Hello,

When I work with maximized PL/SQL with many windows when switching between windows menu flashes and long does it take to switch or close the window.

Are you perhaps using Remote Desktop?

I Am experiencing the exact same issue (same version), Remote desktop or no. It goes away when i restart the app, but comes back after using it for a while. The previous version I had installed did not do this.

In addition since installing this new version I've experienced toolbar "whiteouts" where all the toolbar buttons white out but are still able to be clicked. TO fix this one I must close all instances and restart.

My workaround, so far, is to minimize all instances and restore the one I need.
State - Memory Usage
Working - 50MB
Minimized - 5MB
Restore - 10MB

It really reduces flickering.

Regards,
Gustavo

Thanks for the advice Gustavo!

Also wanted to add a screenshot of the menu whiteout:

http://tinypic.com/r/21aco7b/5

Seems to be related to leaving the app open for a long period of time...

I have been having the same problem since an earlier release (probably 9.0.1). There was an earlier post about this issue. Somebody solved it by installing the latest NVidia driver, but that didn't work for me.

My workaround is to un-minimize the window then stretch it to maximum.

I'm just going to go back to version 8 I think. No real response here to the issue so hopefully they're not ignoring it.

No,I do not use remote Desktop.

I have the same problem. It happens when using Remote Desktop and stays even after returning to the console. It also happens after switching users. Restarting the application does NOT fix it.

I have found one way to fix it when not using Remote Desktop by changing the Windows Theme to Windows Classic and then switch it back to Windows 7.

Thanks to this thread I found that when the window is not maximized the problem disappears, but I hope that it will be fixed in the next release because it's still very annoying.

PS: I am using version 9.0.4.1644

I have the same problem using 9.0.5.1648. For me, it is triggered mostly by the "view table" action. I don't use Remote Desktop.

The view table action takes about 4 seconds of flickering, then the UI stabilizes.

The worst part is that this 4 seconds delay increases exponentially if I try to view multiple tables by selecting them first, then using "view table" on the selection.

For example if I select 12 tables the rendering doesn't finish for at least 24 minutes (twenty four minutes). It seems opening multiple "view table" windows simultaneously triggers a huge redraw storm, each window generating redraw events for the other windows, that in response generate other redraw events, and so on.

While this happens, it completely saturates one CPU core.

Closing a "view table" window is also slow, about two seconds, for similar reasons.

To understand the exponential nature of the problem, see the following table:

[Number of selected tables] -> [View table rendering delay]
1 table -> 4 seconds
2 tables -> 6 seconds
3 tables -> 9 seconds
4 tables -> 66 seconds
5 tables -> 190 seconds
6 tables -> 270 seconds
12 tables -> 1440 seconds (actually more then that, but I killed it after 24 minutes)

This is not something new. I've been using PL/SQL Developer for 10 years, and I've always had similar problems when using many windows.

But I find it unacceptable that in 2012, on system with a Core i7 quad core CPU, 8 GB of RAM, SSD, and 1024 MB video card I have to wait minutes to open a few tables.

I think it may be a good time for a full rewrite of the application using a modern framework, like .NET or, even better, Java. Especially when many people that need this application cannot use it because they use Mac OS or Linux.

I uploaded a video recording to document the issue.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/tpx5mfoj4oo14gc/WP_20120201_171033Z.mp4

The video is indeed quite awful. There must be some very specific circumstances that lead to this situation. Opening 5 tables takes less than 2 seconds on my PC, without any significant flickering. Can you do the following?

1. Update your video card driver to the latest version and check if this helps.
   .
2. Modify the shortcut and add the DebugSQL parameter. For example:
   
   "C:\Program Files\PLSQL Developer\plsqldev.exe" DebugSQL
   
   Reproduce the problem and send me the debug.txt file that is generated in the PL/SQL Developer directory or in the %APPDATA%\PLSQL Developer directory (e.g. C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\PLSQL Developer).

I have exactly the same problem.

- There is serious delay, menu trembling when I switch windows with CTRL Tab

- When I switch windows from the window list there is no problem

Any solution/suggestion?

Andreas

it seems many people have the same problem. plus the people in this thread, 9.x login, switch between open windows and general behavior very slow, https://forums.allroundautomations.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=42502

[quote=Andreas Kokkinos]I have exactly the same problem.

- There is serious delay, menu trembling when I switch windows with CTRL Tab

- When I switch windows from the window list there is no problem

Any solution/suggestion?

Andreas [/quote]


I updated the Video Card drivers and now it is much better. The problem did not disappear but it is not a serious problem anymore.

I think I might be the person that originally reported this problem when version 9 first came out, even in the beta version. Mine seems to only happen after I remote desktop into my pc and doesn't go away until I reboot my pc. Another weird thing is that the flicker only happens on one of my monitors, my secondary. I didn't know about the trick to minimize the application then dragging to maximum, that is nice, still annoying but at least a work around instead of rebooting. All my coworkers experience the same thing after they remote desktop into their PC's as well. So I know it is not specific to my computer.
Version 8 had no problems so something changed in Version 9.
Back in October and November Marco worked with me testing different version of the app but was unable to fix it then. But back then I was the only one experiencing this issue so it is good to see now I am not alone. I have been just trying to stay on my one monitor for my pl/sql development. Which is annyoing.

I just upgraded to 9.0.6.1661 from version 8. I'm experiencing the same issue on both Win7 and Vista machines. Mine isn't quite as bad as the video, but if I have PLSQL Developer maximized and have 2 windows open and switch between them, the title bar, menu bar, and buttons/tabs in the view table/test window all flash for 1-2 seconds. The UI is unresponsive during this time. I can reproduce it with any window type (sql, view table, etc.). The problem only happens if PLSQL Developer is maximized. If I unmaximize and resize it to fill the screen, no flashing occurs when switching windows. I can also reproduce it by changing the login (or logging off). I am on the console of both machines (not RDP'd).

Both machines are 64-bit Windows with plenty of memory free. One machine is using the 11g client, the other the 10g client (I can reproduce the issue without being connected to Oracle - just switching back and forth between two SQL windows).

After upgrading from Windows 8 Developer Preview to Windows 8 Consumer Preview I cannot reproduce the problem anymore.

Probably because it includes an updated video driver.

However, I find it very strange that such an application should be so sensitive to video drivers. After all, it is not a 3D game.

This is certainly related with the video card drivers.

But it should not happen ......

It happens again to me


Any comments from the developers?

same problem with 9.0.6.1665

I just got a brand new laptop with a docking station and two monitors and installed PL/SQL Developer and I have the flashing on my second monitor without even remote desktoping. Argh so frustrating. This is actually worse now. At least before I know I could fix it by rebooting but not anymore.

Yes - I too have noticed this same problem. Same build. Actually, I have been having this problem since first upgrading to 9.x. For laptops, I know this problem is associated with docking and undocking. If I restart my laptop in the dock, then pl/sql works fine. However, if there is an undock opertation, the pl sql toolbars flash anytime a new window is opened and will progressivly deteriate until it is unusable. Seems to be related to the fact that the network switch from wired to wireless. Restarting PL/SQL does not fix the problem. Only rebooting laptop while docked fixes it. Or rebooting laptop undocked and not switching to a wired connection will fix it.

Marco, is it possible to make this a top priority. You can see that there are multiple people that are experiencing this issue and it could be effecting your sales. This problem didn't exists with Version 8 so there has to be something noticeable that has changed. I am willing to test out different executable's for you again to try to figure this out. Please let us know on the progress of this issue.

Thanks

I found out that it happens for me after I plug in external monitor. I have to reboot the machine to get it back to normal. But the "un-minimize window" workaround works. You can argue that it is hardware related, but this does not happen with any other software that I use, including old Windows XP applications, so I think that the issue is with PL/SQL developer.

PL/SQL Developer seems to be very flaky with the latest releases. I have another complaint that they are not looking into.

I see nearly two months has passed and there is no update. I think I may be forced to roll back to version 8.x. This issue is annoying to say the least.

I agree. Annoying is probably not a strong enough word tough. I am starting to look into other database development IDE's as an alternative. Like maybe ClearSQL from Conquest Software or products from Embarcadero.

Has anyone else noticed the problem subsides if the main PL/SQL Dev window is not maximized? If I unmaximize it, but resize it to fill the screen, I don't get the flashing nearly as bad. It's just annoying because I remote to my machine from different resolutions, so I keep having to resize the window.

Yes it does go away if you unmaximize it but that gets really annoying especially when I am constantly moving the program between my two monitors and it gets maximized and then I have to manually re-size it.

Marco, any progress on this?

Hi,

I noticed it happen when PSD is maximized ? I use it not maximized but I sized the application to take almost the full size of my monitor, this way it does not flash...

Do you have the same behaviour.

Serge

Re-sizing is a work around but that is annoying to always have to do.

Can we get an update on this issue please.
Thanks.

Any further development on this? It is still killing me.

We'll have a completely new menu and toolbar system in PL/SQL Developer 10, for which we will have a beta version shortly. We will revisit the issue then. At the moment we have no clues yet, and we have not been able to reproduce this.

Ok thank you. Can't wait to see and test out the new version!

Fix it Please. It makes me creazyyy!
Where I cand find a new beta version ?

We have it on all Windows 7 machines.
After we open several windows inside plsql developer, after you change an active window, system menu and windows list start to refresh... And its too slow....
Why you not able to reproduce this? We have this problem on all our machines.

I have the same problem.

It's painfully slow with only a few windows.