CCSprite initializer causes crash with no exception or error

Question

I am creating a custom CCSprite class to display a custom image and set its own position as well as handle other drawing tasks. Currently I have no other code running in the custom class but the initializer, which should set the image file and the position of the sprite. Here is my - (id)init method

- (id)init 
{
    if (!(self = [super initWithFile:@"runnerImage.png"]))
        return nil;
    //set our texture to the runner image ^^^
    //set our initial position
    CGSize size = [[CCDirector sharedDirector] winSize];
    self.position = CGPointMake(size.width/2, size.height-RUNNER_OFFSET); //centered x and offseted by RUNNER_OFFSET
    return self;
}

Currently the app crashes after running this code. (I have determined this with break points and commenting out lines.) Any idea why? This is the section I am calling it from:

myRunner = [[Runner alloc] init];
[self addChild:myRunner];   
//schedule an update each frame

That is in a CCLayer subclass's - init method.

Here is the console log:

2010-07-31 09:16:32.730
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: cocos2d
v0.99.4-rc2 2010-07-31 09:16:32.733
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: Using
Director Type:CCDisplayLinkDirector
2010-07-31 09:16:33.064
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: GL_VENDOR:
Apple Computer, Inc. 2010-07-31
09:16:33.065 CubeRacer[849:207]
cocos2d: GL_RENDERER: Apple Software
Renderer 2010-07-31 09:16:33.065
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d:
GL_VERSION: OpenGL ES-CM 1.1 APPLE
2010-07-31 09:16:33.066
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d:
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE: 2048 2010-07-31
09:16:33.067 CubeRacer[849:207]
cocos2d: GL_MAX_MODELVIEW_STACK_DEPTH:
16 2010-07-31 09:16:33.068
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: GL
supports PVRTC: YES 2010-07-31
09:16:33.068 CubeRacer[849:207]
cocos2d: GL supports BGRA8888
textures: NO 2010-07-31 09:16:33.071
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: GL
supports NPOT textures: YES 2010-07-31
09:16:33.072 CubeRacer[849:207]
cocos2d: GL supports
discard_framebuffer: YES 2010-07-31
09:16:33.072 CubeRacer[849:207]
cocos2d: compiled with NPOT support:
NO 2010-07-31 09:16:33.073
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: compiled
with VBO support in TextureAtlas : YES
2010-07-31 09:16:33.074
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: compiled
with Affine Matrix transformation in
CCNode : YES 2010-07-31 09:16:33.074
CubeRacer[849:207] cocos2d: compiled
with Profiling Support: NO Program
received signal: “EXC_BAD_ACCESS”.

Thanks for any help!

Update After some more research I found this may be a looping problem but I am unsure. The superclasses initializer that I am calling calls [self init]. Would that call the - (id)init method of my subclass or of the CCSprite class? If it calls my subclass then that is the obvious problem. Check my comment for a link to the discussion I found of this.

Answer 1

I think your problem is that your method is the designated initializer -(id) init and then you call [super initWithFile:..] in it, which in turn calls -(id) init. Now because you have overridden -(id) init in your implementation, your version gets called and you'll have an endless loop.

That's as far as I understand it. It's definetely a bad idea to call a super method other than [super init] in the -(id) init method. Instead, rename your -(id) init method to -(id) initWithRunnerImage and you should be fine.

The Apple docs give some more examples: http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ObjectiveC/Articles/ocAllocInit.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30001163-CH22-SW8