Out of memory in an apparent benign place

Hi,

I have this app which admittedly uses only one main form with something like 250 instances of twelve control arrays that were placed at design time.

The problem is under NT/2k/XP the app loads fine, but under W9x, the app just crashes with out of memory error. The total size of the app is 8MB.

Can someone suggest a reason why this is. I tried on Win98 and ME and the problem persists.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

how many controls??? :confused:

that sounds like far too many to me, and is blatantly the problem - reduce the number of controls somehow!

as a rough guide you shouldn't really have any more than about 100 controls in total, including control array elements!

ok Si_the_geek I will try it without so many controls. The problem is I need it as it is because this app is used to control remote pc's and we want to offer functionality (start session, stop,...) for 250 pc's.

Is there an apparent reason why it should be ok with win 2k/xp byt not win 9x. How can identify why it is working on win 2k and not the others?.

Many thanks !

Mike.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

my heart just stopped.


may need to reduce controls, at least 2 or 3 should be removed :)

Hi again,

I still have the same problem eventhough I reduced the arrays down to 50 instances.

What I have is the following:

* A sub main:

Option Explicit
Private Sub Main()

SplashScreen.Show ' Show the splash screen.

Call SurfForm.LoadData 'load form and its data

Unload SplashScreen
SurfForm.Show ' Show the main form and unload the splash screen.
End Sub

*Declarations in the SurfForm code:

Option Explicit

Private Declare Function GetAsyncKeyState Lib "User32" (ByVal vKey As Long) As Integer
Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "User32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindow Lib "User32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wCmd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetParent Lib "User32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowTextLength Lib "User32" Alias "GetWindowTextLengthA" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "User32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal cch As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "User32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function SetCapture Lib "User32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function ReleaseCapture Lib "User32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetCapture Lib "User32" () As Long

Private Const WM_CLOSE = &H10
Private Const GW_HWNDFIRST = 0
Private Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2
Private Const GW_CHILD = 5

Private frmDet As ConfirmDialog
Private frmDet1 As ConfirmWithCanteenDialog
Private fFrmDetCol As New Collection
Private fFrmDetCol1 As New Collection

Dim licenceProbl As Boolean
Dim PCNbr As String
Dim reportErr As Boolean
Dim intMax As Long
Dim thatPath As String, thatPath1 As String, thatPath2 As String
Dim bAcked As Boolean ' send acknowledged
Dim FileN As Long
Dim UniqueID As Integer
Dim lclHost As String
Dim SerialNumber As Long
Dim msg As String, Title As String, Style As String
Dim blnState As Boolean
Dim scndState As Boolean
Dim fisrtCh1 As String
Dim fisrtCh2 As String
Dim fisrtCh3 As String
Private stopWatch() As New CStopWatch
Dim isClosed As Boolean
Dim homeP As String
Dim tempstr As String
Dim costsStr() As String
Dim pauseStat() As Boolean
Dim firstSecnd() As Boolean
Dim menuOrder() As Boolean
Dim haveStop() As Boolean
Dim costMode As String
Dim CLocale As CLocale1 'new object to get locale settings
Dim strSql As String
Dim dateSlsh1 As String
Dim myDbCon As New ADODB.Connection
Dim myDb As Database
Dim ConnectDB$
Dim MenuTable As DAO.Recordset
Dim OrdersTable As DAO.Recordset
Dim EventsTable As DAO.Recordset
Dim SessionsTable As DAO.Recordset
Dim ccyStr As String
Public ActivePrinter As EventVB.ApiPrinter
Public WithEvents apiLink As EventVB.APIFunctions

* And some functions I call in Load_Data:

Public Function LoadData()

Dim h As Integer

On Error GoTo ErrTrap

'Set apiLink = New EventVB.APIFunctions

reportErr = False
PCNbr = "0"

Call checkIsrunning 'checking the app is not already running
Call checkPSWD
Call CheckLcce
Call CheckCurr
Call CheckPC

SplashScreen.ProgressBar1.Max = (3 * CInt(PCNbr)) + 4

Call SplashScreen.UpdateStatus(0) 'updating splash screen progress bar
Call PopulateForm
Call SplashScreen.UpdateStatus(1 + CInt(PCNbr)) 'updating splash screen progress bar
Call CreateObjs
Call SplashScreen.UpdateStatus(2 + 2 * CInt(PCNbr)) 'updating splash screen progress bar
Call PopCurrBoxes
Call SplashScreen.UpdateStatus(3 + 3 * CInt(PCNbr)) 'updating splash screen progress bar
Call ActuaStations.ReduceStat(CInt(PCNbr))
Call SplashScreen.UpdateStatus(4 + 3 * CInt(PCNbr)) 'updating splash screen progress bar
'Call PrintDialog.SetActivePrinter 'activating the printer

ErrTrap:
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Call SurfForm.insertIntoEvents(CStr(Format(Now, "mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss")), CStr(0), Err.Description, Err.Number, "Svr-Srffm2")
End If
End Function

...and this is really bugging me. I use some dll I found on the net called EventVB.dll. Maybe this is the problem ???

Help please...!

Mike

Can you pin-point before what line of code the app crashes. An append-to-logfile should keep track of the execution each line of code.

Hi KayJay,

I have done the reverse method, by adding the controls to the blank form and yes it will only allow me to put in 40 instances of the 12 control arrays before crashing. This is against 250 under W2k/XP. I wonder what makes it impossible for Win95/98/Me to take more.

Does anyone know as there might be a work around somehow?!?

Thanks.

Mike

just a thought.

VB Code:

Declare Function SetThreadPriority Lib "kernel32" Alias "SetThreadPriority" (ByVal hThread As Long, ByVal nPriority As Long) As Long

its parameters are

Quote:

---

· hThread
Identifies the thread whose priority value is to be set.
Windows NT: The handle must have the THREAD_SET_INFORMATION access right associated with it. For more information, see Thread Objects.

· nPriority
Specifies the priority value for the thread. This parameter can be one of the following values:
THREAD_PRIORITY_ABOVE_NORMAL
Indicates 1 point above normal priority for the priority class.
THREAD_PRIORITY_BELOW_NORMAL
Indicates 1 point below normal priority for the priority class.
THREAD_PRIORITY_HIGHEST
Indicates 2 points above normal priority for the priority class.
THREAD_PRIORITY_IDLE
Indicates a base priority level of 1 for IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, or HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS processes, and a base priority level of 16 for REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS processes.
THREAD_PRIORITY_LOWEST
Indicates 2 points below normal priority for the priority class.
THREAD_PRIORITY_NORMAL
Indicates normal priority for the priority class.
THREAD_PRIORITY_TIME_CRITICAL
Indicates a base priority level of 15 for IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, or HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS processes, and a base priority level of 31 for REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS processes.

---

See if you can load more, if not all, by setting a higher priority to your app's thread. Logically, if your app has the highest priority possible it should be able to access the maximum resources that can be marshalled.

Hi,

This is great, I'll try this now.

Cheers,

Mike

Hi Kay-Jay,

I tried the code, but still get the same problem.

The usage I have for this code is as follows (taken from all-api)

Const THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_IDLE = -15
Const THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_LOWRT = 15
Const THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_MIN = -2
Const THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_MAX = 2
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_LOWEST = THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_MIN
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_HIGHEST = THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_MAX
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_BELOW_NORMAL = (THREAD_PRIORITY_LOWEST + 1)
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_ABOVE_NORMAL = (THREAD_PRIORITY_HIGHEST - 1)
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_IDLE = THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_IDLE
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_NORMAL = 0
Const THREAD_PRIORITY_TIME_CRITICAL = THREAD_BASE_PRIORITY_LOWRT
Const HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H80
Const IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H40
Const NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H20
Const REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS = &H100

Private Declare Function SetThreadPriority Lib "Kernel32" (ByVal hThread As Long, ByVal nPriority As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function SetPriorityClass Lib "Kernel32" (ByVal hProcess As Long, ByVal dwPriorityClass As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetThreadPriority Lib "Kernel32" (ByVal hThread As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetPriorityClass Lib "Kernel32" (ByVal hProcess As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentThread Lib "Kernel32" () As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentProcess Lib "Kernel32" () As Long

In Form_Load, i have:

'retrieve the current thread and process
hThread = GetCurrentThread
hProcess = GetCurrentProcess
'set the new thread priority to "lowest"
SetThreadPriority hThread, THREAD_PRIORITY_HIGHEST
'set the new priority class to "idle"
SetPriorityClass hProcess, HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS

Something i forgot is that when in Visual Studio, I try to load the form by clicking on it, the compiler itself goes haywire and I get an hourglass. I then cannot get back to çwindows. Then, if I do ctrl-alt-del, Windows crashes.

This is really bizarre to the extreme, how Win9x is left really wanting like this.

Mike

First: I am advised by my colleague (who was shoulder surfing, as usual) to avoid setting up priorities manually without really knowing how it will affect the OS. System Crashes are more liable.

That apart...

Try having DoEvents or the Sleep() function between loading controls. It will delay the whole thing a lot, but if it works, it should be worth it. I can not think of anything else now. Got to go home and hit the hay!

Ok. Many thanks for the help.

Why can't you just use a combobox to set the PC, and single buttons etc to select what to do, which reference the PC set in the combo box?

Or even the combo for the PC, and a listbox or two for the functions?

Hi,

Thanks. I know there could be a number of alternative ways, but the look and feel of our interface is a big plus for our customers. We could have used a listview with a right hand side mouse click submenu like other products but we decided to go for a full-on interface with all the buttons right there on the interface. We only were dealing with up to 50 pc's before and there were no problems. We use W2k to do the dev work. It's only yeasterday when we ported the code on Win9x that we hit a wall there with so many controls on Win9x.

I'm still puzzled as to why Win9x seems to behave in such a different way than w2k when all I do is simply boot up on WMe on my multi-boot machine. It's the same machine, different OS.

Thanks

Mike

Win95/Me are different from Win NT/2000 - they look & work in similar ways, but under the bonnet they are different beasts... 95/Me are designed for simple desktop use, whereas NT/2000 are for (more stable) buisness use.