Keep getting "Intel XDK can't find index.html file" in Emulator

[David_J_5]

Hello

Just installed version 2323 on a Lenovo Tablet2. When I try the Hello sample app and switch to the EMulator tab, I get the message "404 Intel XDK cannot find index.html". I ve searched the forum and read the release notes that says this problem was fixed in version 2170, BUT its still happening with me. And yes, the  file *is* in the www directory.

Can someone please help me diagnose this problem - its a show-stopper

Many thanks!

[Swati_S_Intel1]

Hi David,

Is this your first project after you installed the XDK? Can you try some other demo projects and see if you are having the same issue? If possible please write the exact steps to reproduce - from how you are creating the project.

Swati

[David_J_5]

Im still getting the problem "Intel XDK can't find your app". Ok, so what I've done:

1. Uninstalled XDK, rebooted

2. Cleaned registry using CCleaner

3. Installed version 2323 in non-default location C:\SWARE\IntelXDK, Created new project in non-default location C:SWARE\IntelXDK. Loaded "Basic Hybrid App" under "Samples & Demos"

4. Clicked on Emulator tab

Are there log files for XDK? If so where are they located? is it something to do with my settings? I accepted all the defults apart from the install location and projects location..

Intel App Preview is also installed on the same machine - a tablet.

Anyone got any ideas???

[Swati_S_Intel1]

Hi David, I'm assuming are you running Windows 8 on the Lenovo tablet? Can you confirm?

The log can be found at ~yourusername\AppData\Local\Intel\XDK\xdk.log

If you have App Preview also installed on the same device, try closing App Preview before you start XDK. Just curious, Is there any reason you want to install XDK in non-default location?

Please send us the log.

Swati

[David_J_5]

Yes, the system is:

Lenovo Tablet2, Windows 8.1 32-bit, Atom 2760. I dont run AppPreview at the same time.

I do not have a strong reason to install in a non-default location other than

a) I dont like pathnames with spaces, and some programs dependant on Java dont like spaces either

b) I try to run programs as a non-privileged non-admin user and I found its easier to do this if I initially install to a directory other than C:\Program Files\... or C:\Windows\System32\...

Im not saying that Intel XDK does either of these two things, just that my habit is to avoid these situations. Im a newbie to mobile development and am doing this because I need/want to learn and I picked Intel XDK because it seemed the most complete sdk to cover Windows, Android and i-World.

Thanks for looking at this

David

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Looks like these files in that xdk.log file may be a hint (lines 558-560):

server:emulator-webserver (1439486646920): req.path = /http-services/emulator-webserver/ripple/userapp//C/Users/User%20
server:emulator-webserver (1439486646920): Other file request, fullPath = /C/Users/User 
server:emulator-webserver (1439486646936): Can't read = /C/Users/User 

In particular, the Emulate tab appears to be searching in a directory named "C:\Users\User " which has a space in the name and is probably longer than what we are seeing in the log report. You mentioned something about not liking paths with spaces, does your user name include a sspace? You can test that by typing the following on the command line:

echo %userprofile%

which will show the location of your user directory, according to Windows.

You said that the project was located here: C:\SWARE\IntelXDK -- which is also where you said you installed the XDK. I don't think it is wise to create projects in the same location that you have installed the XDK. Regardless, the log lines above imply that your project is not located in C:\SWARE\IntelXDK but in someplace like "C:\Users\User ???"

Can you open the project directory in the Explorer by right-clicking the www directory and reporting the name of the directory that is opened when you right click that file? See the images below for an example:

[David_J_5]

The user name definitely has a space in it. Although I install to C:\SWARE\IntelXDK, whenever I create a new project the xdk wants to put it in C:\Users\User... I have to manually change the new project location every time and on occaision I have not done this. However, I have seen no setting in the xdk for specifying default directory locations?

I will setup a test user without spaces and specify a different directory for projects, and test to see if the issue re-occurs and report back. But in anycase, could you please consider including a default project directory setting in the xdk?

[David_J_5]

Creating a new user and running the xdk as that user appears to have resolved the problem. Emulator runs and displays the sample app. Thanks for all the help.

[Swati_S_Intel1]

Unfortunately the project name is sensitive to spaces, I'm glad changing the user name fixed the problem. Thanks for your feedback about having ability to change the default directory location - a similar request is already there in our todo list - remembering the last location of the selected file, hopefully that will be helpful in your situation.

[Julian_H_Intel]

Actually the problem is not the space in the user name.  Spaces work fine.  It's the "#" in the user name, which in this case is "User #1".

As we all learned at our mother's knee, "#" has a special meaning in a URL.  It begins a so-called "fragment identifier" and marks the end of the primary URL.

The emulator embeds the full path name to the start file (typically index.html) in a URL.  It attempts to encode the path name to make it legal in a URL.  (This is why spaces work: they are converted into "%20" by this encoding.)  Unfortunately, the encoding used does not also change the "#" character into %23, which is why we have this failure.  That's a bug.

[David_J_5]

Interesting that you say that. Recently I have reset the tablet and created a local account user *without*  spaces but *with* a "#". I havent re-installed the XDK yet, but I plan to do so. I will see if the issue re-appears as this user.

Note: I have no web/html experience - thats why Im epxerimenting with Intel XDK, to learn, so I had no idea that "#" has speacial meaing.

Thanks again

[Serguei_S_]

See my answer here https://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/intel-xdk/topic/621257#comment-1882673