Error 1172 in VeriStand at Execute LoadCreate Action VI When Opening a VeriStand Project

Issue Details

When opening my VeriStand project I get the following error message. It may not appear every time and seems random.

Error 1172 occurred at Project Window.lvlib:Project Window.vi >> Project Watchdog.lvlib:Watchdog.vi >> Project Watchdog.lvlib:Execute LoadCreate Action VI.vi

Possible reason(s):
LabVIEW: (Hex 0x494) A .NET exception occurred in an external assembly. For information about correcting this error, copy the following exception (in bold), and search the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site or the Web for a possible explanation.
==============================
NI VeriStand: Message: Invoke Node
System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.
 Inner Exception: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
<append> System.NullReferenceException in NIVS_Shared.lvlib:Get File Dependencies.vi690002->Project Watchdog.lvlib:Execute LoadCreate Action VI.vi->Project Watchdog.lvlib:Watchdog.vi->Project Window.lvlib:Project Window.vi

Solution

The Error 1172 is a generic error when a .NET call throws an exception of some kind. This solution focuses on the scenario when opening an VeriStand project only and the inner exception of Object reference not set to an instance of an object. Please refer to the related links for other scenarios or more generic debugging of this error.

This specific error case is harmless and does not affect the operation of VeriStand or the project. It should also not occur in VeriStand 2021 or later. 
Updating to VeriStand 2021 or above is one way to resolve this.

For previous versions (VeriStand 2020 R6 and earlier), the following workaround is available to remove this error pop-up.

1. Ensure VeriStand is closed and no windows open.
2. Make a backup copy of the following file.  Filepath: C:\Program Data\National Instruments\NI VeriStand 2020\Project Window\Project Window Main.xml
3. Move the backup to a separate location on disk to prevent VeriStand trying to process both .xml flies.
4. Edit the original file by removing the red section in the following image. Note the line numbers may be different, but it is the <ActionVIOnLoad> section that you want.

4. Restart VeriStand

The VeriStand project will now open with no Error 1172 pop-up window.

If you start witnessing VeriStand crashes or unexpected behaviour after modifying this, follow the following steps to reverse this.

1. Delete the file C:\Program Data\National Instruments\NI VeriStand 2020\Project Window\Project Window Main.xml.
2. Move the backup copy of Project Window Main.xml to C:\Program Data\National Instruments\NI VeriStand 2020\Project Window\