan interfering with that purposely designed flow.

Delete all programs and files that are not needed. That includes fonts - having lots of fonts you don't use actually slows startup and wastes memory because Windows loads all of them!

Defragment the drive to speed drive access. I use IObit Smart Defrag, which is free. Do not however use the automatic settings, just thoroughly defrag a couple of times per week at the end of your work session (after running your daily backup).

2 Likes

the errors were gone for a day until a few minutes ago. Now I am having the same errors back again. Basically, every time i switch a screen or designer/block, an error pops up. and the backpack is on the left and i cannot do anything on it. Before it was only when I switch between designer and block, now it also happens when i switch screens

2 Likes

There's some internal state that is getting messed up somewhere. Once it's messed up, it's likely impossible to recover without reloading App Inventor. This is why having the project is important because we can analyze it to determine where the error might be occurring.

1 Like

Here is the error message, i cannot even work on the project because errors pop up when i switch screens, switch between designer and block.

2 Likes

it gets so bad now that when I click on a component on the left panel (e.g. tinyDB), error pops up.

2 Likes

previously, I reported very frequent errors when switching between designer and block. Now it also occurs when i switch screens, and when i click a component on the left panel. Basically it is unusable. I started to try app inventor again in the past couple of weeks (first time a few years ago), it seems to me it's still too buggy to really to take the advantage of the convenience offered by the app inventor concept.

2 Likes

Same here, I've been forced to stop using App Inventor altogether for some time now.
Does this happen on all the sites I've mentioned for you, or just on the main one (https://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu)?

1 Like

just tested, it happens on other sites too, the same errors. So i mistakenly marked your response as the solution (but i cannot change that, sorry). As users, we have no control when errors occur, this maybe the intended convenience app inventor is trying to offer. Though android studio is kind of a pain, but at least you can see what's going on once sth is not right. Any suggestion on alternatives?

1 Like