Extendscript Toolkit: Error Message "(#1116) Can't start debug session."

[erinferinferinf]

Hi everyone, this is Erin Finnegan, Community Engineer on the CC Developer Ecosystem team.

Many ExtendScript developers are reporting the following error when running ESTK:

Cannot execute script in target engine 'main'!

(#1116) Can't start debug session.

We're aware of this problem and are investigating it now, including the possibility that an expired certificate is the culprit.

For now, the temporary workaround is setting your system clock back to 11/19/2018 or before.

We’ll update you as we make progress on a fix or a workaround.

[erinferinferinf]

A brief update: We can confirm that you can still run your code after dismissing the error. You can also step through your code, or step into the function line, but you have to dismiss the error each time.

[Kelly Anderson]

When I set my clock back as you suggest, my Creative Cloud account was deactivated because the dates didn't match.

[Abambo]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Kelly+Anderson  wrote

When I set my clock back as you suggest, my Creative Cloud account was deactivated because the dates didn't match.

That is one of the most common reasons why testing CC applications ends before the 7 days term. I was surprised by the tipp too.

I suppose the problem with the deactivated account is solved by now?

[erinferinferinf]

Sorry about the system clock suggestions, we knew that was risky, but other users said it worked for them.

We have a more official fix, please give it a try:

So a possible workaround is to suggest the following to users

1.       Open the file(Mac): “/Applications/Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit CC/ExtendScript Toolkit.app/Contents/SharedSupport/Required/cdic/11BTBackend.jsx”

2.       Search for the value: 604800000 (line reads bt.timeout = 604800000)

3.       Replace that value with 604800 and save

4.       Quit ExtendScript Toolkit and relaunch.

A handful of third-party developers have verified this works.

Here's the cause of the error:

It looks like an issue because of signed 32-bit integer overflow that happens on this date “19 Nov 2018”.

In the implementation in the ESTK jsx file “/Applications/Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit CC/ExtendScript Toolkit.app/Contents/SharedSupport/Required/cdic/11BTBackend.jsx”, there is a timeout specified in milliseconds

“bt.timeout = 604800000;   // a week in milliseconds”.

The current time is(time(NULL)) since EPOCH: 1542783918 seconds.

Adding:  1542783918 + 604800000 = 2147583918(which crosses the range of 32 bit integer(2,147,483,647).)

Looks like it was a mistake putting 3 zeroes at the end because in BridgeTalk code... it expects timeout in seconds and not milliseconds. So bt.timeout should be 604800 and that will fix the overflow issue.

[erinferinferinf]

We posted a long, nicer walk-through of the fix on the Adobe Tech Blog:

https://medium.com/adobetech/workaround-for-extendscript-toolkit-debugger-error-1116-f067f81f96c6

[MaxMercier]

Hi Erin.

Max from Ubisoft here. While we definitely appreciate the efforts with the Visual Studio Code plugin, it seems like a release of ExtendScript ToolKit with the updated jsx file would be easy for Adobe via the cloud app. Am I missing something?

[erinferinferinf]

Hi Max,

That's what I thought at first, too. @bbb tried really hard to make that happen and it didn't pan out.

I think the solution that was in the works before this problem was to make this ExtendScript Visual Studio Code plugin. It doesn't have all of the functionality of the original ESTK, but in the near future large parts of it will be open source. I've seen many developers in the community try the new plugin, and keep using the old ToolKit. (Don't try to run both at the same time, by the way.)

Eventually macOS will drop support for 32 bit applications, and ExtendScript ToolKit will stop working.

[erinferinferinf]

Hi Max,

That's what I thought at first, too. @bbb tried really hard to make that happen and it didn't pan out.

I think the ExtendScript Visual Studio Code plugin was in the works before this error popped up. Sure, the plugin doesn't have all of the functionality of the original ESTK, but in the near future large parts of it will be open source.

Eventually macOS will drop support for 32 bit applications, and ExtendScript ToolKit will stop working.

For several months after I started at Adobe I tried to find someone who would repackage the ESTK .dmg installer, because as of High Sierra, you have to install it in a pretty hacky way. (It's also my understanding that ever since Retina displays came out, ESTK has just looked worse and worse... )

I never found anyone, and eventually the #1116 error popped up.