Dreamweaver fails to show the hidden characters on the last tab that reopens on startup

[routeToWeb]

Every time I start Dreamweaver with the "Reopen documents on startup" option active, the file associated with the right most tab fails to show its hidden characters, whilst the other files do. I have to close the file then reopen it if I want to see the tabs, space etc. It's not a major bug, but it shouldn't be happening. Does anybody else have this issue and is there a fix?

[Ben M]

What OS? Does it happen with all documents or just specific ones? 

[Nancy OShea]

It might be a graphics memory or site cache issue. 

Go to Site > Advanced > Recreate Site Cache. 

Or just hit F5 to refresh your screen.

Given that Dreamweaver is in minimal maintenance status, bugs don't get much attention.  DW is only receiving occasional security & compatibility patches now.

[L e n a]

Did you try reset the preferences
Restoring Preférences

https://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/kb/restore-preferences-dreamweaver.html

Clearing preferences

Manually or by holding Win+Ctrl+Shift or Cmd+Opt+Shift while launching DW

[routeToWeb]

Thanks, Win+Ctrl+Shift appears to have worked. Bit of a pain trying to remember all the other preferences that were lost in the process, but hopefully they are all now back to how they were.

[L e n a]

I’m glad that it helped you.

If you haven't already done so, you should consider synchronizing with your CC account, which is very useful to avoid losing a large number of settings - Synchronize Dreamweaver settings with Creative Cloud

[neraron]

This issue still exists in the current version for Windows and macOS. It doesn't matter which OS-version - just this bug is still there!

[neraron]

This is really anoying and this bug exists since so many months. It happends also radomly, when you are just trying to open a file after the file before was opened with shown hidden characters. I can reproduce it on Win10 (much more than on Win11), Win11 and MacOS (Ventura up to Sequoia). For a paid software like this, Adobe has to fix it finally. Each simple editor like notepad++ or visual studio code can show the hidden characters without any issue.

[Nancy OShea]

I can't reproduce this on my machine.  Sorry.

Can you show us a screenshot of what you mean?

[routeToWeb]

Example attached. I hope it's enough and you don't need all the screen showing. Dreamweaver preferences were not changed between shots, they were just taken from two different automatically opened files when I fired up Dreamweaver.

[neraron]

@routeToWebThanks.

[Nancy OShea]

Let me start by saying that I work with un-indented code by choice.  It's visually cleaner. And my code is minimized once it reaches the server anyway.

If your code contains indentations, etc..., go to View > Code View Options.  

Ensure that HIDDEN CHARACTERS option is checked.

Code Format options are in your Preferences panel.  Click on blue Tag Libraries button to open the Advanced Formatting panel.

Hope that helps.

[neraron]

@Nancy OSheaThey way how you like to read the code and how it it sreached your server doesn't matter because this is not related to this bug. There are some reasons, why I have to check the hidden characters to make sure that software like InDesign can read the data correctly.

And yeah for sure the option "HIDDEN CHARACTERS" is checked. Ohterwise we couldn't see the HIDDEN CHARACTERS but this is what we want - not randomly, just everytime. It makes also no difference if I change the settings how it is shown on your 2nd screenshot.

[routeToWeb]

Some coding standards require indentation with spaces, others with tabs, such as WordPress. It's also easier to read and understand with indentation. We know what the preference settings do and it obvious that we do, otherwise we wouldn't get to see the hidden characters or be aware of this issue. The bug is that that the page automatically loaded into the tab on the right doesn't show them. If I close the tab and immediately reopen the page, it will show them.

[Nancy OShea]

Like I said above, I can't reproduce it.

Sounds like a memory issue.

How many open tabs are there?

Which OS & version are you using?

[neraron]

@Nancy OShea  Just read the posts. 😄 I can reproduce it on Win10 (much more than on Win11), Win11 and MacOS (Ventura up to Sequoia). And as you can see on my screenshots and on my video, it's only one tab.

[Nancy OShea]

What I'm saying is this: to be classified as a software bug, multiple users have to reproduce it. Failing that, it's not a bug.

But even if it were a confirmed bug, Adobe is not doing anything about it.  Dreamweaver was moved to minimal maintenance status in 2021.  Bug & feature requests go no further than this user-to-user community.  And since none of us make the software, the best we can do is suggest things to try.

1. Run the Adobe CC Cleaner Tool and perform a clean reinstallation of DW

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

2. Disable Re-open documents on startup.

3. Run code validation tests and fix all reported errors.

Window > Results > Validation...

Best of luck.

[BenPleysier]

Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this:

1. Clear the Program Cache: Sometimes, clearing the cache can resolve unusual behavior. You can do this by deleting the cache files in the Dreamweaver configuration folder.
2. Recreate Site Cache: Go to Site > Advanced > Recreate Site Cache. This can sometimes fix display issues.
3. Reset Preferences: Restoring preferences can help. You can do this by holding Win+Ctrl+Shift (or Cmd+Opt+Shift on Mac) while launching Dreamweaver.
4. Synchronize with Creative Cloud: Make sure your settings are synced with your Creative Cloud account to avoid losing preferences.

If these steps don't work, it might be worth reaching out to Adobe Support for further assistance.

[neraron]

1. This could be a solution for Win11 and macOS. for now, the file opens with shown hidden charakters after relaunching DW. But on Win10 the same issue still exists.
2. not needed because it happens with a local file, so there is this option not available
3.  Effective with the Dw 21.4 release, the Sync Settings feature will be disabled. 

[Jon Fritz]

"2. Not needed because this happens with a local file, so there is this option not available"

Are you saying you don't have a Site Definition set up in DW for the files you're working on?

That could be the problem. Even if you don't set up any server information within DW, it still needs a Site Definition in order to function correctly. I'll even set them up when creating HTML emails, so the program won't glitch out on me.

If you haven't defined a site, it may be worth a shot.

[neraron]

@Jon FritzThere is no need to have a Site Definition for editing single files but yeah I have some sites defined for FTP-remote connections there it happens radomly with the same issue. I tried it already to clean the site cache but it doesn't make any difference. Sometimes when I open a remote file, all the hidden character are not shown. After closing and reopen the same file, then it works or not.

[routeToWeb]

Tried that in Aug '23 and it only worked for a short time

[BenPleysier]

We are here as co-users of Dreamweaver, trying our best to help you out. As this is a problem with Dreamweaver, I feel that you should ask Adobe Support for further assistance.

Having said that, Visual Studio Code (VSCode) does have the ability to show hidden characters. Maybe this could be time for a sea change.

[routeToWeb]

I've been coding with Dreamweaver for years, previously using HomeSite before that was incorporated into it. I've also recently been using VSCode too and have thought of making that my main development platform as it appears to integrate with several other tools that that I use. However, I'm so used to the work flow I have with DW that I'm not sure that I'm ready for the change. It's a shame Adobe don't appear to be supporting it any more.