Could not open the editor: An unexpected exception was thrown. NPE (GridDataFactory)

[OldAndTired]

I'm an absolute, glow in the dark, greenie. Downloaded, installed, and ran STS. An option was (I think) 'show dashboard' or something. I instantly got:

(X) Could not open the editor: An unexpected exception was thrown.

java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.eclipse.jface.layout.GridDataFactory.applyTo(G ridDataFactory.java:475)
at com.springsource.sts.internal.ide.ui.editors.Dashb oardMainPage.createTutorialSectionIfNeeded(Dashboa rdMainPage.java:726)
at com.springsource.sts.internal.ide.ui.editors.Dashb oardMainPage.createFormContent(DashboardMainPage.j ava:1320)
at org.eclipse.ui.forms.editor.FormPage$1.run(FormPag e.java:152)
at org.eclipse.swt.custom.BusyIndicator.showWhile(Bus yIndicator.java:70)
at org.eclipse.ui.forms.editor.FormPage.createPartCon trol(FormPage.java:150)
at org.eclipse.ui.forms.editor.FormEditor.pageChange( FormEditor.java:471)
at org.eclipse.ui.part.MultiPageEditorPart.setActiveP age(MultiPageEditorPart.java:1067)
at org.eclipse.ui.forms.editor.FormEditor.setActivePa ge(FormEditor.java:603)
at org.eclipse.ui.forms.editor.SharedHeaderFormEditor .createPages(SharedHeaderFormEditor.java:103)
at org.eclipse.ui.part.MultiPageEditorPart.createPart Control(MultiPageEditorPart.java:348)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorReference.createPart Helper(EditorReference.java:670)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorReference.createPart (EditorReference.java:465)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPartReference.get Part(WorkbenchPartReference.java:595)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartPane.setVisible(PartPa ne.java:313)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.presentations.PresentableP art.setVisible(PresentablePart.java:180)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.presentations.util.Present ablePartFolder.select(PresentablePartFolder.java:2 70)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.presentations.util.LeftToR ightTabOrder.select(LeftToRightTabOrder.java:65)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.presentations.util.TabbedS tackPresentation.selectPart(TabbedStackPresentatio n.java:473)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartStack.refreshPresentat ionSelection(PartStack.java:1245)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartStack.setSelection(Par tStack.java:1198)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartStack.showPart(PartSta ck.java:1597)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartStack.add(PartStack.ja va:493)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorStack.add(EditorStac k.java:103)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.PartStack.add(PartStack.ja va:479)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorStack.add(EditorStac k.java:112)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorSashContainer.addEdi tor(EditorSashContainer.java:63)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorAreaHelper.addToLayo ut(EditorAreaHelper.java:225)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorAreaHelper.addEditor (EditorAreaHelper.java:213)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorManager.createEditor Tab(EditorManager.java:808)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorManager.openEditorFr omDescriptor(EditorManager.java:707)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.EditorManager.openEditor(E ditorManager.java:666)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.busyOpenEdit orBatched(WorkbenchPage.java:2942)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.busyOpenEdit or(WorkbenchPage.java:2850)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.access$11(Wo rkbenchPage.java:2842)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage$10.run(Workb enchPage.java:2793)
at org.eclipse.swt.custom.BusyIndicator.showWhile(Bus yIndicator.java:70)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.openEditor(W orkbenchPage.java:2789)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.openEditor(W orkbenchPage.java:2773)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.WorkbenchPage.openEditor(W orkbenchPage.java:2756)
at com.springsource.sts.internal.ide.ui.actions.ShowD ashboardPageAction.run(ShowDashboardPageAction.jav a:55)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.model.url.Intro URL$2.run(IntroURL.java:295)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.model.url.Intro URL.runAction(IntroURL.java:298)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.model.url.Intro URL.doExecute(IntroURL.java:193)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.model.url.Intro URL$1.run(IntroURL.java:144)
at org.eclipse.swt.custom.BusyIndicator.showWhile(Bus yIndicator.java:70)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.model.url.Intro URL.execute(IntroURL.java:141)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.intro.impl.presentations.B rowserIntroPartLocationListener.changing(BrowserIn troPartLocationListener.java:130)
at org.eclipse.swt.browser.IE$7.handleEvent(IE.java:4 99)
at org.eclipse.swt.ole.win32.OleEventTable.sendEvent( OleEventTable.java:55)
at org.eclipse.swt.ole.win32.OleEventSink.notifyListe ner(OleEventSink.java:145)
at org.eclipse.swt.ole.win32.OleEventSink.Invoke(OleE ventSink.java:120)
at org.eclipse.swt.ole.win32.OleEventSink.access$1(Ol eEventSink.java:97)
at org.eclipse.swt.ole.win32.OleEventSink$1.method6(O leEventSink.java:71)
at org.eclipse.swt.internal.ole.win32.COMObject.callb ack6(COMObject.java:119)
at org.eclipse.swt.internal.win32.OS.DispatchMessageW (Native Method)
at org.eclipse.swt.internal.win32.OS.DispatchMessage( OS.java:2531)
at org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Display.readAndDispatch(Di splay.java:3752)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench.runEventLoop(Wor kbench.java:2696)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench.runUI(Workbench. java:2660)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench.access$4(Workben ch.java:2494)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench$7.run(Workbench. java:674)
at org.eclipse.core.databinding.observable.Realm.runW ithDefault(Realm.java:332)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.Workbench.createAndRunWork bench(Workbench.java:667)
at org.eclipse.ui.PlatformUI.createAndRunWorkbench(Pl atformUI.java:149)
at org.eclipse.ui.internal.ide.application.IDEApplica tion.start(IDEApplication.java:123)
at org.eclipse.equinox.internal.app.EclipseAppHandle. run(EclipseAppHandle.java:196)
at org.eclipse.core.runtime.internal.adaptor.EclipseA ppLauncher.runApplication(EclipseAppLauncher.java: 110)
at org.eclipse.core.runtime.internal.adaptor.EclipseA ppLauncher.start(EclipseAppLauncher.java:79)
at org.eclipse.core.runtime.adaptor.EclipseStarter.ru n(EclipseStarter.java:344)
at org.eclipse.core.runtime.adaptor.EclipseStarter.ru n(EclipseStarter.java:179)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Nativ e Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Native MethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(De legatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.invokeFramework( Main.java:622)
at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.basicRun(Main.ja va:577)
at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.run(Main.java:14 10)
at org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.Main.main(Main.java:1 386)

[Martin Lippert]

Hi!

Usually the Dashboard opens nicely (I test this quite often with all the versions), so there must be a special situation that is causing this error to appear. Is this error showing up every time you open the Dashboard? And can you give us some more details about the setting (operating system, STS version, installation of STS from the distribution or into an existing Eclipse using the Marketplace or the update site, etc.). That would be great.

Here is the ticket in our issue tracker:
https://issuetracker.springsource.com/browse/STS-2409

-Martin

[spingel]

Hi,

could you check in the error log if there is any additional information relevant to this problem (Menu: Window > Show View > Others > Error Log)? I suspect that creation of a section fails which in result causes the problem you are seeing.

We'll provide a fix for the dash board in a the next nightly build but I would still be curious what the underlying problem is.

Thanks,

Steffen