PRB: Browse Options Unavailable Under Strange Circumstances

MS-DOS     | OS/2

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Programmer's Workbench for MS-DOS, versions 1.0 and 1.1
• Microsoft Programmer's Workbench for OS/2, versions 1.0 and 1.1

SYMPTOMS

Under certain circumstances, the Browse options within the Programmer's WorkBench (PWB) may be unavailable. You can take all the steps outlined in the documentation required to generate a Browse Database, but the Browse options may be still grayed out.

CAUSE

The most likely cause is an invalid CURRENT.STS file. This file can be found in the INIT directory or the current working directory. CURRENT.STS is used to save the PWB settings from session to session. If this file is in a form that is not acceptable to the PWB, strange results may occur during use of the PWB.

One instance in which CURRENT.STS might become corrupt is in the case of a system crash from within the PWB during a compile.

To determine if a corrupt CURRENT.STS is the cause of the problem, take the following steps:

1. Invoke the PWB with the /DS switch to force it to ignore the CURRENT.STS file.

   Note: This will reset all switches within the environment that were previously recorded by CURRENT.STS.

2. Take the normal steps required for preparing a Browse database. (Set a program list, mark Generate Browse Information under the Browse options menu, and rebuild the project.)

RESOLUTION

Two possible solutions are deleting the make file and letting the PWB regenerate it, or deleting the CURRENT.STS file and resetting all the options for the editor.

NOTE: Since deleting the CURRENT.STS file will result in the loss of all environment settings, it is advisable to note any important settings you may have set up before deleting the file.