we got burned because CompiledMethod>>timeStamp returns a '' when the compiled method has not timeStamp instead of a TimeStamp. What we did we systematically created a timeStamp for a MethodReference and suddenly changeStamp size > 0 broke in the following method because it was not expected a time stamp We are puzzled because this code should not work when a MethodReference has a timeStamp. So probably it was only use without timeStamp.... :( Stef printCategoryChunk: category on: aFileStream withStamp: changeStamp priorMethod: priorMethod "Print a method category preamble. This must have a category name. It may have an author/date stamp, and it may have a prior source link. If it has a prior source link, it MUST have a stamp, even if it is empty." "The current design is that changeStamps and prior source links are preserved in the changes file. All fileOuts include changeStamps. Condensing sources, however, eliminates all stamps (and links, natch)." aFileStream cr; nextPut: $!. aFileStream nextChunkPut: (String streamContents: [:strm | strm nextPutAll: self name; nextPutAll: ' methodsFor: '; print: category asString. (changeStamp ~~ nil and: [changeStamp size > 0 or: [priorMethod ~~ nil]]) ifTrue: [strm nextPutAll: ' stamp: '; print: changeStamp]. priorMethod ~~ nil ifTrue: [strm nextPutAll: ' prior: '; print: priorMethod sourcePointer]]). CompiledMethod>>timeStamp "Answer the authoring time-stamp for the given method, retrieved from the sources or changes file. Answer the empty string if no time stamp is available." "(CompiledMethod compiledMethodAt: #timeStamp) timeStamp" | file preamble stamp tokens tokenCount | self fileIndex == 0 ifTrue: [^ String new]. "no source pointer for this method" file := SourceFiles at: self fileIndex. file ifNil: [^ String new]. "sources file not available" "file does not exist happens in secure mode" file := [file readOnlyCopy] on: FileDoesNotExistException do:[:ex| ^ String new]. preamble := self getPreambleFrom: file at: (0 max: self filePosition - 3). stamp := String new. tokens := (preamble findString: 'methodsFor:' startingAt: 1) > 0 ifTrue: [Scanner new scanTokens: preamble] ifFalse: [Array new "ie cant be back ref"]. (((tokenCount := tokens size) between: 7 and: 8) and: [(tokens at: tokenCount - 5) = #methodsFor:]) ifTrue: [(tokens at: tokenCount - 3) = #stamp: ifTrue: ["New format gives change stamp and unified prior pointer" stamp := tokens at: tokenCount - 2]]. ((tokenCount between: 5 and: 6) and: [(tokens at: tokenCount - 3) = #methodsFor:]) ifTrue: [(tokens at: tokenCount - 1) = #stamp: ifTrue: ["New format gives change stamp and unified prior pointer" stamp := tokens at: tokenCount]]. file close. ^ stamp