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Question by TheMiziko · May 11, 2013 at 10:56 PM · errorexternal-libraries

Check external application preferences error

Hi ! After I open Unity and try to open any script I have this error :

 Unable to open Assets/xxx/xxx.cs: Check external application preferences
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avatar image randomuser · May 11, 2013 at 11:07 PM 0
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Did you move your script with the file explorer? Unity hates it if you move files in the project directory outside of the unity editor.

avatar image TheMiziko · May 12, 2013 at 09:54 AM 0
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This all happened after I reinstall system. I installed Unity, open my project and then error poped out. Project is in this same disc and location where it was before reinstall.

avatar image zilants · Jun 16, 2013 at 11:36 PM 0
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Help, i have the same problem with some model assets i uninstalled unity and reinstalled but i still have the problem

avatar image Mikuma · Aug 15, 2013 at 11:03 PM 0
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I have the same issue with animation files.

Unable to open Assets/idle.fbx: Check external application preferences.

avatar image Arno1975 · Mar 07, 2015 at 05:05 PM 0
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I know this is an old topic, but I wan't to add. I get the same error with my lightmap.....exr When he is done baking, my lightmap dissapears and i get the error. Very frustrating. [unity 5]

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Answer by warrenblyth · Dec 11, 2013 at 01:56 AM

I believe this means that your operating system doesn't know which application to open that file type with. Unity is trying to open it, but the operating system is gumming up the works.

I got this exact error when I loaded the official Mechanim Tutorial files (for a .fbx file). I figure the problem was that I'd just installed Maya2014, and Windows7 wasn't associating .fbx files with Maya anymore.

So I opened the Asset folder in Windows Explorer. right clicked the .fbx file and chose "Open with..." and browsed to the Maya 2014 folder. (and then the error msg went away after I restarted Unity3D.) (... the Robot.fbx file just opens as a raw mesh in Maya2014. which I assume is some other problem).

  • For a .cs file, I assume you need to tell windows to open that file type with MonoDevelop (or whatever you're using to edit code).

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avatar image alenagy · Dec 11, 2013 at 11:39 PM 0
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If $$anonymous$$aya 2014 doesn't work out of the box (it didn't worked for me) you can download the FBX Viewer for QuickTime and do the same process, only choose QuickTime as the default software to view it.

That fixed my problem.

avatar image Aduanvesh · Apr 19, 2014 at 10:43 AM 0
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how would you open a dll

avatar image warrenblyth · Apr 23, 2014 at 08:59 PM 0
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uh, i dunno. I was just talking about how unity tries to open assets using whatever Windows has set as the default program.

As I understand it : A DLL is a small chunk of code that has been compiled to let you interface with some other bigger chunk of code. so a joystick maker might offer a DLL that you can include with your code at runtime to let you access their bigger chunk of joystick application code. usually this sort of DLL would come with a read me that tells you what functions you can call through the DLL. like "initializeJoystick(), closejoystick()".

but to open a DLL, i believe you need to hack it. to uncompile it. which is beyond me. here's the first link that google offers for "open a dll" (it suggest many sketchy tools for decompiling) http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18050615/how-to-open-dll-files-to-see-what-is-written-inside

avatar image giantkilleroverunity3d · Aug 23, 2016 at 10:50 PM 0
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Correct but assoc with $$anonymous$$onodeveloper.

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Answer by Elkis · Jan 19, 2014 at 11:15 AM

Maybe you don't have MonoDevelop installed correctly.

Try reinstalling or go to Edit>Preferences>External Tools in the Unity Editor, click on the "External Script Editor" menu and select "Browse...". Search for "MonoDevelop.exe" (usually in Wherever-You-Installed-The-Editor/Unity/MonoDevelop/bin) and open it. I think it should work with any other Script Editor you may have.

In case of other types of assets (like animations or meshes) I assume you must set an application that can open its filename extension directly from the OS (like "Open with>Choose Default Program..." and ticking "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file"on Windows).

Hope this helps someone!

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avatar image giantkilleroverunity3d · Aug 23, 2016 at 10:49 PM 0
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Associate with $$anonymous$$onodeveloper. Set preferences back to $$anonymous$$ono from VS. VS was default to enable user to repair C# api call fractures.

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Answer by SpyropoulosProgrammer · Dec 14, 2016 at 09:44 AM

I had the same problem. I found the solution thanks to the other answers. The main reason that cause the error is because I am a begginer in unity and I did not know how to add a new script. I tried to add new component under Inspector while I had selected a shpere object. Then I tried to double click the script to open it through VisualStudio-or Monodevelop for you. That was a wrong way to do it.

The answer is that the script has to be in the assets of the project.

  • Click assets , add new , add a script in prefered language , then drag it in inspector components.

I was able to open the script thatway.

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avatar image iphone007 · May 25, 2017 at 04:27 AM 0
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Thanks! This did the trick! I don't know how I would have fixed it given the awful error message.

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Answer by N1RU · Jun 07, 2017 at 01:42 PM

I clicked the "Override for PC, Mac & Linux Standalone" option and pressed "Apply" to fix it, But that was for a texture.

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Answer by TheMiziko · Jun 08, 2017 at 09:59 AM

@N1RU actually Such a shame I didn't know it back then, maybe then I would not need to redo all my scrips in searching for the issue :D

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