PackageInspectionFailed Error with FlashBuilder, Adobe AIR and iOS development

Question

Building an iOS app using FB4.7 Premium, Air 3.4. At this point, just a very simple test framework. Suddenly, the builder is throwing PackageInspectionFailed errors, and won't complete the build. No explanation why. Simulator runs fine.

I should point out that I have been building and packaging this all day directly to my iPad with no problems. Suddenly, I'm getting this error and the app no longer builds. The last thing I did was add this line: text.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.LEFT;

Update

After UNDOing those edits, I'm now getting a new error (is this progress?) ApplicationVerificationFailed. Again with no further info. I haven't changed certificates, build parameters or anything else.

Interestingly, manually dragging the generated .ipa to iTunes and then syncing with the iPad does actually install the app, without error. It just adds a bunch more steps to my testing / debugging process.

What is this error? What are some of the conditions I should be looking for that might cause the error?

Please vote on Adobe Bugbase

I have submitted a bug for 3.9 here: please vote: https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=newBug

Sarah Northway has another bug report for 3.8 here: please vote: https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=3650414

Let's get some Adobe eyes on this - there needs to be more information provided about the causes of this error.

Tjaden

In some cases this seems to have occurred when the app was open and running on the test device. Not sure if that's the issue or not. – Tjaden

Answer 1

I've had this happen intermittently a few times today, seemingly triggered when I updated the AIR SDK to 4.0, and also when I updated some native app.xml configuation data.

After a brief period of swearing, googling and pulling faces at Flash Builder, I found that cleaning the project did the trick.

Project -> Clean... -> Clean All Projects

Jerrilyn

I've switched the accepted answer to your solution because it's just a heck of a lot more convenient than doing it manually the way I suggest, though the end result is just about the same. Doesn't solve 100% of the time, but has worked for me at least a dozen times. Thanks for posting! – Tjaden

Answer 2

There seems to be a couple of problems which will result in that exact error, but two to check out for:

Including an extensions's package in the application's xml file under the node but forgetting to include it in your actual project. So for example an .ane/.swc combo.

Having a version of the same app already on the device, but built with different certificates. E.g. a client's distribution certificate vs your testing one.

And very occasionaly, mine fails to install if the app is still running in the foreground.

Insinuate

Thanks for these suggestions. None of these map to my particular case, but I get the feeling that we're dealing with a very generic error here and that a lot of users are getting it for a bunch of different reasons. Shame on Adobe for not providing just a little more insight to help us developers out. – Tjaden

Answer 3

all of the sudden without moving the usb cable i would get this error when installing several times in a row on an ios device.

The fix for me was to press the home button on the device to close the application before the auto install again. If i relied on the compiler to auto close the application sometimes it would stop at this error.

Hali

Answer 4

I've found this error intermittently in AIR 3.8 on Windows 7. I have no idea what triggers it (not a code change), but rebooting your computer seems to fix it for awhile until it randomly starts happening again. I've opened a bug for it and Adobe has suggested we vote on fixing it:

https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=3650414

Collate

Thanks for that and for the bug report! – Tjaden

Answer 5

Just in case...

In my project there was a conflict between the developer certificate NOT BEING ABLE to handle push notifications and an application.xml which was using it in the Entitlements tag

<Entitlements>
    <![CDATA[
        <key>aps-environment</key>
        <string>development</string>
    ]]>
</Entitlements>

Comment this block or download a push-notificaton-enabled certificate.

Wenoa

Answer 6

For me this happened when I started testing with a device that was not yet registered in the provisioning profile.

Consecration

Awesome. Thanks for keeping the thread alive. Usually that should result in an ApplicationVerificationError, not a PackageInspectionError, as far as I know, but I could be wrong... – Tjaden

Answer 7

I'm still not entirely sure what causes this, but it seems to occur most often when a packaged asset is updated, or replaced with another asset of the same name.

What's strange about the way FB handles packaged assets is that they are automatically copied (in the background) into the bin-debug folder. this copying happens (at the latest) when you build / debug, but can happy almost as soon as you drag an asset into a folder identified as an assets folder (ie: it already contains some packaged assets).

The solution for me has been to open up bin-debug, and completely empty it of all packaged assets. Then, open Properties on the project, and go to your Packaging settings, Reset to Default, and then go in and check / uncheck the assets that you want to be packaged. Apply changes, and wait a moment for the files to be copied over. Then try build/debug again and things generally work.

A bonus aspect of this is that your bin-debug folder is cleared out of any cruft that may have accumulated from older, now no longer used, assets. they just clutter up your Package settings, and in worst-case scenario, might make their way into the final packaged product, unnecessarily bloating it.

Tjaden

@Ted's approach is one that I also recently discovered and it does just about the same thing as my approach, only it's a lot more convenient. I've switched the accepted answer to his solution, though neither his nor my approach solves 100% of the problems. Adobe really needs to make their error messages more specific and helpful. – Tjaden

Answer 8

I'm just going to keep documenting causes for this error until Adobe releases some kind of official info about it (or they make their error messages more specific / descriptive).

Potential Cause: compressing SWF with LZMA compression

Solution: switch compression settings in Flash Publish Settings dialog to "deflate". File size will increase significantly, but it will pass Package Inspection.

Tjaden

Answer 9

I've had similar experiences. A new Actionscript mobile project'. In the main class drawing a square to have a visible indication of funtioning code and a trace action also in the main class constructor to test whether the debugging is alive.

I couldn't transfer the app to the device via USB until i removed the current installation of iTunes and installed a version of itunes 'for older video cards' http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1784 (I'm running windows 7 on a fairly new macbook pro but what the heck).

Now the application could be tested using 'run' on the device but debugging would still fail (with ).

The strange thing ... I then added a some icons-references in the app descriptor xml-file (these are by default commented out).

For reasons unknown adding these icons made packaging, transfering to device via USB and debugging work.

Follett

@tod yeah, but there are so many possible reasons, we need to document them all. This is a good a place as any. – Tjaden