Live preview error when editing code

[mkbaldwin]

While editing an HTML file I am repeatedly getting the "Live Preview Error: Unable to load Live Development page" as I try to work on code. I am running Brackets Sprint 32, and Chrome 30.0.1599.101 on Windows 7 Pro.

The live preview will work sometimes, but sometimes the connection to Chrome seems to break and I start getting that error.

[njx]

To @ingorichter to see if we can reproduce. @mkbaldwin - can you say a little more about when you get this error? Is it right after hitting the live preview button, or does it happen in the middle of the live preview session after you've already successfully seen the page in the browser?

[mkbaldwin]

Sure, I have an HTML file that I am editing (it's only about 500 lines so nothing massive). I can start a live preview session and things seem to work fine initially. I can edit my code and see the changes update. Then after a few minutes of editing I will get the previously mentioned error.

I haven't been able to figure out any specific thing I might be doing that causes it to happen more frequently. Obviously it isn't happening for everyone otherwise I'm sure you would have a lot more complaints of it.

Let me know if you need more details or assistance reproducing it.

[marcelgerber]

I get this error message sometimes, too. But for me it appears just 5 or 10 seconds after starting live preview.

I can't figure out a rule for that, too, but when I close the old Chrome window and open a new one, it works fine (everytime).
I even can't provide more info since I'm on another PC now.

UPDATE: opened #7097 to track this issue

[kdickinson]

I'm also having this issue. It never loads.

[njx]

Nominating for sprint 35 to try to track down what's going on.

[jasonsanjose]

@mkbaldwin Have you tried Sprint 34?

[arielfmdp]

I have the same issue since various versions ago, it never worked anymore, I don't remember exactly when started the issue, but with very early versions worked fine.

[ingorichter]

@arielfmdp do you have Windows 7 Pro? Do you still see this with Brackets Sprint 34?

[arielfmdp]

Hi @ingorichter, I have windows 7 and the last Brackets sprint, but you know what ? I found the problem ! I just found THE problem!
It was the extension named "debugger", the one that opens a console down on brackets. I disabled that extension moving it to the disabled folder, and that's all !! Brackets' live preview started to work again !! I'm very happy !!
That issue was torturing me for so long....and I just wanted to try something and the first extension I disabled, fixed the issue. I cannot believe it. Well, I hope this helps some other people, I know there are many others with this problem.

[ingorichter]

@mkbaldwin @SAplayer I created a very reliable way of reproducing the error (at least on my machine). The question for me is, if my error has the same root cause than yours.
I always get this error, when the html file is not part of the project and I start live preview with this file. This will lead to this error. But if the same file is part of a project, then this error won't show up. One other factor in my case is probably the size of the file (1.2MB). Do you encounter this issue with files inside or outside of a project?

[jasonsanjose]

@ingorichter there's a related bug about live preview on a file outside the current project #5975. There's no error message though, so maybe it's not the same?

[ingorichter]

@jasonsanjose yes, that sounds different from what #5975 says. Then this might be another issue that I found. I'd like to hear back from @mkbaldwin and @SAplayer what their setup looks like (in project file) and what the contents of the file looked like.

[marcelgerber]

@ingorichter I didn't add them to the project, they were already in the folder.
I don't know any more how these files looked like as it has been a while since I encountered this issue the last time. Maybe it doesn't even exist anymore.
But as soon as I get it again, I will give you more information.

[mkbaldwin]

@jasonsanjose I still have this error in sprint 34.

@ingorichter These are files that are all under 20k in size and they are ones that are in the folder that I have open within Brackets.

[peterflynn]

Team decided to move this out to Sprint 36 in order to unblock Sprint 35

[njx]

I sometimes get this as well, although usually in conjunction with starting/stopping live development fairly quickly or reloading Brackets. I'm not sure if I've seen it at other times.

[pthiess]

@peterflynn Not enough time this sprint, moving out to next sprint.

[dangoor]

I assume this is not for Sprint 36 any more?

[ingorichter]

@mkbaldwin is it possible for you to share the files that you are referring to? That could help to reproduce the issue. Thanks.

[mmcgraw73]

not a solution but a quick fix:
I've encountered this error w/ Sprint35 - i've got around it by closing and restarting brackets-

[user24]

I get this too sometimes. The console says:

LiveDevelopment._onInterstitalPageLoad(): No server active

UPDATE: This is being tracked by #7098

[debarunpal]

@ingorichter : I am also facing the same error with live preview. It kicked off as soon as I inserted my Google Analytics JS. Before that everything was running smooth, but the insertion made me pay dearly. Now the live development preview error is coupled with a remote debugger error for chrome where the browser fails to load and reload. Suggestions/Fix Plz...

UPDATE: this is being tracked by #7099

[redmunds]

@ingorichter Pull request #6889 fixes the LiveDevelopment._onInterstitalPageLoad(): No server active error.

[njx]

Also reported by syodash on Twitter.

[njx]

This showed up a lot with the MissionBit students. The symptom I think I saw was:

1. Click the Live Preview button
2. Interstitial ("Waiting...") page opens in Chrome
3. Almost immediately, the Live Preview button twipsy shows up in Brackets saying that Live Preview couldn't connect (didn't see the exact error); the interstitial page is still up in Chrome
4. Eventually, after a delay, the "Live Preview unable to connect" timeout modal dialog appears.

It gets worse if you try to connect again between steps 3 and 4 - you end up getting the timeout dialog multiple times. #6889 should help with that aspect of it, but it's not clear why they were getting the immediate failure in step 2.

[dangoor]

It seems that I can reproduce the problem that @njx lists consistently. I also noticed this morning while running tests that the Live Development integration tests are failing for me. #6889 fixes it for me.

[njx]

See also #6638.

[dangoor]

@painperdu you may be seeing #6830

[diegovdev]

I have Windows 7, I have 2 versions of Chrome, the public Chrome 33.0.1750.117 and Chrome Canary 35.0.1867.2.
By the way Brackets always opens Canary, is that the intended behavior?

[redmunds]

@sapeish No, Brackets should open stable Chrome. Could you open a separate bug about Brackets opening Canary? Please include the full paths to the executables for all versions all Chrome you have installed.

[marcelgerber]

The problem about Brackets opening Canary is already filed multiple times.
This comment includes the reason as well: #6830 (comment)

[redmunds]

Issue #6830 is being used to track the Chrome API change from version 33 to 34. The new issue (logged as #7062) is to track issue about Brackets incorrectly determining which version of Chrome to launch.

[redmunds]

@mkbaldwin

Let me know if you need more details or assistance reproducing it.

Are you still seeing the problem of Live Preview stop updating after editing your page? Have you tried any later builds? If so, have you narrowed down the issue any?

I opened a page in Live Preview and tried all kinds of edits, but I have not been able to reproduce the problem. Can you tell me more about the types of editing that you are doing to reproduce the problem? Editing text only? Adding/removing HTML tags? By hand, with code hints, or any other edit command? Editing styles, JS, or something else?

Are you using any extensions? Be sure to try with all extensions disabled.

[redmunds]

@mkbaldwin I discovered a case where Live HTML was not highlighting and opened #7126. Could that be what you are seeing?

[redmunds]

Many of the issues described in (and linked from) this issue were fixed. As for the original issue, I'm hoping user was running into case described in #7126 , but I'm not sure. Removing Sprint 37 Milestone and keeping open.

[user24]

Sorry, I've not been doing much frontend dev the last few weeks so I
haven't had a chance to replicate.

On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 12:01 AM, Randy Edmunds notifications@github.comwrote:

I'm hoping user was running into case described in #7126#7126, but we're not sure. Removing Sprint 37 Milestone and keeping open.

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/5687#issuecomment-37249655
.

Howard Yeend BA MSc | solidRed.co.uk | @user24

[redmunds]

@user24 We fixed some bugs in Sprint 37 (which will be out in a few days) so give that build a try.

[user24]

I had a problem, but it might have been my fault. I loaded the live preview URL in firefox at the same time. Could that be causing this?

Dev tools says:

data-brackets-id=348 not found VM206:699
(anonymous function) VM206:699
RemoteFunctions.DOMEditHandler.apply VM206:683
applyDOMEdits VM206:760
InjectedScript.callFunctionOn

and now brackets doesn't have the lightning icon lit up and Chrome has stopped reflecting changes either instantly or on save.

Am on Sprint 37.

I can't promise that I hadn't also loaded the URL in firefox when I saw the previously reported errors too (sorry).

[redmunds]

@user24 Brackets adds some instrumentation to the page, so what happens in other browsers is not predictable. Don't do that :)

[diegovdev]

The live preview seems to be working now on Sprint 37 for me (still opens Chrome Canary though)

[mkbaldwin]

@redmunds I had not noticed any issues with the highlighting in the live HTML, only the Live Preview Error.

I haven't been doing as much lately that had me working in Brackets, but I have been using Sprint 37 some today and have not encountered any problems with live preview. Not completely certain if it is fixed or just hasn't happened yet. Though normally it happened frequently when I was working.

[redmunds]

@mkbaldwin Thanks for the update. I will close this. Let us know if you see any more problems

[mkbaldwin]

@redmunds Thanks for looking into this, and keep up the great work! :)

[vsaenger]

@mkbaldwin If you open your file from file > Open Folder (ctril + alt + O) it won't display the Live Preview Error.