One of the breaking changes which was made with the 1.0 release of the Microsoft Ajax Extensions was the renaming of the 'Debug' class to 'Sys.Debug' for reasons of compatiability with other frameworks. Breaking changes like this can often be a source of frustration, however today I was pretty glad that they renamed the class, as it helped me to troubleshoot issues with the awful MSI on a Vista development box.
The problem shows as a JavaScript error which states "Sys.Debug.IsDebug is null or not an object", basically telling you that something is using the wrong version of the Atlas JavaScript framework. The error is fairly common, and is often caused by cached copies of the JavaScript files - so for a lot of people, it can be solved simply by clearing the browser cache, or resetting IIS. However this didn't help with the box in question.
It turns out that even though I'd uninstalled and reinstalled the Ajax Extensions multiple times, the old JavaScript framework files were left on the box, and for some reason when reinstalling the product, the MSI didn't see fit to add the new ones. So I simply uninstalled, deleted what was left of the directory (most of the product actually comes off!), reinstalled, and all was well. If you're having the same issue, check the directory "C:\Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX Extensions\v1.0.61025\MicrosoftAjaxLibrary\System.Web.Extensions\1.0.61025.0" (or the equivalent for your installation), and see if you have folders named "debug" and "release". If they exist, and there are .js files inside each of them, then delete them and reinstall - they're the old pre 1.0 versions.
This is what the contents of that directory should look like:
This seems to be the less common reason for the Sys.Debug error, and seems a pretty obvious thing to look at after having found it. However when your Programs and Features list shows up as having the right version, and you've uninstalled/reinstalled/rebooted/cleared cache many times, you don't always think to double check inside the actual directory to make sure that the installer is actually doing what it's supposed to. This is the second time in 2 weeks that I've had problems with a Microsoft packaged MSI. While I'm starting to feel like something of an expert at fixing problems like this, it never feels like an overly productive way to spend my time..
Tags: ASP.NET, AJAX
About me
My name is Ross Hawkins and I'm a developer, consultant, business owner and writer based in Auckland,
New Zealand (pictured below!). My current work revolves around ASP.NET, C#, jQuery, Ajax,
SQL Server, and a mix of other Microsoft development technologies.
I also have about 15 years of experience with IBM Lotus Notes/Domino and associated technologies. While Notes/Domino
is no longer my primary focus I still like to dabble and keep my skills up to date.
I own and run 2 businesses - Hawkins Consulting Services,
and Ignition Development.
Search
Popular Content
Troubleshooting WebResource.axd
The .NET 2.0 framework changed the way clientside JavaScript is
delivered to the browser. Previously, ASP.NET 1.1 used the
aspnet_client directory whereas now 2.0 uses WebResource.axd.
Published on October 8, 2006
Microsoft AJAX Extensions: Sys.Debug is null or not an object
One of the breaking changes which was made with
the 1.0 release of the Microsoft Ajax Extensions was the renaming
of the 'Debug' class to 'Sys.Debug' for reasons of compatiability
with other frameworks. Breaking changes like this can often be a source of frustration..
Published on May 22, 2007
Simple ASP.NET Character Counter
A textbox character counter is a pretty simple piece of functionality, and there's a lot of different ways to apply one to your application. The following method is nice and simple, and can be done using only clientside JavaScript if required, or combined with server side code in order to create a more dynamic effect
Published on December 4, 2006
Adding Tooltips to Gridview Headers
As the title says, this is a very simple but dynamic way of achieving tooltip text on a header column. It's not overly flash, but it's lightweight and quick to implement.
Published on April 15, 2007
Archives
January, 2012 (3)
December, 2011 (3)
November, 2011 (8)
October, 2011 (9)
September, 2011 (8)
August, 2011 (5)
July, 2011 (4)
June, 2011 (7)
May, 2011 (5)
April, 2011 (3)
March, 2011 (8)
February, 2011 (4)
January, 2011 (3)
December, 2010 (8)
November, 2010 (5)
October, 2010 (6)
September, 2010 (7)
August, 2010 (11)
July, 2010 (12)
June, 2010 (8)
May, 2010 (8)
April, 2010 (4)
March, 2010 (8)
February, 2010 (6)
January, 2010 (12)
December, 2009 (13)
November, 2009 (11)
October, 2009 (12)
September, 2009 (12)
August, 2009 (2)
July, 2009 (7)
June, 2009 (12)
May, 2009 (9)
April, 2009 (9)
March, 2009 (9)
February, 2009 (8)
January, 2009 (7)
December, 2008 (6)
November, 2008 (7)
October, 2008 (9)
September, 2008 (12)
August, 2008 (9)
July, 2008 (6)
June, 2008 (24)
May, 2008 (13)
April, 2008 (16)
March, 2008 (8)
February, 2008 (10)
January, 2008 (1)
December, 2007 (14)
November, 2007 (11)
October, 2007 (11)
September, 2007 (13)
August, 2007 (11)
July, 2007 (5)
June, 2007 (15)
May, 2007 (11)
April, 2007 (9)
March, 2007 (9)
February, 2007 (10)
January, 2007 (8)
December, 2006 (18)
November, 2006 (11)
October, 2006 (14)
September, 2006 (9)
August, 2006 (10)
July, 2006 (4)
June, 2006 (4)
May, 2006 (6)
April, 2006 (3)
February, 2006 (6)
January, 2006 (10)
September, 2005 (2)
August, 2005 (4)
Post Categories
ASP.NET
AJAX
Amusing
NZ
NZ Trains
Notes/Domino
Visual Studio
Web Development
Miscellaneous
Me
Rugby
C#
SQL