Size limit for dvb file

Somebody,
Please tell me the maximum size limit for dvb file.
When I modified dvb file and try to save this,
I got AutoCAD Error Aborting message called "FATAL ERROR : Unhandled
Access Violation Reading 0x326f1fc Eception at 65106be1h" and crashed.
Size of my dvb file is 7.7MB and I use AutoCAD2004.
Please advise.
Michi

 

That error message has nothing to do with file size, but system RAM.
Although, the file is large (depending on what you have in it), the
important thing now is, can you open the file? You will have lost some work,
but is the file ok? Is the error repeatable?

 

Jame and Ed
Thank you very much for your response.
I can open dvb file and can edit it, too.
Then whenever I try to save that, message come out and AutoCAD crash.
This is repeatable.
Michi

 

Try Debug>Compile. If there is a problem with your code, it will jump to the
problem area. Fix and repeat until it compiles without error.

 

That still may not fix it....in the back of my mind, I recall a
conversation I had with an adesk programmer and I believe there is an 8mb
size limit but I'm not 100% sure.

-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

I hadn't addressed size limit, but I wonder what he has in there. All of my
stuff doesn't add up to even 3mb. Michi, do you have vb controls on your
forms? e.g. common dialog control? Besides not being licensed for vba, they
can add a lot of bytes to a dvb.

 

I hadn't addressed size limit,

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you had, Ed =)

Also, how do you write you code - in lisp fashion? Being a consultant, I've
run into a lot of dvbs where they could be 10x smaller if they were
modularized. As Ed says, I write some hefty high end code and 1mb is
pushing the envelope for me.

-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

I don't claim to be a programming expert and I would have trouble passing
myself off as a consultant, but as the smuck that is lumbered with writing
in-house routines I reckon I write pretty clean code.

Having said that my current project has very quickly hit 1.2MB and is
nowhere near complete
15 class modules,
5 forms and,
6 modules
Interestingly if the project is exported as text files the sum of all the
files <200k

I am well aware that most of the code could (should) be compiled as a dll.
Is this what you mean by being modularised.
When (read if) I get around to compiling it my dvb should consist of about a
dozen lines.

Until then I watch this thread, and my file size, with interest.

--
Regards
Tom Roberts
__________________________
MechWest Design & Drafting
Perth, Western Australia

 

What version of AutoCAD? Assuming you follow Ed's instructions about not
using VB controls, then export your different mods/forms, start a new
project, then import the exported mods/forms. AutoCAD's VBAIDE does add
slop especially if you are using 2002/2000i/2000. For what you have listed,
there is definitely a problem somewhere.

To re-hash Ed's statement, because many don't understand, you are only
allowed to use the controls that appear in the toolbox with a clean install
- no grids, no data controls, no dialog controls, etc. Even the savy
programmer can bloat the dvb because he resorts to free or purchased
controls which are some times worse than the MS ones.

No...modularize is probably a poor choice of words. Compartmentalize.
Redundancy-proofing. Refactoring.....

Some people will write the entire program within a single sub. Some will
pull out redundant tasks but create multiples [insert block, insert block
and rotate it, insert block and change its layer - silly examples but you
should get the idea]. FInally, some pull out the redundant tasks and roll
all of them into a single task with parameters so it can perform all the
different tasks within one sub/function.

Another common mis-code is adding all kinds of default info into the dvb.
For example, one particular place had every single product they made
hardcoded within the project. Not only did it bloat the dvb but they had to
go into it to add/remove/change their product. In this case, they needed to
store the info externally and read it in at runtime.

-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

Hi Michi

Did you tried 'Save As'? A dvb grows during work and the only way to resize
it is to use 'Save As'.
You will get also a problem if you copy / paste a foreign control from one
form to another.

Cheers

 

I never ran into size limit problems, and my apps were really big. If I recall right, before porting most of the code to independant DLL/ARX files I had following situation (ACAD 2000/2002):

DVB size: 10.4 Mbs
BAS modules: 20 (about 30+ functions/subs per module)
FRM modules: 25
CLS modules: 16 (about 40+ properties/methods per class)

And everything worked just fine. As James proposed, try exporting and importing project components to avoid size-expanding problems, then check for external components you're possibly referencing. Also try reinstalling ACAD.

Regards,
Maksim Sestic

 

Everyone,
Thank you very much for all your help.
I export all my form, module, and class and import them to create new
dvb file. File size reduced from 7.7MB to 3.3MB and it works OK now.
In addtion, during exporting each class, I found that specific one of
classes cause fatal error when I tried to do something such as copy, export,
print, and so on.
I could see that class but it refuse some action that crash autocad. I
have never modified this class since I created in AutoCAD2000 but when I
saved whole dvb file in 2004, it effect this class and may have collapse
some format in it. I confirm that class produced fatal error but still not
clear in reason.
Again, Thank you very much for your helpful advise.
Michi

 

Thanks for you comments Mike

For the record I don't have a problem with the file size of my project.
I will only have a problem if AutoCAD/VBA decides my project is to big and
creates a problem for me.
The OP asked if there was a size limit and I don't think this has (can?)
been definitively answered.

However...
Since I hang onto every word of experts like yourself ;-)
I have looked at a few of your (and others) suggestion:

1. I use two custom controls:
AcFocusCtrl, available for download on these newsgroups.
and ccrpFD.ocx a file dialog control by the Common Control Replacement
Group.
Both I believe are open-source, however since they do not appear in the
toolbox are you saying I can not use them?

2. I saved as a new file name and the file size dropped 1,257KB ->
760KB...very interesting!

--
Regards
Tom Roberts
__________________________
MechWest Design & Drafting
Perth, Western Australia

 

1. I use two custom controls:

Ships with AutoCAD so it isn't a custom control.

No you can use them. Its the Microsoft stuff that can't be used. The CCRP
stuff can be expensive in terms of dvb size.

Known issue - there is a lot of "air" in a dvb =)


-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

Not really "air", compiled code...
Tom, the "code" you see on the screen is just text. It has to be compiled
into a form that the computer can run. In VB, basically, your project
consists of text files alone. When you have your project done, you compile
to an exe or dll. But in vba, esp a dvb, the compiled code is saved with the
text or "pseudo code". When you SaveAs, the code is not compiled and so you
only get the pseudo code in th dvb. If you Debug>Compile, then the file size
would come back up to where it was.

 

Hi Mike,

Before we fully understood the hell of file size increase every time you
open it and edit anything, the Advanced Roads Program was up to 25Mb and
still working well.

We now do a Debug Compile, following by Saveas, unload, reload the "Savedas"
file and Saveas again to hold the release versions around the 7Mb size. The
first Saveas varies from 10 to 12Mb.


--

Regards,


Laurie Comerford
www.cadapps.com.au

 

What happens to file size if you do SaveAs and then Debug>Compile?

 

Hi Ed,

From memory, not much different. Since I started using debug compile a
couple of months ago I do it all the time and it has lead to identifying
numerous errors in my old programs as I open them to port the code to later
versions of AutoCAD. I think the SaveAs/Reload is the critical part of the
exercise

Back to Advanced Road Design, I think, initially it dropped to about the 8
to 10Mb range, but the code has changed so much from those days, there is no
way of checking without re-loading Land Desktop 3 and diving into the
archives to get early versions of the program..

--


Laurie Comerford
CADApps
www.cadapps.com.au

 

The reason I asked was, SaveAs is not a indicator of true file size. See my
last reply to Mike in this thread.

 

Hi Ed,

The whole system is very confusing.

I've done SaveAs for a file to a new name and had a resultant file size (All
sizes as seen by Windows Explorer)
Then repeat to another new name and get a different file size (usually
smaller)
Then repeat again and get another file size.
Repeat and save to an existing file and get another size again - nearly
always larger and sometimes significantly larger

As I said before I now follow the standard pattern of:
Complete all editing I want
Debug.Compile
VBAMAN
SaveAs to Project.dvb (the default and saves typing)
Unload
Windows Explorer and delete the orginal file if it exists
Load Project.dvb
SaveAs to the original file name I want.


Laurie Comerford
CADApps
www.cadapps.com.au

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