Bugzilla – Bug 2187
No error/warning message when using a missing aliased audio file
Last modified: 2020-07-26 09:17:52 UTC
Created attachment 848 [details] Error message on playing a missing aliased file This is a regression on 2.2.2 (attachment to follow with 2.2.x behavior) This crash occurs on all released 2.3.x versions and continues into the current 2.3.3 alpha audacity-2.3.3-alpha-314-65682e7a0c9469379a1a5e76ac264b0e493cef62 where ODL/aliasing has been removed - but support for aliasing retained for older projects. Note also that with no audio data to support it a waveform is still drawn (step 9), leading the user to believe that their data is present an operable on. Less serious than the crash, but a related issue, is that when you try to Play this waveform you do get an error message - but Audacity moves into a Play state and the playhead cursor moves - see first attachment. Tested on Windows only - but assume all platforms.
Created attachment 849 [details] 2.2.2 handles this better With 2.2.2 (indeed 2.2.x) this gets handled better - in that an error message is generated. But curiously it also seems to lose the Audacity icon in the Apps tray at the bottom of the window. Clicking on 2.2.2 then just restores the open Audacity app. With 2.2.x I get the same behavior when trying to play the waveform - the error message in the first attachment. Peter.
Reduced to P2 as this is mitigated by the move to remove the creation of new aliased ODL files for 2.3.3 onwards. The bug has to stand as we will still be supporting projects opened in 2.3.3 and onwards but which contain external aliased files from previous Audacity versions.
Testing on 2.4.2 I no longer get a crash a) temporarily the waveform is displayed b) A warning appears for missing blockfiles c) the project opens with the audio from the aliased file(s) missinb But this remains at P2 as we have no idea what the impact of this will be on 3.0.0 with its transition to Unitary Project .aup3 project format. We cannot test on 3.0.0 until the .aup importer utility is written - there is a good chance that this may need to be raised to P1 for 3.0.0
Upping this to P1 in line with its close cousin 2188
Testing on W10 with Audacity 3.0.0 0fbabb0 With a missing alias file or files with 3.0.0, Audacity just automatically treats the missing audio as flat-line silence. The user gets no warning that there are missing audio files - just the visual cue of the silence. I'm thinking that this is not good enough and the user should be warned to give them a chance to restore their missing alias files before their project gets consolidated. Importantly though, there is no crash. Accordingly I will downgrade this to P2, but I think we should be fixing the lack of warning. -------------------------------------------------------- But then there was no crash with 2.4.2 either (I tested this today for comparison) - but the user did get warned and given choice of actions.
I changed the bug title from: >Silent crash (with no error message) when using a missing aliased audio file to >No error/warning message when using a missing aliased audio file To reflect the residual now that there is no longer any crash.
Testing with Audacity 3.0.0 2accd9e Leland has fixed this and this now works gine with an appropriate and informative error message. The missing audio is replaced with silence and the user is informed of that.
(In reply to Peter Sampson from comment #7) Previous test Comment #7 was on W10 Tested om macOS 10.15.5 with Audacity 3.0.0 12f0c6e Works fine on Mac too with an appropriate and informative error message. The missing audio is replaced with silence and the user is informed of that.
