Zip Code Causes Software to Crash

[gfizer]

Every time I enter a zip code in the address header of the 1040 or on the W-2 worksheet my software crashes and shuts down.  I hadn't noticed it before today but everything I have worked on up until now was rolled over from last year so I guess that's the reason I haven't noticed it before now.  Anyone else experiencing this?

[Abby Normal]

This has been reported, but not everyone is having this problem.

[BulldogTom]

I was having that problem last night with the 1099 INT entry.   I solved it by not putting in the address for the vendor.

 

Tom
Modesto, CA

[gfizer]

27 minutes ago, BulldogTom said:

I was having that problem last night with the 1099 INT entry.   I solved it by not putting in the address for the vendor.

That's how I worked around it too for now but the zip will have to be entered before returns can be e-filed.  I guess a much dreaded call to tech support is in order.  Arrghh!

[gfizer]

I have now discovered that if you don't click on okay when the box comes up and says the program has encountered an unexpected error and needs to close and instead click the red x in the top right corner that the program will not close and you can continue to work.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

1 hour ago, gfizer said:

encountered an unexpected error and needs to close

Major faux pas.  This means the program itself is not handling the error, leaving it up to Windows, and 99.9999% of the time, Windows has to close the program.  The usual suspect is an array bounds issue (if there are ten items, trying to access something other than 1 through 10), a memory corruption (but these days, most programs do not need to directly rear and write to specific memory locations), or an overflow (for example, a numerical value of a byte, and trying to set it beyond the range of a byte (say to 257).  But, for a zip code, assuming it is a zip code field causing the issue, zip codes are usually stored as strings (text) not numbers, since even in the US, we have the dash in the plus 4.

Thus, if it is a string (text) field actually causing the issue, there is more likely a memory corruption, which may be causing as yet unseen data issues elsewhere.  So be careful...

For me, this would be a 100% stop and focus only on this issue, should I ever get this reported.

(Good therapy for me to write this out, as it reminds me of what I have to be wary of as well.)

 

What is very puzzling is the program actually staying open after the Windows message.  The windows message is usually only shown when the program does not handle an error (just before the program is terminated by Windows, unless there is some sort of "we really don't have a clue as to what the error is, but we will let you keep going anyway" error handling, which does not show a custom message and shows the windows message instead.  Normal practice is to never rely on the Windows message/termination, sine it gives the programmer no clue as to what has happened.

[Abby Normal]

Just posted on the official board. Delete this file:

C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\Temp\Sfs.Cache\ZipcodeData

https://community.atxinc.com/forums/permalink/254421/254614/ShowThread.aspx#254614

[RitaB]

6 hours ago, gfizer said:

I have now discovered that if you don't click on okay when the box comes up and says the program has encountered an unexpected error and needs to close and instead click the red x in the top right corner that the program will not close and you can continue to work.

I refused to click ok when that message came up a few times last season.  It was my way of refusing to cooperate:  "No, I paid good money for you to work, I'm not ok with this.  Shut up."  

[gfizer]

14 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

Just posted on the official board. Delete this file:

C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\Temp\Sfs.Cache\ZipcodeData

https://community.atxinc.com/forums/permalink/254421/254614/ShowThread.aspx#254614

This fix appears to work once the program is closed and restarted after deleting the file.  

[Abby Normal]

As an aside, when I start my computer every day, I have CCleaner run automatically and it deletes all kinds temporary files. This may have saved me untold grief over the years.

Both QuickBooks and ATX have files that can cause the program to not work. I have notes on both. In both cases, the solution is just to delete the file, because the program will recreate on start. And I always ask, why doesn't the program just delete the file as part of the start up or close process to begin with?

Anyway, here's the ATX file that keeps your server from starting in 2015 & newer:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\CCH Small Firm Services\ATX 20yy Server\Sfs.ServerHost.exe.config

Replace 'yy' with the year in question.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

Other than the printer and display, file manipulation is the slowest part of computing... Many prefer to pretend their software is faster appearing by handling some file manipulation when the software is not opening or closing.

[BLACK BART]

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 5:53 PM, Medlin Software said:

Major faux pas.  This means the program itself is not handling the error, leaving it up to Windows, and 99.9999% of the time, Windows has to close the program.  The usual suspect is an array bounds issue (if there are ten items, trying to access something other than 1 through 10), a memory corruption (but these days, most programs do not need to directly rear and write to specific memory locations), or an overflow (for example, a numerical value of a byte, and trying to set it beyond the range of a byte (say to 257).  But, for a zip code, assuming it is a zip code field causing the issue, zip codes are usually stored as strings (text) not numbers, since even in the US, we have the dash in the plus 4.

Thus, if it is a string (text) field actually causing the issue, there is more likely a memory corruption, which may be causing as yet unseen data issues elsewhere.  So be careful...

For me, this would be a 100% stop and focus only on this issue, should I ever get this reported.

(Good therapy for me to write this out, as it reminds me of what I have to be wary of as well.)

 

What is very puzzling is the program actually staying open after the Windows message.  The windows message is usually only shown when the program does not handle an error (just before the program is terminated by Windows, unless there is some sort of "we really don't have a clue as to what the error is, but we will let you keep going anyway" error handling, which does not show a custom message and shows the windows message instead.  Normal practice is to never rely on the Windows message/termination, sine it gives the programmer no clue as to what has happened.

Uh, yeah; sounds right.

[Lee B]

This is ATXKristin's response late yesterday,

 

"It is a corrupted file in a temp file on the user's computer. ATX cannot repair a file that is not part of the program."

Classic, "Not my problem" response.

[Jack from Ohio]

30 minutes ago, cbslee said:

This is ATXKristin's response late yesterday,

 

"It is a corrupted file in a temp file on the user's computer. ATX cannot repair a file that is not part of the program."

Classic, "Not my problem" response.

We have not experienced such an issue.  Because it is only happening on a few systems, ATXKristin is probably correct.

We have 10 workstations and as many as 8 people using the ATX program simultaneously.  No such issue has been seen here.

[Lee B]

Really, you think these temp files related to zip codes are magically appearing out of thin air.

Obviously,  the ATX program is creating them and then for some reason on certain users computers

the program isn't deleting the temp file.

[Jack from Ohio]

49 minutes ago, cbslee said:

Really, you think these temp files related to zip codes are magically appearing out of thin air.

Obviously,  the ATX program is creating them and then for some reason on certain users computers

the program isn't deleting the temp file.

Some other program or activity is corrupting the file.  The biggest offenders are anti-virus and internet security programs.  Yes, I agree that it is probably a computer problem with the user.  Too many "crap" programs on the system.

I state this due to my first hand experiences.

[BulldogTom]

I was having the problem, I deleted the file, the problem went away.   Seems like a simple fix.   Why the file is getting corrupted is another question for techies smarter than me.

Tom
Modesto, CA

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

The software should be checking the file for valid entries, or at least, gracefully handling invalid file data, such as deleting it (as suggested by their support) or some sort of plain text error message.  A generic "we are not handling the error, so Windows is" is never acceptable.