Get "Loading source..." and they never load

Hey,
Things were working fine yesterday and then last night when I logged back in to my laptop and switched from one file to the next (via the sketchbook) I started getting a message saying "Loading source..." and my file never actually loads. I have multiple tabs and none of the tab's contents load. I added a tab just a few minutes ago and filled it with some contents and it will load but nothing from yesterday afternoon.

As for 'what was I doing when this happened', I have no clue...I was just doing and I really don't recall.

Any way of getting it back? (For those who work support - In the Gold Code folder, sketch ROV).

Thanks,
Randy

@ randythawkins

Need a bit more information and these things are quite important. (see here if unsure why)

OS including version ?
Browser you use including version ?
Types of USB port being used with the Arduinos ?
Arduino board type being used ? (doesnt matter if its a clone)
Copies of any error reports seen. (PLEASE use code tags ( </> ) to post those errors) ?

Other things to try to get a bit more information.
Before loading any sketches got straight to PREFERENCES and turn on ALWAYS SHOW OUTPUT PANEL and CONSOLE SHOW VERBOSE OUTPUT"

If there is anything in the lower console you can copy it out and paste it back here using code tags.

There is also another debugging console available from the CREATE ICON that you could open. It may show a mainly blank page until you are done and then if you had any errors you could also copy and paste that back here too again using code tags.

If anything you post says it is too big etc. you can chop it into suitable chunks to add to seperate posts or in most cases its OK to trim from the top first unless you see anything obvious near the top in which case trim from the bottom LOL.

I will work on gathering that information...

create icon? I am in the editor and am not seeing anything that looks like a "create icon".

Thanks,
Randy

I would like you to go HERE first.
Its the tutorial for getting CREATE up and running.

The ICON looks like the one at the bottom left of the pop up box shown in this picture.

create bridge icon.jpg

That happened to another user: we'll fix your sketchbook as soon as possible, thanks for you patience!

Ballscrewbob:
I would like you to go HERE first.
Its the tutorial for getting CREATE up and running.

I did go through that article about a week ago...

The ICON looks like the one at the bottom left of the pop up box shown in this picture.

...and I had forgotten that icon was there. I was looking all through the Editor web page. A hint to select the create icon that was in the system tray would have helped greatly. I'll do that, along with gather the other stuff you asked for, but it won't happen until about lunch time today (time zone Eastern Time, UTC-05:00, US & Canada)

Thanks.

Same time zone Canada here too.

OS including version - Win 7 Enterprise Service Pack 1
Browser you use including version - Google Chrome Version 56.0.2924.87
Types of USB port being used with the Arduinos - A
Arduino board type being used ? (doesnt matter if its a clone) - Uno R3 w/ white silkscreen on back (non clone?)

Steps...

  1. Opened the Debug window via the Create Icon
  2. Opened Arduino Create via the Create Icon
  3. Chose Arduino Web Editor
    --> The Editor opened with one of my 'good' files loaded
  4. Via the SketchBook I clicked on one of the files that was not loading earlier
    --> The code section of the page cleared and showed the status message "Loading source..."
  5. I closed the Editor browser window
  6. On the Create Icon I chose Pause Plugin
    --> Before pausing the Debug window showed only 1 thing = "downloadtool windows-drivers latest arduino keep". After pausing the plugin the Debug window showed the following
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="Sending err back: We could not find the serial port COM3 that you were trying to close." 
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="Sending err back: We could not find the serial port COM6 that you were trying to close." 
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="Restart becayse setup went wrong?" 
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="called restart " 
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="Starting new spjs process" 
time="2017-02-22T12:26:23-05:00" level=info msg="exePath using osext: C:\\Users\\randyh\\AppData\\Roaming\\ArduinoCreateAgent\\Arduino_Create_Bridge.exe\n"

Thanks,
Randy

I guess I should also have been more specific about the USB port type too

USB 1.0 ?
USB 2.0 ?
USB 3.0 ?

Sometimes there is a chance of getting things back despite our best efforts to break it.
Dont ask how i know LOL

According to the additional information its having an issue with the serial ports.
There are multiple causes for those issues.
Lets see if we can eliminate a few..

  1. USB cables are know to go randomly faulty so another known GOOD cable is worth a try.
  2. USB 3.0 ports are very hit and miss with Arduinos so avoid USB 3.0 and USB 3.0 cables where possible (there is a workaround that fixes most of the USB 3.0 issues)
  3. Check in DEVICE MANGER to ensure you don't have any unrecognised or driver issue devices.
  4. Make sure there is nothing connected to pins 0 and 1 on your Arduino as they are used in loading sketches (temporarily disconnect during loading)
  5. Ensure you don't have any power saving features enabled in windows on the USB ports as this too has been seen to cause problems.
  6. Similar to above but seen more on laptops is under powered USB ports. Fix is to insert a decent quality POWERED USB 2.0 hub in line which is also the general fix for USB 3.0 problems too.
  7. Check the amount of custom libraries you have and if its over 30 try reduce it for the time being as some "loading" issues could be caused by the fact that it scans those and it takes time.
  8. Check the amount of sketches you have and that you are not at or close to your limit.
  9. Clean up your browser (recommend CCLEANER the FREE version run at the default settings)

There are more but those tend to be the more common items to look at.

That certainly is plenty to chew on. I'll see if I can get some time this evening.

Curiosity question...shouldn't I be able to load and work on the code without an Arduino connected? I have a laptop and yesterday I was able to bring up the good code when I was at work and didn't have the board with me (nor the USB cable).

Randy

Bringing up a sketch is easy...

No board needed or even if you only have a COM port that isnt the actual board you can select they type of board you want to compile for and compile...If you want to send a link to the code to yourself etc to pick up elsewhere you can also do that.

Its becoming quite versatile.
Having seen some of the newer functions in action I am finding it quicker too every time they do a new rollout.

As it stands I can change a sketch on the fly, compile, and upload quicker than the regular desktop IDE.

Its still missing a few features but for a lot of users its going to be a bonus as the install is usually quite painless and any board and library updates for the most part are done without you even knowing.

Ballscrewbob:
I guess I should also have been more specific about the USB port type too

USB 1.0 ?
USB 2.0 ?
USB 3.0 ?

USB 3.0 port

  1. USB cables are know to go randomly faulty so another known GOOD cable is worth a try.

It is the cable that came with the Uno and has not been used until last week when I first hooked the board up. I had already tried another and no dice.

  1. USB 3.0 ports are very hit and miss with Arduinos so avoid USB 3.0 and USB 3.0 cables where possible (there is a workaround that fixes most of the USB 3.0 issues)

hmmm...interesting. I would have to find the workaround as all my ports are 3.0. But, to argue that concern...I can load other sketches into the Editor just fine and I have had no issues uploading them to the Uno. It is just this one set of sketches that I can't seem to get loaded into the editor. So, seems to me the issue centers around loading them from the Editor's servers and really has nothing to do with the USB port, cable or the Uno itself.

  1. Check in DEVICE MANGER to ensure you don't have any unrecognised or driver issue devices.

Device Manager is clean.

  1. Make sure there is nothing connected to pins 0 and 1 on your Arduino as they are used in loading sketches (temporarily disconnect during loading)

Checked and nope, pins 0 and 1 are unused.

  1. Ensure you don't have any power saving features enabled in windows on the USB ports as this too has been seen to cause problems.

Nothing there that I can see.

  1. Similar to above but seen more on laptops is under powered USB ports. Fix is to insert a decent quality POWERED USB 2.0 hub in line which is also the general fix for USB 3.0 problems too.

I dug out my power supply and plugged it in...no difference.

  1. Check the amount of custom libraries you have and if its over 30 try reduce it for the time being as some "loading" issues could be caused by the fact that it scans those and it takes time.

I have no custom libraries.

  1. Check the amount of sketches you have and that you are not at or close to your limit.

Preferences says "5 Sketches of 100 used". I assume that is what you are talking about.

  1. Clean up your browser (recommend CCLEANER the FREE version run at the default settings)

This is still pending.

One thing to point out...On another laptop, with no arduio connected, I opened the Editor and got the same results - I was able to load/view/edit the same "good" files as I could on the first laptop. Likewise, the ones I am having issues with would not load. I got the same "Loading Source..." message.

I have gone back to using the installed desktop IDE. I have used many times over the past years so I am basically familiar with it. I downloaded the "good" files from the Editor and started re-writing the "bad" ones.

Randy

Thanks for the follow up.
Hope it wasnt as bad as you thought.

As far as USB 3.0 goes it is a known problem as there is I think still an issue open for it on GITHUB.
Some people seem to be able to use them whilst more get some sort of problem or at least a very flakey result in that it may work a few tomes then fail randomly only to go back to working with no apparent reason.

My server has USB 3.0 and wont play nice with MRK100, YUN, some of the MEGA's, my 101 but will take a clone UNO using the CH340 driver.

Am going to ask if they can help to look at that sketch but no promises.
If you have a copy (bad or otherwise) that you could put up in the forum it may be useful.

Ballscrewbob:
Am going to ask if they can help to look at that sketch but no promises.
If you have a copy (bad or otherwise) that you could put up in the forum it may be useful.

I don't any of the code that won't load. Fortunately I was only a handful of hours into it and most of what I had was stubbed-in method() placeholders and the like. I was able to rebuild it from scratch in about the same about of time. So, there was no real intellectual loss, just some foundation methods and a bunch of #defines. ( Being a career coder, as for losing code this is not the first time I've been in this situation. :neutral_face: )

Did you have "autosave" turned on in "preferences" ?
If you did I am still thinking USB 3.0...maybe a borderline chipset implementation.

Just a thought.

Yea, autosave was, and still is, on.

But why would anything having to do with USB have an impact on the ability to pull code down from where the code is saved at? In no way do mean to imply that I know the underworkings of this system but, at a much higher level, it seems that the 2 would be totally separate from each other.

Question - is the code pulled via a web service request from the browser page or is it done through the plugin? If directly from the web service page, and it is not https, I could run an HTTP sniffer and maybe see the exact request that is being sent. ...just a thought.

Randy

Good call I hadn't even thought of that aspect.

However AFAIK its all HTTPS based hence the certificate install for the plugin.

You seem to be right though in that it should be able to pull the code down without having to worry about the USB side.

The plugin doesn't play any part in saving code, so it's definitely ot an USB issue.

It happened before but we're unsure of how to replicate the problem. Can you share the url of the sketch so I can dig through the backups and see if I can see something strange?

I have the same issue with all of my sketches.

The serial monitor is working fine and the board is connecting, just can't load my sketches.
I'm using Chrome 56 on iMac. Already tried Safari, but it's the same. Already tried it on a notebook Win7 Chrome... but my sketch is gone...

It happened after I uploaded an adjustment to the arduino uno that failed (without a compilation error I think)

When I'm trying to load it now, I get a 504 error (see screenshot)

-- FIXED -- just tried again 2 hrs later.

@ xayana

Just had a similar issue here windows based.
It looks like it may have been a glitch at the server end as its now back up here.
Can you clear out your browser cache and try again ?