It all began here:
http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,5403.msg87763.html#msg87763
...ok, so maybe it didn’t
begin there, but that post sums up pretty clearly the problem I was experiencing. Very frustrating.
I thought it was a corrupt TinyMCE file or missing dependent. Reinstalled:
Nothing.
I thought it was a corrupt SVN issue. Upgraded to 096 RC2, then RC3:
Nope.
I thought it was a damaged plugin or missing System Event. All checked out:
Zilch. Zip.
Finally, I stumbled upon a post indicating that--as of 096 RC2/RC3--TinyMCE Themes were not updating in the Manager Configuration. So, I decided I’d try changing themes. Sure enough, the theme change does not register, nor did it help with my mysterious, missing editor.
However, the post also referenced the modx_system_settings table--and user premissions--and I eventually found
modx_user_settings table containing setting_name:
tinymce_editor_theme
To my surprise, I found the setting_value of:
full
That’s odd. When looking into the list of available themes, the only values I saw were:
simple
advanced
editor
custom
No "full" on that list...Hmmm...
Keep in mind my error stemmed from a 095 development to production migration with 096 RCx upgrades. That said, it seems plausible that a third-party-based setting--likely now a legacy reference with the release of TinyMCE 2.1.0--could have snuck through (unknown to the updater) wreaking havoc on my client’s editing abilities.
I manually updated the database and changed the value from
full to
custom and my "mysterious problem"
mysteriously went away! 
(Finally.)
In short, if you ever experience an issue like here:
http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,5403.msg87763.html#msg87763 remember this thread!
☆ A M B ☆
