VS 2005 RTM WINFORM DESIGNER BUG IS DRIVING ME CRAZY

VS 2005 RTM WINFORM DESIGNER BUG IS DRIVING ME CRAZY

• KSamir

  Hi All,
  
  I use VS 2005 and I am getting the same error.
  
  I have developed an externe library (DLL project) with many custom controls in the same solution but the reference for this DLL sometimes is lost and I see the error below when I try to see the design of my form (EXE project).
  
  I lost so much time linking the library again, reconfiguring some custom controls that are not compiling or being displayed.
  
  Could you please solve this problem and release a new version asap
  
  Thank you very much.
  
  Best regards,
  Joao Araujo
  
  
  
  

  	One or more errors encountered while loading the designer. The errors are listed below. Some errors can be fixed by rebuilding your project, while others may require code changes.
  Unable to load one or more of the requested types. Retrieve the LoaderExceptions property for more information. Hide
  at System.Reflection.Module.GetTypesInternal(StackCrawlMark& stackMark) at System.Reflection.Assembly.GetTypes() at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Design.AssemblyObsoleteEventArgs..ctor(Assembly assembly) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSDynamicTypeService.ReloadAssemblyIfChanged(String codeBase) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSDynamicTypeService.CreateDynamicAssembly(String codeBase) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSTypeResolutionService.AssemblyEntry.get_Assembly() at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSTypeResolutionService.AssemblyEntry.Search(String fullName, String typeName, Boolean ignoreTypeCase, Assembly& assembly, String description) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSTypeResolutionService.SearchProjectEntries(AssemblyName assemblyName, String typeName, Boolean ignoreTypeCase, Assembly& assembly) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.VSTypeResolutionService.GetType(String typeName, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase, ReferenceType refType) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.Serialization.CodeDom.AggregateTypeResolutionService.GetType(String name, Boolean throwOnError, Boolean ignoreCase) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.Serialization.CodeDom.AggregateTypeResolutionService.GetType(String name, Boolean throwOnError) at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.CodeDomSerializerBase.GetType(ITypeResolutionService trs, String name, Dictionary`2 names) at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.CodeDomSerializerBase.FillStatementTable(IDesignerSerializationManager manager, IDictionary table, Dictionary`2 names, CodeStatementCollection statements, String className) at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.TypeCodeDomSerializer.Deserialize(IDesignerSerializationManager manager, CodeTypeDeclaration declaration) at System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization.CodeDomDesignerLoader.PerformLoad(IDesignerSerializationManager manager) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.Serialization.CodeDom.VSCodeDomDesignerLoader.PerformLoad(IDesignerSerializationManager serializationManager) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Design.Serialization.CodeDom.VSCodeDomDesignerLoader.DeferredLoadHandler.Microsoft.VisualStudio.TextManager.Interop.IVsTextBufferDataEvents.OnLoadCompleted(Int32 fReload)

  
  
  

• Tim Tharratt

  Here are the steps to reproduce the bug IN C#
  
  1) create a solution Name "TestSolution" 
  2) Add a windows Control library project   Name it "Dev.UI.WinForms"
  3) Add a folder  "BaseForms"
  4) Right click on it and add a form "FormBase" to this folder
  5) Add a folder and name it "MyTextBoxes"
  6) Add a class to this folder and Name it  TextBoxEx
  7) Add a namespace to the textboxEx  "using System.Windows.Forms"
  8) Add inheritance  TextBoxEx :TextBox
  
  9) Add A Windows Application project to the solution
  11) rebuild the solution so that we can see our textBoxEx Control
  12 ) Add our textBoxEx to Form1
  13)  enter form1 code and Add a namespace "using Dev.UI.WinForms.BaseForms;"
  14) change the inheritance from Form to FormBase
  15) rebuild the solution twice and you should see the error.
  16) Close VS and go back in .everything is ok
  17) rebuild the solution and you have the problem.
  
  
  I have never posted a bug before where do you do it.
  Or can somebody pass it on
  
  thanks a lot
  
  
  
  

• bobbynad

  I faced with similar problem and this is what i did which worked for me!

  1. When you open your form, you get this error. Close all the forms.

  2. Close VS.NET (make sure none of the forms are open at this time)

  3. Delete "bin" and "obj" folder physically.

  4. Open VS.NET

  5. Rebuild your application

  6. Try opening your forms now. It should work!

  I am assuming that its using some assembly cache when forms are opened though not sure.

  HTH,

  -Rupreet

  I Blog @ http://geekswithblogs.com/rupreet.

   

  
  

• Miyamoto M

  ^ Above workaround solved the issue for me.

  Thanks and happy holidays!

  Chris

  
  

• Joe2005

  thanks you.
  

• Rick0124

  That bug report you linked to didn't have an example project with it and therefore the issue was not reproduced.

  To have more of a chance for Microsoft to address it, they need to:

  1. Be able to reproduce
  2. See that its impacting a lot of users

  So I suggest that you post a new bug report with example code that can reproduce it. That way other users can vote on it if they are also experiencing the same thing.

  
  
  

• Aaron R

  I've been getting many various designer errors as well with the RTM version. Similar to the one stated above and also ones that state "Path is not found". I know I'm being very general and not putting up much specifics, but my point is the designer seems much more unstable in VS 2005. I never had these same issues doing the same things with VS 2003. Simple things like creating components and user controls are becoming problematic. Often the resolution involves anything from closing the designer window and reopening it, commenting out the AutoScale lines in the Initialize method, or deleting the obj and bin folders in the project directories for the solution and rebuilding the solution. Something the designer is doing behind the scenes just isn't what it was previously.
  

• markwebber#1

  I have a workaround to this.
  
  This error usually occurs to me when the form designer try to load an object that doesnt exists on form. From what I saw, it can happen in some situations, specially if you use inherited forms. The form designer in some cases don't remove the generated code for removed components, when you try to open the form again it will try to access the component but it will not exist on your form.
  
  To fix this you should edit your form and your designer code, and look for declared objects that doesnt exists on your form or your base form. Remove any unused declarations, clean the solution and close the visual studio.
  
  Each form is consisted of 3 files form.vb, form.resx and form.designer.vb (or .cs if you use C#). To edit the last 2 files you need to choose the show all files option on Solution Explorer Window.
  
  Open it again, rebuild your solution and it will work.
  
  Best regards.
  
  Fernando Cardoso
  

• wheelersctt

  Thanks a lot for your reply.
  I will try to reproduce later on and send a bug report.
  I have noticed that it happens with form inheritance.
  I will try to find out where actually goes wrong.
  
  Also i have so many problems with userControls,component and the designer keeps playing up"Dissappering".I cannot pinpoint how and when but in my eyes it's not stable.
  
  It should be allright as everything is now generated in a partial class but it seems that somehow something is going wrong.
  
  thanks for any feedback.
  
  
  

• RUSSO

  You can report it on the Microsoft Product Feedback Center, make sure that you attach a test solution to the report.
  
  

• CConchelos

  I had this problem with a new solution too...
  
  When you change something on referenced classes that can create the error situation it will hapen be sure of it.
  
  Best regards.
  
  Fernando Cardoso
  

• ACS

  When I tried with a completely new solution, I couldn't reproduce the error. The new solution consists of two projects built on .NET 2.0 from the get-go: (1) one .dll with the parent form that has an uninitialized DataTable property and (2) one .exe that references and inherits from the parent form.
  
  I read that the problem appears to be "stale" binaries left from before my original solution was converted to 2.0. If using source control, check everything in and get a new working copy. For me, this new working copy does not appear to suffer the same problems.
  
  

• Yunjing MA

  Hi there,thanks for the workaround suggestions but this doesnt work in my case.
  I have created a test as per my previous post with an inherited form and 1 control.
  
  after rebuilding a get the error.
  
  I think it's a critical bug and should be addressed asap and a patch rollout.
  I know that things are always more complicated than they seem but in my little experience writing controls /component in vs2005 i have encountered so many problems with the designer that made me not use form inheritance and duplicate my code in many scenarios.
  
  thanks
  
  
  

• RZ0

  Even though Microsoft says they can't reproduce it, it seems to be happening to a lot of people.
  
  There is a workaround posted here:
  
  http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx PostID=91206&SiteID=1&PageID=1
  
  
  
• VS 2005 RTM WINFORM DESIGNER BUG IS DRIVING ME CRAZY