[Mapserver-users] WMS server - client communication error

[Howard Butler]

At 11:08 AM 5/7/2004, Sean Gillies wrote:

>On 07/mag/04, at 08:47, Daniel Morissette wrote:
>
>>Alexandros Chimarios wrote:
>>>Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>   File "./src/test.py", line 131, in ?
>>>     image = mo.draw();
>>>   File "/usr/lib/python2.2/site-packages/mapscript.py", line 1783, in draw
>>>     def draw(*args): return apply(_mapscript.mapObj_draw,args)
>>>_mapscript.MapServerError: msLookupHashTable: Hash table error. Invalid 
>>>hash table or key
>>
>>A similar problem was reported a few weeks ago:
>>
>>http://lists.gis.umn.edu/pipermail/mapserver-dev/2004-April/000955.html
>>
>>In this case it was with python as well, and it was not possible to 
>>reproduce with the regular CGI. Perhaps there is something specific to 
>>that flavour of MapScript?  I would suggest that you file a bug about this.
>>
>>Daniel
>
>Alexandros,
>
>The Python mapscript module is set up so that the MapServer error stack is
>checked after method calls (such as mapObj.draw), MapServer errors are
>converted to Python exceptions and are raised.
>
>Somewhere in msDrawMap, maybe in the WMS HTTP request code, msLookupHashTable
>is being used to access layer or map metadata and is not finding something
>it expects.  Maybe your mapfile lacks a WMS metadata parameter?
>In the CGI MapServer, such an error will be reported but will
>not necessarily stop execution of the program.  With the Python MapScript,
>unhandled exceptions will stop execution.
>
>I suggest that you try some code like this for now:
>
>     image = mo.prepareImage() # so that it is defined outside the try/except
>     try:
>         image = mo.draw()
>     except MapServerError:
>         pass
>
>Let me know how it goes and together we can work towards a better
>solution.
>
>cheers,
>Sean
>

Sean,

prepareImage doesn't cure it.  For me, it was only happening on WMS images 
that needed to be projected using GDAL.  I have an Albers map that I am 
pulling in a UTM 15 image where it is causing a problem for me.

I suspect an error is being put on the stack that is silenced by the WMS 
code.  Most things don't pick up on it, but Python is very sensitive to not 
silencing exceptions ;)

I also know that a WMS parameter is not missing because the image is 
successfully download (I can send debug info along if requested).

Howard