Functions running in IDE, but not running in standalone

[Curry Kenworthy]

Bruce:

 > However, when I saved the stack as a standalone
 > the Abstract Report did not run.

 > Abstract Report which takes a list of US patent numbers
 > and downloads basic information about each

 > I tried adding some “answer” alerts to try to find the bottleneck.

You are using a logical method so far to narrow down the problem. That's 
good. But now you just have to keep going, and FOLLOW THROUGH. Don't 
stop half way. Keep narrowing it down and start profiling your bug.

If Livecode encounters a runtime error that is not handled, it will stop 
executing the script. When it does that, LC sends a message with the 
error dialog information.

In the IDE, you usually (but not always) see a helpful dialog or script 
debug when hitting an error. But in a standalone, you have several 
options too - you can choose to include error reporting, you can handle 
the message yourself, or you can use the Remote Debugger as mentioned, 
which often (but again, not always) helps.

Using answer (or a log file) is another valid option (especially for the 
"not always" cases where LC debugging falls short!) but use it 
correctly. Make sure you've really narrowed it down to the offending 
line; don't make too many assumptions about which is the offending line 
of code without proving it.

The error reporting might give you the line number and error cause. Or 
you can add another answer to verify your best candidate.

Standalone versus IDE problems often boil down to a few areas: file 
locations, standalone settings and inclusions, folder permissions, app 
permissions, and so on. Sometimes it's the user's fault, other times an 
LC bug/feature/glitch.

 > using Livecode 7.1.4, all of the “answer” alerts came back
 > and the Abstract Report worked fine!

Given that you're downloading things, I would check inclusions and 
tsNet, plus your file/folder locations. Always try to keep the IDE and 
standalone code/experience as close to each other as possible, to 
minimize headaches!

Best wishes,

Curry Kenworthy

Custom Software Development
"Better Methods, Better Results"
LiveCode Training and Consulting
http://livecodeconsulting.com/