Why do I get “black box” errors when using a test release?

Question

Why am I having so much trouble with the new CircuiTree test release? I’m getting “black box” errors when I try to open registrations or people’s accounts.

Answer

Usually this occurs because you are using the wrong version of the application with the wrong database. Typically, you will have both a live and a test database. You will also have an application (the CircuiTree icon you normally see) that can use either database. When we are introducing a new version of the software, however, we will create a Preview Release that is a different CircuiTree application. For some (but not all) releases, this may involve changing the database and introducing new fields. When trying to open a database with a version of the software that doesn’t know about the new fields (or opening a database that doesn’t have the new fields with a software version that does), you can get an error message telling you that a field name isn’t recognized or found.

To correct this issue, simply use the correct application with the correct database. Typically, that will be your main CircuiTree icon with your live database and your Preview Release icon with your test database.

For more information, consult How To Use Test Versions of CircuiTree.

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