Recommendation: do not turn on Tools...Diagnostics...Enable Debug Tracing

[Mathias]

Recently, I've seen several issues and bug reports connected to the Enable Debug Tracing setting, so I wanted to post about it. If you've gone through all of Hero Lab's menus, and turned on lots of settings, please double-check if this one is turned on, and if it is, I highly recommend that you turn it off.

The Enable Debug Tracing setting is only intended for use while you're working with support to track down an issue, so that we can send you a test version of HL that reports extra information about its current state, and then you can send back debugging logs that let us figure out why a problem is occurring.

Here's the trouble I know it can cause;

You will not be able to launch more than one instance of Hero Lab at a time if this setting is turned on.
It can cause Hero Lab to hang if you launch the Encounter Builder while this is turned on (that one's a bug and should be fixed in the next version of HL itself).

[ShadowChemosh]

Thanks for the information. This maybe something that is good to send out in the newsletter. In addition Colen should think about turning this off during a install or upgrade to the HL binary.

Based on my own players. Most of them would have NO clue what your post is even talking about.

[Mathias]

This is not a setting that is turned on by default in Hero Lab - user have to turn it on themselves.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by Mathias

This is not a setting that is turned on by default in Hero Lab - user have to turn it on themselves.

I get that. But most likely its caused by support telling them to turn it on. Or they went crazy turning on options. Either way they will have NO idea what you are telling them to do.

Which is why having the binary turn the option off during an upgrade solves both issues. Sense the option only needs to be on if working with Support.

[Mathias]

Originally Posted by ShadowChemosh

Or they went crazy turning on options.

If we've told them to turn it on while working out an issue, we also would have warned them to turn it off again. I know from our bug reports how our users like turning on lots of options - this one, plus Ultimate Combat Armor as DR and Ultimate Combat Wounds & Vigor are the big three that cause problems, because people don't understand the full extent of the changes they're turning on. So this thread is to warn them about one of those cases.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by Mathias

If we've told them to turn it on while working out an issue, we also would have warned them to turn it off again. I know from our bug reports how our users like turning on lots of options - this one, plus Ultimate Combat Armor as DR and Ultimate Combat Wounds & Vigor are the big three that cause problems, because people don't understand the full extent of the changes they're turning on.

With my own players I know this happens all the time. At least with them I can slap them on the head and say BAD PLAYER!

But I know exactly what the person did when they say "I have no more AC". Just yesterday I told my group that we where using TWO options from Unchained. An hour later I got a text asking why HL was doing strange things and I find out the person turned on EVERY unchained option. Sigh...

Originally Posted by Mathias

So this thread is to warn them about one of those cases.

The thread is a good "start" I am just "suggesting" ways to solve the issue for all those that do not read the forums and those that dont read the newsletter. Or those that refuse to read anything. Just have the installer turn that option always back to off. X hours of programming one time will often save X*100 hours of support work!

But I am just the crazy 800lb gorilla in the room.

[DeltaMasterMind]

Thanks for the info guys!