WP7 - Visual Studio 2012 Throws 3 NullReferenceExceptions

Question

While working on a WP7 app (that was moved from a VS 2010 solution to VS2012 solution), after the move the designer continually crashes with these details:

>System.NullReferenceException
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOutSynchronous(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalOut(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId, WaitHandle aborted, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TValue](RemoteHandle`1 targetObject, Action action, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalOut[TResult,TValue](RemoteHandle`1 targetObject, Func`2 func, CallSynchronizationMode syncMode)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CreateDesignerImpl(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, RemoteCancellationToken remoteCancelToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__11(RemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](CancellationToken cancelToken, Func`2 func)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.IsolatedDesignerService.IsolatedDesignerView.CreateDesignerViewInfo(CancellationToken cancelToken)

> System.NullReferenceException
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

> Server stack trace: 
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.WaitForCompletion(NestedCallContext nestedCallContext, BlockingCall call, WaitHandle timeoutSignal)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.MarshalIn(Action action, Int32 targetApartmentId)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn(IRemoteObject targetObject, Action action)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.MarshalIn[TResult](IRemoteObject targetObject, Func`1 func)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken)
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink._PrivateProcessMessage(IntPtr md, Object[] args, Object server, Object[]& outArgs)
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging.StackBuilderSink.SyncProcessMessage(IMessage msg)

> Exception rethrown at [0]: 
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.HandleReturnMessage(IMessage reqMsg, IMessage retMsg)
   at System.Runtime.Remoting.Proxies.RealProxy.PrivateInvoke(MessageData& msgData, Int32 type)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner(IRemoteHostSourceItem remoteItem, IRemoteHostTextEditor remoteEditor, IRemoteCancellationToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.LocalDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass8.<CreateDesignerImpl>b__6(IRemoteDesignerService d)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass4`2.<MarshalOut>b__3()
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()

> System.NullReferenceException
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Microsoft.Expression.Platform.PlatformService.PlatformEntry.get_PlatformCreator()
   at Microsoft.Expression.Platform.PlatformService.GetPlatformCreator(String frameworkSpec)
   at Microsoft.Expression.Platform.PlatformService.IsCompatibleFramework(FrameworkName hostFramework, FrameworkName guestFramework)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.ProjectContextManager.GetProjectContext(IHostProject project, IPlatform platform, Boolean create)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.Project.ProjectContextManager.GetSourceItemContext(IHostSourceItem sourceItem)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignSurface.DesignerService.CreateDesigner(IHostSourceItem item, IHostTextEditor editor, CancellationToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<>c__DisplayClass12.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__f(CancellationToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.CallWithCancellation[TResult](IRemoteCancellationToken remoteToken, Func`2 func)
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.RemoteDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass10.<Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.IRemoteDesignerService.CreateDesigner>b__e()
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.ThreadMarshaler.<>c__DisplayClass16`1.<MarshalIn>b__15()
   at Microsoft.Expression.DesignHost.Isolation.Remoting.STAMarshaler.Call.InvokeWorker()

I think it started happening after enabling Hyper-V. The app runs fine and is designable in Blend just fine.

I'm using quite a few 'pre-release' builds of some features. The project references another project in the solution (a portable class library) with a pre-release portable version of Mvvm Light, along with the Silverlight async library (Microsoft.bcl.async) and the PCL Contrib.

I installed my copy of VS 2012 in 'parallel' with VS 2010, and did not upgrade it from the beta version.

Anyway, has anyone else run in to this?

Answer 1

The Visual Studio 2012 Update 1 fixed this issue. Closing as answered. If you're still having this issue, make sure you update VS. If it still doesn't work after that, then your issue has a different cause than mine unfortunately.

This was edited for grammar.

Answer 2

Did you previously have pre-release SDK installed? If so, it sounds like you are hitting the issue described here: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wptools/thread/7398ad5e-c2fc-40a8-85e7-37e6a6cca834.

Answer 3

I had a similar issue with an earlier version of 2012, in one case these instructions helped.