[Solved] Wiki updating problem

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JML
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[Solved] Wiki updating problem

Post by JML »

It seems I can't update wiki pages since second half of april.

I start this topic because it looks like I'm not the only one having this problem and I thought it could be useful to gather informations from people with this same issue. Here's a topic which made me think I'm far from being alone: Grabbing a Macro Label

So first things first, my configuration:
  • MacOS X 10.6
  • FireFox 4.0.1, Safari 5.0.5 (neither is working)
  • French (thus european) ISP (don't think it's relevant, but who knows)
What happens:
  • After submitting, I just get a blank page and nothing is updated.
What I tried:
  • Editing a whole article or just partial (right side edit link): neither is working.
  • I made a few changes in my pref, but still not working.
  • I tried from two different locations (but same ISP) and still nothing.
  • Just to be sure I tried editing on wikipedia and all went perfectly well.
---> So, can anyone having this same problem tell what their configuration is, what they tried, what worked or not, etc. ?
Is there any other relevant data I missed ?
Last edited by JML on Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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CoveredInFish
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by CoveredInFish »

I have the problem as well (as several other user have). It hit me 4-5 times on different pages.

As far as my research went - and since i dont have access to the wiki server nor do i have exceptional insight into the setup its not very far - its probably server side.

It could be - according to the wiki faq - a php error or a to small php memory setting.

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JML
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by JML »

Which brings other questions:
  • Is this all random ?
  • If not, what is the difference between people able to update the wiki and the ones who aren't able to ?
  • Are some persons only able to update some pages among others ?
  • If that's the case, is there a pattern among these pages ?

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wolph42
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by wolph42 »

We all seem to have the problem. I've pm-Ed Craig about it (and others as well) he's the only one who can fix that.

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JML
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by JML »

wolph42 wrote:We all seem to have the problem.
Well, if you look at the Special:RecentChanges page, someone was able to make a change 6 days ago and a spammer did it on month's beginning. So there must be some reasons for this different behaviour. May be gathering informations could help Craig fixing it.
wolph42 wrote:I've pm-Ed Craig about it (and others as well) he's the only one who can fix that.
I tried again this morning after Craig made a few changes, but I'm still not able to get my edit taken into account.

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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by wolph42 »

Ah yes it is possible to add an edit topics. Add always works for me at Least. Edit only works if I use one of the mid screen edit buttons. The main edit at the top does not work for me. Or better said it ignores any changes.

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JML
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by JML »

I didn't try to add a page, but editing, whether from top or middle-right edit links, is ignored as long as I'm concerned. This seems to be another different behaviour.

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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by Craig »

I have been trying to fix the problem, but since I am unable to duplicate it (the wiki works fine for me) its not so easy to do, so any fix may take a while.

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JML
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by JML »

Craig wrote:I have been trying to fix the problem, but since I am unable to duplicate it (the wiki works fine for me) its not so easy to do, so any fix may take a while.
This I can understand very well since it seems different people get different behaviours. Which is why I tried to gather information from different people wishing it could give you a better insight.

Anyway, if you need me to try anything specific on the wiki, just ask. I'll be glad to help.

By the way, I also tried saving changes after asking for a preview or not. Same (no)result.

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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by wolph42 »

Craig wrote:I have been trying to fix the problem, but since I am unable to duplicate it (the wiki works fine for me) its not so easy to do, so any fix may take a while.
Have you tried logging in with a different user name (and privileges).

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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by Craig »

wolph42 wrote:
Craig wrote:I have been trying to fix the problem, but since I am unable to duplicate it (the wiki works fine for me) its not so easy to do, so any fix may take a while.
Have you tried logging in with a different user name (and privileges).
Yes created a new user and it worked fine for me. Its likely to be something to do with the spam protection, but I am hesitant to remove that because of the vast amount of spam the wiki was getting.

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Azhrei
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by Azhrei »

For those who have seen the "blank page" symptom: try right-clicking on the blank page and choosing "view source". Post into a CODE block whatever you get.

It might be that some headers are being generated but no content; that might be helpful in tracking down where the problem is.

Perhaps an exact timestamp for when you received the blank page would help as well. It would let Craig look at the available logs (if there are any) and maybe correlate a specific log entry back to the problem...

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wolph42
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by wolph42 »

Craig wrote:
wolph42 wrote:
Craig wrote:I have been trying to fix the problem, but since I am unable to duplicate it (the wiki works fine for me) its not so easy to do, so any fix may take a while.
Have you tried logging in with a different user name (and privileges).
Yes created a new user and it worked fine for me. Its likely to be something to do with the spam protection, but I am hesitant to remove that because of the vast amount of spam the wiki was getting.
wouldn't the wiki not give some notice when it decides not to save an edit cause it think its spam? What I get is a blank screen and I need to hit the refresh button to get it working again and then its not saved. As explained before, I *can* still add articles, and I can also edit them, just not through the main edit, but only by the sub edit buttons.
This doesn't really sound to me like its a spam problem... but then again, I have absolutely no clue about wiki software.

have you checked CIF's guestimation about the problem, something like too small memory for php?

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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by CoveredInFish »

Azhrei wrote:For those who have seen the "blank page" symptom: try right-clicking on the blank page and choosing "view source". Post into a CODE block whatever you get.
I just checked it again. I get nothing. Empty source.
I havent checked different browsers, but Chrome doesnt give me a thing.

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wolph42
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Re: Wiki updating problem

Post by wolph42 »

CoveredInFish wrote:
Azhrei wrote:For those who have seen the "blank page" symptom: try right-clicking on the blank page and choosing "view source". Post into a CODE block whatever you get.
I just checked it again. I get nothing. Empty source.
I havent checked different browsers, but Chrome doesnt give me a thing.
dito firefox (5.0). Full blank, no source code.

edit: IE 8.07 did give me something:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=windows-1252" http-equiv=Content-Type></HEAD>
<BODY></BODY></HTML>
IE, gives not timestamp (empty field). Firefox, which doesn't give a source does give a timestamp: vrijdag 1 juli 2011 14:36:55 (friday). This is CET. I tried to edit the 'input' page.

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