Reader: Can't open text files (v3.99.1.8)

[Shun]

Before I go through my earlier bug reports, here's the first bug I've met with on an iPhone 13 Pro running 3.99.1.8:

In the Reader, I can open PDFs very well, but text files all come up empty, whether I open them from the Bookshelf or through Open File. I can then close the empty screens and open something else.

 

[mikelove]

Hmm... if you open it again from the bookshelf after closing that screen, does it come up then? Is this true with every text file or just specific ones?

 

[Shun]

Opening the same file doesn't help. I happened with every text file on both the iPhone Xr and iPhone 13 Pro. I attach a video.

Edit: The EPUBs I've tried, worked!

 

[mikelove]

Hmm... what about if you open a text file you have *not* opened previously, e.g. a newly created one?

 

[Shun]

You're right! I opened a new text file from Dropbox (shared to Pleco), and it displayed. But it took about 3 seconds to appear on the iPhone Xr, even though the file was only 30 KB.

Is there anything I could try to make all the pre-existing text files open?

 

[Shun]

Correction: I was too impatient. The text files just took 5 seconds for the first text to display. Strange phenomenon.

A 10 MB file took about 8 seconds on the iPhone Xr. Pagination was active, but opening a text file without pagination just provoked a crash. (I wasn't offered the possibility of sending a crash report.)

 

[mikelove]

Is this slower than the previous version?

 

[Shun]

Yes, I think it's gotten slower. But only for text files, all the other file formats are faster.

 

[Shun]

Allow me to clarify the Reader issues I've been experiencing with the .8 beta.

I add a screenshot for TXT files on an iPhone Xr (in Dark mode):



If Pleco was open for a long time, I couldn't make any text file appear. If I export a text file to Pleco from another app, it is displayed in Pleco after 3-5 seconds. After this has happened, I can also open other TXT files from inside Pleco, and they will then also appear about 3-5 seconds after I tap on them.

If I close Pleco from the app switcher and re-open it, I can see the contents of TXT files directly from inside Pleco, and they appear more quickly: after one second. So it might be some sort of a memory leak or general memory strain that increases with the length of time Pleco is open. The memory strain would first slow down, and later prevent, displaying of TXT files. When exporting TXT files from another app into Pleco, perhaps some of that memory is freed up again.

For DOCX files, I get, like @lookslikerain:



I tried exporting a DOCX file from outside into Pleco as well as opening it right after app launch, but it would show a blank screen in all cases.

I'd expect TXT display to be easier to fix than DOCX display. DOCX handling surely requires more third-party code and ABIs.

Are you able to reproduce this report?

Cheers,

Shun

 

[mikelove]

Thanks. The TXT issue is most likely another thing related to large databases which we have to profile / optimize. DOCX not opening is one we are seeing here too, most likely just an issue with WKWebView file permissions that should be easy to sort out.