waitForRender returns error in "Publish", works just fine in "Export"

[BigRedler]

We have an issue with our lightroom plugin. Our plugin is an export filter provider that processes jpeg images post export.

The plugin worked just fine for many years but recently the "publish" functionality stopped working while the "export" functionality is OK, this is the same code.

The issue is when we call waitForRender() it returns false and the path contains the following message "An unknown error occurred. This photo was not rendered", again, the same image (and same code) works just fine with "Export."

The code was based on the code in the SDK documentation and I couldn't find any recent changes to the documentation that would indicate that the code is incorrect, still, perhaps I'm missing something here.

I would appreciate any tips or ideas how to fix/work around this issue or even just a way to contact Adobe.

Here's the code:

function MyFilterProvider.postProcessRenderedPhotos( functionContext, filterContext )

    local renditionOptions = {
        plugin = _PLUGIN,
        renditionsToSatisfy = filterContext.renditionsToSatisfy,
    }
                    
    for sourceRendition, renditionToSatisfy in filterContext:renditions(renditionOptions) do
        local success, pathOrMessage = sourceRendition:waitForRender()
        if success then
            local path = pathOrMessage
            local ext = string.lower(string.match(path,".*%.(.*)"))

            if ext == "jpeg" or ext == "jpg" then
                if processImageAtPath(path)
                    renditionToSatisfy:renditionIsDone (true,"")
                else
                    renditionToSatisfy:renditionIsDone(false, "Failed to process image: ")
                end
            else
                renditionToSatisfy:renditionIsDone (true,"")
            end
        end
    end
end

[johnrellis]

I have some experience with exporting via the SDK and no experience with publishing with the SDK.  

I'm wondering if this problem is caused by watermark bugs introduced in the last couple of versions of LR.  These bugs can strike even if the export or publish doesn't use watermarks. Supposedly they were fixed in LR 12.0.1, but there has been at least one report here of a problem in 12.0.1.  

I suggest these troubleshooting steps (regardless of whether you're explicitly using watermarks):

1. If you're not on LR 12.0.1, upgrade by doing Help > Updates.

2. Try resetting LR's preferences:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/how-do-i-reset-lightrooms-preferences/

LR sometimes soils its preferences file, and resetting it can fix all sorts of wonky behavior. That article explains how to restore the old preferences if resetting doesn't help. Resetting preferences helped many people work around the watermark bugs.

3. Move all of your watermark presets out of the LR presets folder:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-win-mac-lightroom-classic-12-0-unable-to-exp... 

4. Create a new publish service instance and configure it with your plugin.  Do you still get the problem?

[johnrellis]

I don't recommend contacting Adobe support -- they'll waste your time with incorrect answers for all but the most routine issues (e.g. installation issues) and they know nothing about the plugin SDK.  They'll say anything to close out an issue (to keep up their call stats) rather than admit they don't know.

The only path to Adobe for SDK issues is to file very precise bug reports here, with precise recipes that allow the development team to easily reproduce the problem on a fresh instance of LR.  And even then, it could take months or years for the bug to get fixed (if ever).