So my IOS app is working just fine, but my Android app is not. I tested it on the Emulator and everything checked out. However, I am still receiving feedback from my Android users saying that the app keeps forcing them to close. I though it was the back ground color as it stated in the error report, but I fixed that and I am still seeing the error on the device. Really don't know where to go with this! Anyone???

Subscribing to this thread, as I've tried to help Tony on this in the past, and obviously didn't help very much! Very interested in the possible solution. Tony - Can you post the error report so people can see the details? Mark

Could you post the logcat/marketplace stack trace output for when the error occurs? If you don't mind me looking at the source code, you could send it to paul9qr at btinternet dot com.

Also could you not if you have done any custom editing to the code? Any SDKs added? A list of screens would be useful. Finally what bug is being thrown in the market?

BTv?? Device Operating System? 2.3.4? Fred

Sorry All it has been raining here all afternoon I must have worked a half dozen wrecks! Ok now down to biz. Mark I thought we had it fixed to, but today I got my hands on a Device. The download was fine, but some screens showed failed to get to data. Also after a few seconds in the app I got a force close message. On the sim everything looks and works fine. Here is the error messages and complaints. I know I am in the right place! I would have emailed you direct, but did not want to keep asking for favors. Info from my account: op 10 Android Versions for Sports Android 2.3.3+ 55.87 % Android 2.2 19.57 % Android 2.1 6.39 % Android 3.2 0.92 % Android 4.0.3 0.90 % Android 1.6 0.83 % Android 3.1 0.78 % Android 4.0 0.65 % Android 1.5 0.57 % Android 2.3 0.22 % java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.nascar411v20/com.nascar411v20.BT_screen_menuList}: java.lang.NullPointerException at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1696) at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1716) at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1500(ActivityThread.java:124) at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:968) at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99) at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130) at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:3806) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:507) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:839) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:597) at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at com.nascar411v20.BT_viewUtilities.updateBackgroundColorsForScreen(BT_viewUtilities.java:37) at com.nascar411v20.BT_screen_menuList.onCreate(BT_screen_menuList.java:137) at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1047) at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1660) ... 11 more USERS remarks: Mar 15, 2012 11:32:23 AM1.0The app keeps closing whats the problem Mar 11, 2012 3:26:21 PM1.0Force close for the 4th time. I just bought this app and can't even open it. One more chance then refund. Mar 11, 2012 3:26:20 PM1.0Force close again. Never opened. I'm requesting a refund Mar 11, 2012 3:26:20 PM1.0Force close Crash Exception class java.lang.NullPointerException Source method BT_viewUtilities.updateBackgroundColorsForScreen() I think that is everything and any help would be great. It works like a charm in IOS! I have had 20,000 app views in two weeks on IOS. Thanks all now I have 5 vehicle crash reports to write so off to my day job LOL! Tony.

Is this a BTv2.0 app? I would had thought it was a BTv1.5 app. Is there any way to determine which os version the problem is experienced on. I would suggest a request for beta testers centered around testing on different devices to isolate the problem. (I take a small wager that it's isolated to 2.3.4 devices). Fred

Fred It is v1.5 any ideas? Tony

I don't know what the problem is, but just prior to the new site rollout, some discussion was going on about this. Can't find the thread, perhaps someone will. I suspect it's related to Android os 2.3.4 Test on same. If we can isolate the problem, perhaps we can find a solution. You might consider upgrading to BTv2.0, I haven't seen the problem in BTv2.0 Fred

If you can isolate the problem to a particular os version you can exclude that version. Not a fix, but at least no more complaints. Fred

I only have my app in v1.5 would I have to basically start over? Because my app is over 600 screens!

Mostly yes. You could use JSON data to rebuild some, most of the screens. Just did some testing, and I'm even more certain 2.3.4 is the problem. Request a beta test with a 2.3.4 device. Good news, I don't think it's a 2.3.6 problem, or a 2.2.1 problem. Try testing on virtual device for said os versions. Problem maynot show up as the VD may not be identical. Fred

Send .apk and I'll test on 2.3.6 device. Fred

Please shoot me an email I will send you my APK atk378 @ yahoo

This is one of the things that really bothers me about Android Market...the crash reports are just about useless. They don't tell you which device the crash happened on, what OS version, or any of the really important things that can help you fix the issue. Tony - how many total users have complained of problems. I only see four crash reports listed above...have there been many more? If it's a super small percentage of users, you could either ignore them (there will always be somebody, somewhere that has issues), or you can restrict that particular OS level, etc. Mark

The device I tried today was 2.3.6 and it would not work.

Mark Looks like around 10 complaints out of about 50 installs

Same result. Do you allow install to SD card? Were the market installs able to install? It appears they were, so is this is a different problem? Same .apk as on market? Suggest you create a new .apk to test. Fred

Hi Tony, Yeah, 20% is a bit high. Of your install stats, do you have an Android level that matches around the 20% mark? That would help us nail down the problematic level. In the meantime, you could always put a note in the market restricting install of the app on the problematic level. @Fred - what in the crash dump leads you to believe that this is related to SD card install? His app is currently not set up to allow SD card install (I compiled it for him). Looking at the dumps, it doesn't seem to implicate storage location at all. Mark

Nothing in the crash dump told me anything. Actually I thought it said it was a BTv2.0 app, but apparently that's just part of the apps name. I just find that Installing to SD card solves / avoids problems, plus as a developer you shouldn't demand a user waste precious phone memory. So, it doesn't cost us anything, users are happier and avoids problems. Why not? Fred

@Fred - Agreed on the SD thing. I've started adding that option to my manifest file. Congrats on making it to #1 in the Top 25! Mark

Yikes, didn't wish to do that. Taking weekend off, hopefully you'll claim title again. Fred

@Fred thanks for your help @Mark - You know I am going to ask. When you get time will you redo and send me a new APK with that SD option and I will try that? Thanks Tony

No way! Top spot is all yours now! Or even better...somebody comes up from the ranks to beat us both. Of course, what it really means is we both spend way too much time in front of our computers! Mark

Actually, though it's not showing David@Buzztouch is safely the Top Dog for many years to come without any additonal posts. Fred

I don't know if it's related: Mobile app monitoring company Crittercism released data Friday on crash reports from the period December 1 through December 15, and saying iOS has stability issues is putting it nicely. By a 2-to-1 margin, iOS crashes much more frequently than Android, according to Crittercism’s report. The biggest offender is iOS 5.0.1, accounting for 28.64 percent of all crashes. By comparison, the most crash-prone Android operating system is 2.3.3, accounting for 3.86 percent of reports. That’s a huge difference and is sure to get the Apple blogosphere in an uproar over the survey’s methodology. Fred

Yah, its about how each OS treats crashes... Android tells you it crashed and provides a method to produce report and notify developer.. iOS just dumps the app out to the home screen, which users don't necessarily understand that the app "crashed". By doing not letting the user know things went wrong, it helps apple continue the "it just works" brand. I for one appreciate Androids method as it can assist developers in knowing something is wrong, even if its transparency hurts the platform.

Wasn't looking to stir up a fight, but since there's one now . . . Really, it was about trying to identify why Android BTv1.5 apps are forceclosing. My suspicion is/was os 2.3.4, but it may include 2.3.3. Fred

If anyone can, please post a logcat of it crashing. Surely we can get to the root of it.

So, I'll poke at Android a bit, and say while they do provide some crash information, the information seems to be incomplete and difficult to use to debug. I have a single crash report on my app for 600+ installs, and I have no idea what version of Android it crashed on, or what device...both bits of info that seem to be readily available on the device itself! Having that would certainly be helpful. The crash dump is certainly somewhat beneficial, but so far has not proven definitive in helping me debug crashes. But, that could also be related to my own inexperience. @Zackamo - I don't think that Tony can get you logcat output because it doesn't crash in the simulator (as far as I know), but only on the device. He's posted above the info from the crash report. Mark

Logcats can be acquired via connected device oorrrrr through nifty apps. Haven't tried to use it yet, but just installed this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.js.Error&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5qcy5FcnJvciJd Might be a great tool for any buzztouch person to have when your apps crash when you are on the go.

That looks pretty cool! I'll have to add that to my toolkit. Of course, I still need my own Android device! Mark

@fred - hey fred I have a new version of APK mark complied for me will you run It for me on your device? If so I will send over. @mark I received some feedback today from android users on the new APK. The users are reportIng error messages now showing Java Error. And now I have a guy telling me the app tells him he needs to be logged on. But I don't have any screens that users have to log into? IOS has never failed me like this- just saying I am running a new error report I will be back in a few with that I will post for review.

Home › com.nascar411v20 › Crash errors › java.lang.IllegalArgumentException Crash Exception class java.lang.IllegalArgumentException Source method WindowManagerImpl.findViewLocked() Platforms OTHER 1 reports/week 1 reports Stack traces v1.0 Mar 16, 2012 6:38:13 PM 1 reports/week 1 reports java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: View not attached to window manager at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.findViewLocked(WindowManagerImpl.java:373) at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.removeView(WindowManagerImpl.java:204) at android.view.Window$LocalWindowManager.removeView(Window.java:534) at android.app.Dialog.dismissDialog(Dialog.java:306) at android.app.Dialog.access$000(Dialog.java:73) at android.app.Dialog$1.run(Dialog.java:110) at android.app.Dialog.dismiss(Dialog.java:296) at com.nascar411v20.BT_activity_root.hideProgress(BT_activity_root.java:194) at com.nascar411v20.BT_activity_root$1.run(BT_activity_root.java:337) at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587) at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92) at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:132) at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4028) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:491) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:844) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:602) at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) For applications that include obfuscated code, stack traces contain obfuscated symbol names. If the application was obfuscated using ProGuard, you can unobfuscate the stack trace using the "retrace" tool, included in the Android SDK Tools r8 and later. For more information, see the ProGuard document.

Hey Tony, Out to dinner, so I can respond more later. Perhaps it would be a good idea to take the app off the market until this gets sorted out? Fewer angry customers that way. Mark

I'm still trying to figure out why my app says out of memory lol. I'm subscribing to this post though.

Magic Man did you add any custom code or tweak any of the screens?

For android no. I don't know whats wrong with this. I really never got to the bottom of it because I continued to receive error after error and they were all different. If you had any ideas please let me know. I got java error, background errors, failed to log in errors, and now failed to parse error from customers. Thanks

Magic Man did you add any custom code or tweak any of the screens?

whoops, double post.

Can you list what screens are in app. Also confirm sdk version and version you are building for.

The error at the start of the thread is the code looking for something in the menu list that isn't there. Perhaps it's a user clicking an item before the menulist, or menulist screen, has fully loaded up. Is it a large menu? Maybe splitting it out into sub-menus will help. Otherwise, trap the error and pop up a toast message telling them to wait. Plenty of documentation on stackoverflow for this. Second error possibly caused by users switching from vertical to horizontal or vice versa and causing the activity to restart. Have you got: android:configChanges="keyboardHidden|orientation" in the manifest? Pop the project over to me if you like? paul9qr at btinternet dot com

Raveyd, the forceclosing occurs without user selection. The app at issue uses various BTv1.5 Android screens that don't work. But that's probably not the immediate issue. I suspect it's related to the Button Menu and Android os 2.3.4. Problem doesn't occur using 2.3.6 Fred

@Raveyd sorry for the delay. Today while at work a fellow officer was shot while responding to a call up the street from me. Thankfully he is going to make it. But on another note I sent my app to the Powerhouses Mark (gonorthwest) & Fred for analysis . I have changed a few settings and it is running without any new errors as of the other day. However I think I am going to start the BTv2.0 conversion of my app. Anyone having issues on droid with v2.0? @GoNorthWest you still on board with me If I send you the new app to build? Still learning my way around eclipse and it is Slow! Tony

Send it on over, Tony! I've got your back! Mark

Just connecting the dots. Thread with same issue. http://www.buzztouch.com/forum/thread.php?fid=75CE283AFF7E28D9EA6C22F&tid=75CE283AFF7E28D9EA6C22F Fred

I got the answer why below error is coming in v1.5 or 2.0 :- ............................................................... ava.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start activity ComponentInfo{com.nascar411v20/com.nascar411v20.BT_screen_menuList}: java.lang.NullPointerException at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1696) at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1716) at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1500(ActivityThread.java:124) at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:968) at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99) at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130) at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:3806) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:507) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:839) at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:597) at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at com.nascar411v20.BT_viewUtilities.updateBackgroundColorsForScreen(BT_viewUtilities.java:37) at com.nascar411v20.BT_screen_menuList.onCreate(BT_screen_menuList.java:137) at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1047) at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:1660) ... 11 more ........................................................... The problem is in the config file. I had tested many apps of some buzztouch users like :- BT screen name :- GoNorthWest's App In Play Store namely "OVFPS" MGoBlue's App In Play Store namely "Nielsen for Senate" Link :- "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jimnielsen" Above two Application in Play store having no error because they are using "Tabbed Layout". we can do setting in "BT Application control panel >App Layouts". But the BT User who have done configuration of "Home Screen (non-tabbed layout)" they having the force closes. Example :- BT screen name :- Arubaman's App In Play Store namely "Gionino's Pizzeria" Link :- "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gioninos" ...................................................................... Please Solve this Problem . . . Yash Kumar Agarwal

Hi Yash, I actually think the issue is with a bug in updateBackgroundColorsForScreen. I've seen this multiple times in the forum, and just about every time it gets posted with debug info, that string is in it. I think if you remove your background color, then you'll probably be good. Give it a shot and see what happens. Mark

@Yash Kumar : The problem is in the config file. Perhaps, but limited to OS indicated above. No crash using 4.0. BT screen name :- GoNorthWest's App In Play Store namely " OVFPS" MGoBlue's App In Play Store namely "Nielsen for Senate" This app needs support for tablets, some pictures not displaying. @GoNorthWest : the issue is with a bug in updateBackgroundColorsForScreen. Do you have app with a bug in updateBackgroundColorsForScreen for testing? Fred