04-01-2010 01:04 PM
Every time I try to link a company with a contact I get error messages. One says "ACT! has an encountered an error. Please shutdown the application." After that I can no longer click on companies, and I basically have to do delete all my companies for me to be able to click on Companies again. After messing around for a few seconds I get:
"“Cannot assign type Act.Framework.Contact.Contact from
Act.Framework.Companies.Company
Parameter name: item”
It's like my database doesn't allow linking of contacts to companies. I've tried creating copies and empty copies of my database, and they all have the same problem. However, when I create a new database, the problem does not seem to be there. There is too much information in this database to start from scratch again, so I don't know what to do.
Suggestions?
04-01-2010 01:51 PM
Not knowing how customized your database is, creating a new database and then importing the data from the original may resolve your issue. You would have to create a new database and then define your custom fields in it before doing the import.
Here are instructions for importing from one database to another: Best practices for import and export of one Act! database to another.
Another idea: If you have any backup files, you can restore them (Restore As to a different database name) to see if you have one that was made before the problem began. If yes, you could then import your current database into the restored database.
04-01-2010 02:26 PM
My database is very customized, upwards of 100 customized fields etc. probably. I'd rather continue to use a "Companies-less" database then re-do all of that. And unfortunately, most of this customization was done in the last month or so, after I last backed it up.
Any other suggestions anyone?
04-01-2010 02:39 PM
Hello TaylorC,
Please provide some additional information to help with this issue:
- What version/build of ACT! are you using (from Help/About ACT!)?
- What operating system are you using?
- If you are using a database shared by other machines, do they also have this error?
- Does this happen in the Demo database (ACTversion#Demo)?
- Are you creating the Companies from the Contacts (Contact/Create Company from Contact) or from the Companies screen?
Greig Hollister
Note: Effective 6/1/13, Sage no longers provides support for the Act! software. This is now provided by Swiftpage.
04-01-2010 02:45 PM
- ACT! by Sage 2010 Version 12.0.409.0
- Windows 7
- Database is not shared
- I deleted my demo database a while back
- From contacts
I originally had all my companies imported under Contacts, and Companies was always empty. It was when I wanted to test out the linking between Contacts and Companies that I discovered this problem, so I have never had more than 1 or 2 Companies at a time.
04-01-2010 03:06 PM
Try applying SP1 Hot Fix 1 for ACT! 2010 and see if this helps. It's not listed as a specific issue that is addressed, but it may indirectly resolve. Instructions to download the update are in the following Knowledgebase article:
How to Download and Apply ACT! by Sage 2010 SP1
If you haven't already done so, you can also maintenance on your database by going to Tools/Database Maintenance/Check and Repair. Also, if you don't have the demo database, create a new database, put a few contacts in there, create companies from them, and see if you can link. This will help determine if this issue is database-related.
Greig Hollister
Note: Effective 6/1/13, Sage no longers provides support for the Act! software. This is now provided by Swiftpage.
04-02-2010 12:37 PM
The fix didn't work. I had already tried Check and Repair and creating a new database before I posted, both of them with no luck. However, I spent about an hour this morning creating a new database and doing a bit of customization just to gauge how long it might take me to start over with a new database. Low and behold, after doing some customization linking contacts to companies, opportunities to companies, etc. I once again got the same error(s) when trying to click on companies. This leads me to believe it is an issue with my ACT! install as a whole.
What now?
04-02-2010 12:40 PM - edited 04-02-2010 12:41 PM
Greig Hollister
Note: Effective 6/1/13, Sage no longers provides support for the Act! software. This is now provided by Swiftpage.
04-02-2010 12:49 PM
Very basic stuff, didn't even create any custom fields or anything.
- Edited Contact layout a little bit.
- Created 3 Contacts (1 Contact for one Company, 2 Contacts for another Company)
- Created Companies from these Contacts
- Deleted all the default groups, created my own group and edited it's dynamic group membership (made ID/Status = Personal)
- Went to my company with 1 Contact and checked Personal for ID/Status, therefore adding it to my created Group
- Edited Opportunity layout
- Created an opportunity, manually linked it to a Company
Maybe a few other things, I forget. And it's not like it's one thing that just triggers it, because I messed around with the database for a good amount of time after each of these things were done, and it wasn't until later that the error came up, so it's not like an immediate thing.
04-02-2010 12:53 PM