Black app screen running phpdesktop-chrome

[nonkonformisty...@gmail.com]

Hi.
I'm using win7x64. I've tested all versions of php desktop (chrome + IE)
IE version works perfect.
But running php desktop chrome - application starts, but screen is black. Right click -> Open in external browser (Chrome) and it works there.
Why it doesn't show application in app window?

[Czarek Tomczak]

Have you made any changes to the phpdesktop binaries? Are you running the default examples with default settings?

What are the logs from the debug console window? Also what are the logs in the debug.log file? (this file contains both phpdesktop logs and Chrome logs).

-Czarek

[nonkonformisty...@gmail.com]

I didn't modify. I'm trying to run example with default settings.
Here it is debug console window:

- 15:02:36.031 INFO: --------------------------------------------------------
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Started application
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Logging to: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\d
ebug.log
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Log level = DEBUG4
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Starting Mongoose 3.9b web server
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: WWW directory: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.
8\www
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Index files: index.html,index.php
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI interpreter: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.
5.8\php\php-cgi.exe
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI pattern: **.php$
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI environment variables set: TMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\L
ocal\Temp\,TEMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,TMPDIR=C:\Users\Paula\AppData
\Local\Temp\,SERVER_NAME=127.0.0.1,PHPDESKTOP_VERSION=31.6
- 15:02:36.047 INFO: Web server url: http://127.0.0.1:49614/
- 15:02:36.047 INFO: remote_debugging_port = 63843
- 15:02:36.047 DEBUG: Command line string for the browser process: "D:\nightrain
\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --lang=en-US --log-file
="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --remote-debugging-po
rt=63843 --no-sandbox
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: App::OnContextInitialized()
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: Window max width/height = 1286/680
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: Window max size exceeded, new width/height = 1024/680
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: GetBrowserWindow(): not found, hwnd = 394532
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: WindowProc(): event WM_GETMINMAXINFO: could not fetch Brow
serWindow
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::CreateBrowserControl()
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: StoreBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 394532
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::OnSize() failed: CefBrowser object not crea
ted yet
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: SetCefBrowser() called in ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:02:37.529 INFO: DPI, ppix = 96, ppiy = 96
- 15:02:37.545 INFO: DPI, browser zoom level = 0
- 15:02:37.545 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 1
- 15:02:46.327 INFO: GET 200 /
- 15:02:47.749 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 0

And the log file:

- 15:02:36.031 INFO: --------------------------------------------------------
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Started application
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Logging to: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Log level = DEBUG4
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Starting Mongoose 3.9b web server
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: WWW directory: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\www
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: Index files: index.html,index.php
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI interpreter: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\php\php-cgi.exe
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI pattern: **.php$
- 15:02:36.031 INFO: CGI environment variables set: TMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,TEMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,TMPDIR=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,SERVER_NAME=127.0.0.1,PHPDESKTOP_VERSION=31.6
- 15:02:36.047 INFO: Web server url: http://127.0.0.1:49614/
- 15:02:36.047 INFO: remote_debugging_port = 63843
- 15:02:36.047 DEBUG: Command line string for the browser process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --remote-debugging-port=63843 --no-sandbox
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: App::OnContextInitialized()
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: Window max width/height = 1286/680
- 15:02:37.498 DEBUG: Window max size exceeded, new width/height = 1024/680
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: GetBrowserWindow(): not found, hwnd = 394532
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: WindowProc(): event WM_GETMINMAXINFO: could not fetch BrowserWindow
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::CreateBrowserControl()
- 15:02:37.513 DEBUG: StoreBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 394532
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::OnSize() failed: CefBrowser object not created yet
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:02:37.529 DEBUG: SetCefBrowser() called in ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:02:37.529 INFO: DPI, ppix = 96, ppiy = 96
- 15:02:37.545 INFO: DPI, browser zoom level = 0
- 15:02:37.545 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 1
- 15:02:37.000 DEBUG: Command line string for the gpu-process process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --type=gpu-process --channel="5456.0.421912570\775824874" --no-sandbox --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --supports-dual-gpus=false --gpu-driver-bug-workarounds=0,3,12,22 --disable-accelerated-video-decode --reduce-gpu-sandbox --gpu-vendor-id=0x8086 --gpu-device-id=0x0106 --gpu-driver-vendor="Intel Corporation" --gpu-driver-version=8.15.10.2266 --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" /prefetch:822062411
- 15:02:37.000 DEBUG: Command line string for the renderer process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --type=renderer --no-sandbox --lang=en-US --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --disable-accelerated-video-decode --channel="5456.1.423648915\1327722501" /prefetch:673131151
- 15:02:38.468 DEBUG: OnBrowserCreated()
[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_util_win.cc(20)] Unable to move the cache: 5
[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_util.cc(104)] Unable to move cache folder D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\webcache to D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\old_webcache_000
[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_creator.cc(115)] Unable to create cache
- 15:02:46.327 INFO: GET 200 /
- 15:02:46.767 DEBUG: OnContextCreated()
- 15:02:47.749 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 0
- 15:04:29.335 DEBUG: WM_DESTROY
- 15:04:29.335 DEBUG: RemoveBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 394532
- 15:04:29.351 INFO: Stopping Mongoose web server
- 15:04:29.351 DEBUG: Mongoose webserver stopped immediately
- 15:04:29.351 DEBUG: RemoveBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 197936
- 15:04:29.351 DEBUG: GetBrowserWindow(): not found, hwnd = 197936
- 15:04:29.351 WARNING: RemoveBrowserWindow() failed: GetBrowserWindow() failed
- 15:04:29.366 INFO: Ended application
- 15:04:29.382 INFO: --------------------------------------------------------

[Czarek Tomczak]

As you can see from the logs there is some problem with the cache directory:

[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_util_win.cc(20)] Unable to move the cache: 5
[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_util.cc(104)] Unable to move cache folder D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\webcache to D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\old_webcache_000
[0415/150239:ERROR:cache_creator.cc(115)] Unable to create cache

Does the "phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8" directory have write permission?

Try removing webcache/ directory and run the executable once again to see whether the error in logs is still the same.

Have you tried modifying the "cache_path" option from "webcache" to an empty string? This will disable creation of the cache directory, does it work then?

-Czarek

[nonkonformisty...@gmail.com]

Yes id has write permission.
I deleted 'webcache' directory. Now, in log there isn't any errors:

- 15:25:22.031 INFO: --------------------------------------------------------
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: Started application
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: Logging to: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: Log level = DEBUG4
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: Starting Mongoose 3.9b web server
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: WWW directory: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\www
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: Index files: index.html,index.php
- 15:25:22.031 INFO: CGI interpreter: D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\php\php-cgi.exe
- 15:25:22.047 INFO: CGI pattern: **.php$
- 15:25:22.047 INFO: CGI environment variables set: TMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,TEMP=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,TMPDIR=C:\Users\Paula\AppData\Local\Temp\,SERVER_NAME=127.0.0.1,PHPDESKTOP_VERSION=31.6
- 15:25:22.047 INFO: Web server url: http://127.0.0.1:50010/
- 15:25:22.047 INFO: remote_debugging_port = 50023
- 15:25:22.047 DEBUG: Command line string for the browser process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --remote-debugging-port=50023 --no-sandbox
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: App::OnContextInitialized()
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: Window max width/height = 1286/680
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: Window max size exceeded, new width/height = 1024/680
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: GetBrowserWindow(): not found, hwnd = 591440
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: WindowProc(): event WM_GETMINMAXINFO: could not fetch BrowserWindow
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::CreateBrowserControl()
- 15:25:22.093 DEBUG: StoreBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 591440
- 15:25:22.109 DEBUG: BrowserWindow::OnSize() failed: CefBrowser object not created yet
- 15:25:22.125 DEBUG: ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:25:22.125 DEBUG: SetCefBrowser() called in ClientHandler::OnAfterCreated()
- 15:25:22.125 INFO: DPI, ppix = 96, ppiy = 96
- 15:25:22.125 INFO: DPI, browser zoom level = 0
- 15:25:22.000 DEBUG: Command line string for the gpu-process process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --type=gpu-process --channel="1660.0.1672244310\701051107" --no-sandbox --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --supports-dual-gpus=false --gpu-driver-bug-workarounds=0,3,12,22 --disable-accelerated-video-decode --reduce-gpu-sandbox --gpu-vendor-id=0x8086 --gpu-device-id=0x0106 --gpu-driver-vendor="Intel Corporation" --gpu-driver-version=8.15.10.2266 --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" /prefetch:822062411
- 15:25:22.140 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 1
- 15:25:22.000 DEBUG: Command line string for the renderer process: "D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\phpdesktop-chrome.exe" --type=renderer --no-sandbox --lang=en-US --lang=en-US --log-file="D:\nightrain\phpdesktop-chrome-31.6-php-5.5.8\debug.log" --disable-accelerated-video-decode --channel="1660.1.1119455462\2009288541" /prefetch:673131151
- 15:25:22.015 DEBUG: OnBrowserCreated()
- 15:25:22.312 INFO: GET 200 /
- 15:25:23.608 DEBUG: OnContextCreated()
- 15:25:23.780 DEBUG: OnLoadingStateChange: loading = 0
- 15:25:25.182 DEBUG: WM_DESTROY
- 15:25:25.182 DEBUG: RemoveBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 591440
- 15:25:25.182 INFO: Stopping Mongoose web server
- 15:25:25.182 DEBUG: Mongoose webserver stopped immediately
- 15:25:25.182 DEBUG: RemoveBrowserWindow(): hwnd = 394782
- 15:25:25.182 DEBUG: GetBrowserWindow(): not found, hwnd = 394782
- 15:25:25.182 WARNING: RemoveBrowserWindow() failed: GetBrowserWindow() failed
- 15:25:25.213 INFO: Ended application
- 15:25:25.213 INFO: --------------------------------------------------------

Modyfying cache_path gives the same result, without error.
App is still black.
Howewer, app works. When im moving cursor, in some places it turns into pointer (hyperlinks) on this black app screen. So app renders the page, but something makes it black.

[Czarek Tomczak]

It looks like a GPU driver issue. What video card do you have?

Did you have similar problems with Google Chrome in the past on that same machine? PHP Desktop embeds Chrome 31 which was released in November 2013, have you used Chrome in that time (Nov..Dec) on that machine?

Please try adding a "disable-gpu" command line switch in the settings.json file, like this:

"command_line_switches": {"disable-gpu": ""},

If it doesn't help then try also these flags: disable-gpu-sandbox, disable-gpu-compositing, disable-gpu-driver-bug-workarounds, disable-gpu-program-cache, disable-gpu-rasterization.

And let us know if any of that helped.

-Czarek

[Czarek Tomczak]

Does reloading webpage help? When page is black try using mouse context menu to reload page. If context menu doesn't display then use the F5 key to refresh page.

-Czarek

[nonkonformisty...@gmail.com]

I have added following line in settings.json:

"command_line_switches": {"disable-gpu": ""},

It works :)
You are the best.

BTW: Great app :)

[Czarek Tomczak]

You might as well try updating your video card drivers to the latest version available.

Found these two topics on the CEF Forum in regards to black screen problem:

http://www.magpcss.org/ceforum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11526

http://www.magpcss.org/ceforum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11301

In the second topic someone says that updating drivers helped get rid of the problem.

-Czarek

[Czarek Tomczak]

Great that it works. I've updated the KnowledgeBase wiki page with the solutions for the black screen problem. Read point 3 for an explanation of what are the implications of using the disable-gpu flag.

Black application screen

If you get a black screen in PHP Desktop Chrome then this may be caused by incompatible GPU (video card) drivers. There are following solutions to this:

1. When PHP Desktop is updated to a newer Chrome version then the problem may be fixed.

2. Try updating your video card drivers to the latest version available.

3. You can disable GPU rendering completely so that only CPU will be used. Note that this will degrade performance if you're using any advanced 3D features in Chrome. It will affect 2d accelerated content as well. Disable GPU rendering by adding the "disable-gpu" command line switch in the settings.json file, like this:

"command_line_switches": {"disable-gpu": ""},

https://code.google.com/p/phpdesktop/wiki/KnowledgeBase

-Czarek