Cgoban problems and solutions

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New versions of software bring new problems (remember Murphy!).

This is not a bug page!

Please email bugs to admin of gokgs.com

This page is dedicated to work-arounds for problems (or difficulties) with CGoban3.
Work-arounds for problems and difficulties with the old version may also be collected on this page.
You may also present problems (and difficulties) without presenting the solution (because you don't have).

See also ...

See also KGS Related Utilities.
See also KGS Wishlist / File Handling.
See also KGSBugs.
See also KGSAudio.


Table of contents

Solutions for CGoban 3.x (for new KGS-server)

Update needed

(and you must be online) every time you use CGoban3 (Problem with webstarter and your computer / configuration):
Look for a file 'RMcgoban.jar' on your harddisk. It can be in a folder like:
c:\documents and settings\your-user-name\applicationdata\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache\javaws\http\Dfiles.gokgs.com\P80\DMjavaBin\
Using win98, i found the file in a win-subdirectory: c:\win-dir\Application Data\sun\java\...
This 'RMcgoban.jar' is the (by webstarter) last updated file of what you formerly used as CGoban (CGoban.jar was the file started by CGoban.exe).
This RMcgoban.jar can be started directly, when jar-files are associated with the Java runtime environment. There is another way for starting CGoban directly by starting Java with arguments and (pathto/)CGoban from command line or with desktop-link. You need to check out yourself, how to make this work.
RueLue: with Linux you can open a command shell in the directory, where your RMcgoban.jar file is. Type in java -jar RMcgoban.jar

File association

checked every time you start the webstarter:
On the kiseido download page [ext] http://www.gokgs.com/download.xhtml you have two options for downloadoing your webstarter:
[ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jnlp (with check of file associoation)
[ext] http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban-nfa.jnlp (nfa = no file associoation).

Sgf-files saved by the old server version

contain some problems. Those files didn't become converted (not yet? 30.9.06). See the section on the old version of CGoban below.

Buddy lists

as they were used in CGoban2 do not show up in CGoban3, because the latter expects them on the server rather than on your harddisk. The upgrade didn`t migrate the lists automatically. You can, however, try to find the old buddy or censored lists and manually enter the nicknames into CGoban3, one by one.

On linux, a good place to check is ~/.java/.userPrefs/org/igoweb/cgoban or similar. With some luck, you can find two cryptically named directories there, containing one xml file each. One contains your buddy nicks, the other the censored ones.

On Windows, you need to dive into the registry. This is potentially harmful to your system, so it`s recommended to backup the registry first. (I know, the following isn`t really comprehensible to people new to registry editing yet. Please, improve it as you see fit. I don`t have windows at hand right now.) Whilst some freeware registry editors like reghance by Lavasoft are more convenient to deal with, regedit.exe (which comes with windows) also suffices. Search for any buddy name you remember. Once you`ve found an occurrence, check if all the other buddies are mentioned nearby, too. If that`s not the case, you probably haven`t found the buddylist yet, so search on. Otherwise just export the key containing those names to buddies.txt (do not use the default .reg extension). Make sure you don`t alter anything in the registry unless you know what you are doing. Close the registry editor, navigate to buddies.txt and open it. There you are.

Copy file to disk

(from some user's info, file list) starts every time in 'My Documents' (CGoban 3.3.13, Java 1.5.0_09-b01, XP-SP2) (and w98, CGoban 3.3.13, Java 1.6...), I hope, this will be fixed in one of the next versions. Work-around (like editing a config file)?
Same with CGoban 3.3.16, Java 1.6..., Win98 and XP-SP2.
(Not really) workaround: put a link to your desired folder in the 'My Documents'-folder. CGoban resp. Java follows the link. (Suitable for a small amount of game files.)

Freezing

Help - my computer freezes every time I try to play on-line or view saved files (W.98SE, Java 1.5.0_07, Cgoban 3.3.8) - at any point from start to end of game.

Update - Not Java or Cgoban - video driver at fault... the latest version cured this :-) Note - SET J2D_D3D=false did not work

Help click (by menue or button) without response

Click for help (menue or button) and nothing happens. I remember, one time, help came up and, before this, my browser (Firefox) gave me a note of a suppressed popup. But popups for gokgs.com are allowed now and I tried unchecking 'block popups', but no help.

Try running the Java thingy - javacpl.exe & 'Advanced' tab - lots of choices - something may work :-)

It's same as javaws - settings, advanced; glue gave me the hint of starting javaws.exe (Java Web Start) alone and look around in the settings - no, nothing found in the settings. But I tried something, what helped: I started javaws alone (as in glue's hint, javaws is in the win path), and deleted CGoban from the executables list, closed javaws and started the cgoban-nfa.jnlp-file once more. This made a new download of the cgoban-files and now help worked (with win-xp); same with win-98 was no success (vers.3.3.9: same). Now and with 3.3.16 no problem.

When I click for help in jnlp-client (button or menue), instead of browser with help page only notepad opens and complains 'Syntax for file name, directory or volume (german 'Datentraeger') is wrong'. cgoban 3.3.16, w-xp-sp2, java 1.6
I tried:

  • uninstall all versions of (sun)java + deleted the remaining cache directories (and reinstall)
  • searched in registry for apparently wrong assignment (nothing found)
  • fetched new jnlp-file from kgs

With Jin-chess (also java-prog.) no problem; same with help click from browser-kgs: it's all fine; same with another user on same machine and jnlp-kgs: no problem. I know, where the help is on gokgs, that's not the problem, but i need it called directly from the client. Is there someone out there, who knows the solution? Thanks for solution! RueLue

Now is version 3.3.17 and first, nothing happened with help click, Then, after javaws -uninstall (is sun-java) and new start of jnlp-file, it is like before: notepad opens. uuuuhhhh! RueLue

New Help System for KGS

March'07: Click on HELP inside CGoban sends me to a file at gokgs: Sorry, this help page hasn't been written yet. (It is the main help file: [ext] http://www.gokgs.com/help/app/main.html).
April '07: They are working on it. There are editor's / translator's links on the page. If you think, you can translate from english to your first language and want to help writing the help pages, read [ext] http://www.gokgs.com/help/helpEditors.html .
They are working on a new help system (context sensitive). If help is not yet on your national language page, call the english version of the page (the link hides below the toc under the US-flag). You can find the help-pages for Cgoban/Kiseido at [ext] http://www.gokgs.com/help/ .

Where to find the CGoban archive

The old Java version (5 = 1.5) used as archive name RMcgoban.jar and the folder:
(XP) c:\documents and settings\your-user-name\applicationdata\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache\javaws\http\Dfiles.gokgs.com\P80\DMjavaBin\
The new Java version (6 = 1.6) uses a new cryptic code as name for the CGoban archive (on my machine, Win98, it is 3f4b305c-3faea52b without extension). I found it in
(win98) C:\WINDOWS\Anwendungsdaten\Sun\Java\Deployment\CACHE\6.0\28\
o.k. - with XP and Java 1.6 (=6) it is in folder C:\documents and settings\your-user-name\applicationdata\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache\6.0\28\ with a cryptic code (on my machine = 3f4b305c-1493a3c3) as name without extension. You can copy this file to a folder of your choice, rename it as you like (under Win maybe good to give extension '.jar') and start it.
When you don't get the connection because of error 'Socket is not connected: connect' , you make a link to the file in the above mentioned folder and change the link to
'javaw.exe -jar ...(original_path_and_name_of_archive)' .

How to use CGoban3 as a browser helper app

Anonymous: How do you set up CGoban3 as a browser helper app to open SGF files? The older CGoban2 took a filename on the command line, so the setup was obvious. The new CGoban3's command line begins with 'javaws' and it is not clear how to get a filename passed into the app code.

Phelan: I'm not sure if you want something different, but have you seen File Association above, in this page? I got file association version, and when I click a SGF link, it asks me if I want to save the file, or open in CGoban(more accurately, the application name that appears is "Java Web Start Launcher".


Solutions for CGoban, old version

The circle markers ('cr')

in the sgf-files made by the old server version lead to some difficulties. The discussion is on page KGS Issue - CR Marks on Moves
Good would be a little program to delete these from the old kgs-files (folders recursively, check, if saved by kgs, check if game date before..., then ...) Do with Multigo? (ruijiang.com/multigo/) Maybe there is a solution on page SGF Organising Utilities.

The territory marking in the sgf-files

made by the old server version lead to some difficulties with other programs:
there is a tag hided 'KGSDE' in all files which ended with scoring. It marks all prisoner stones, which were still on the board at end of game. That is a killer for some other viewers / editors (Drago, older version; the new version, 2.20, eats those files without problems). (Script-solution? Do with Multigo?) Maybe there is a solution on page SGF Organising Utilities.
O.K. - if there is no other program with this problem, this could be obsolete. Rue.
I searched a bit and found this (not working) link: trac.gnugo.org/gnugo/attachment/wiki/CleanSgfFromKgs/kgs_cleaner.pike Rue.
o.k. - now, with some luck, the cache of google showed that script.
For some problems with SGF see: [ext] http://gtl.xmp.net/about/faq - Section 4.2. ; it tells: update your viewer, if it is older than one year.


Discussion

(Was about ... See also KGS Related Utilities.)
Ruedi from Luebeck: I think, the content of this page belongs there. I will merge.
blubb: Huh? I don`t quite think so. In my view, the utilities page neither does nor should cover verbal hints or tricks as provided here. It`s just about the tools available.
Phelan: I agree with blubb, that page should be about the utilities, as not all the utilities are about KGS problems, nor solutions to them, just expansions.
Ruedi from Luebeck: Yes, right. I read '... workarounds ...' and 'KGS Related Utilities' and my fingers were fast. So I let it as it is.

 (I hope this page helps! Ruediger from Luebeck)

This is a copy of the living page "Cgoban problems and solutions" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2007 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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