tcp PointCloud Editor windows clipped or off screen

Summary

In TCP-PointCloud Editor (POINTCLOUD), the windows and dialogues of the various commands (E57/360° image import, point cloud import, video recording, etc.) store their size and position in the user configuration of the computer. If the screen resolution, the Windows scaling or the number/arrangement of monitors changes afterwards, those stored values become mismatched and the windows may be shown too small, too large, clipped, missing a button (for example, the accept or the close button) or even outside the visible area. This article explains how to reset the size and position of the windows by deleting the user configuration file, and how to check the Windows scaling and resolution. If the application does not start at all and shows the error «hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character, line 1, position 1», the origin is the same user configuration but the case is covered in Error «hexadecimal value 0x00» when starting POINTCLOUD.

Applies to

• TCP-PointCloud Editor (POINTCLOUD). The documented cases correspond to versions 1.6.8.1, 1.10.5.0 and 1.21.0.0; the remaining enquiries do not state a version.

• Commands with their own dialogues: E57/360° image import, point cloud import, video recording, among others.

Symptoms

• Various windows or dialogues of the application are shown with an incorrect size or position: too small, too large or clipped.

• Some necessary button is missing (for example, the accept button for importing, or the window close button), to the point of not being able to use the command.

• In some cases the dialogue (for example, the video recording one) flickers and disappears, the command stays running and does not allow anything else to be done, forcing the application to be closed.

• The problem usually coincides with a previous change in the screen resolution, the Windows scaling or the number/arrangement of monitors, although in some cases it is seen with no apparent relation to the current scale setting.

Cause

The dimensions and position of the windows and dialogues are stored in the user.config file, inside C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Aplitop,_S.L. The application creates one for each version, in its own subfolder, the first time it starts. Those values are tied to the resolution, scaling and monitor arrangement used previously, so that, when any of those parameters changes, they become mismatched and the window is shown incorrectly or off screen.

Solution

Case: windows or dialogues with incorrect size/position

1. Close the application.

2. Open the user configuration folder C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Aplitop,_S.L, replacing <user> with your Windows user name. You can go there directly by typing %localappdata% in the Windows search box and pressing Enter. If you cannot see the AppData folder, enable the Hidden items option in File Explorer (View menu).

3. Before deleting anything, make a backup: copy the Aplitop,_S.L folder to another location, for example the Desktop. If deleting does not solve the problem, you will be able to leave everything as it was.

4. Inside you will find one subfolder for each version of the application that has been started on the computer: the user.config file —the one that stores the position and dimensions of the windows— is created when the application starts, one per version.

5. Delete the subfolders in which that user.config file appears.

6. Open the application again: the windows and dialogues return to a correct default size and position. Repeat the command that was failing.

7. If that does not solve it, try deleting the other folders in C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Aplitop\PointCloudEditor as well. It is a different location, with other application settings; make a copy of it too before deleting.

If after this procedure the windows become misplaced again when changing monitor or resolution, check the next case as well.

Case: checking the Windows scaling and resolution

1. If the problem coincides with a change of scaling or resolution, right-click on the desktop and open Display settings.

2. In the Scale and layout section, if the scale is above 100 %, set it to 100 % (for day-to-day work it can be raised to 125 % if the windows are displayed correctly). If you are going to run the version 1.21 installer, set it to exactly 100 %: it is the only one that checks the minimum resolution, and with higher values —including 125 %— it may detect the monitor resolution incorrectly (see The installer warns of insufficient resolution).

3. Alternatively, restore the resolution, number and arrangement of monitors you had when the window was displayed correctly.

4. Open the application again and retry the command.

If the problem persists

• If the windows are still displayed incorrectly after resetting the user configuration and the display settings, open an enquiry with Aplitop technical support stating the version of the application and the resolution/scaling/monitor changes made.

• If you cannot find any subfolder with a user.config in AppData\Local\Aplitop,_S.L, do not delete anything on your own judgement: tell technical support.

• If the application does not start at all and shows the error «hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character, line 1, position 1», see Error «hexadecimal value 0x00» when starting POINTCLOUD: they share the cause (user configuration mismatched after changing the resolution or the number of monitors) and the same working folder.

Category: Interface and customisation · Level: Intermediate