PDE Troubleshooting
Common PDE Opening Problems
MacroMates TextMate Isn't There
You encounter an error message such as "%%os%% Can't Open PDE Files" when trying to open your PDE. Usually, this is because you do not have MacroMates TextMate for %%os%% installed. The OS won't know what to do with your PDE file, so double-clicking to load the file doesn't work.
Tip: When you have another program installed that you know will open your PDE, you can select it from the other programs listed (see "Show Apps").
Obsolete Version of MacroMates TextMate
It is possible that your version of MacroMates TextMate isn't able to open your Processing Development Environment Source file due to incompatibility. If you've got the wrong version of MacroMates TextMate installed, you'll need to install the correct version. This problem is predominately due to having a Processing Development Environment Source file version that was created by a newer version of MacroMates TextMate than what you have installed on your PC.
Tip: You can sometimes get hints about the right program version by right-clicking on the PDE file, selecting "Properties", and looking at the version information.
Summary: In either case, the majority of problems opening PDE files are related to not having the correct software application installed on your computer.
Associated Difficulties Loading PDE Files
Assuming you have the right MacroMates TextMate version installed, other problems can prevent you from opening PDE files. There can be other issues - unrelated to software - preventing you from opening PDE files. These other problems include (listed in order from most to least common):
- Corrupt Windows Registry file path references for PDE
- Deletion of the PDE file description from the Registry by mistake
- Invalid installation of a PDE-associated program (eg. MacroMates TextMate)
- The PDE itself is corrupted
- PDE file integrity has been compromised by malware
- Drivers associated with PDE software need to be updated
- Windows cannot load your Processing Development Environment Source file due to insufficient resources (eg. RAM)
Quiz: How many characters long can a filename be?
That's Correct!
The sum of the individual components of a filename (eg. subdirectory / path and the final filename) are limited to 255 characters in total.
Close, but not quite...
The sum of the individual components of a filename (eg. subdirectory / path and the final filename) are limited to 255 characters in total.