IPB Update July 2013 (to version 3.4.5) - BUGS Only

[Tripredacus]

Actually, there is a problem with the CK Editor (The plug-in that comprises the reply box). In the IFRAME source it has a DOCTYPE, html, head and body objects. That is a major error in programming an include! It may be possible that the existance of these lines are causing you a problem. I have found errors in Google's javascript as well as CKEditor's CSS files.

 

I have a similar problem on other websites that use an include/iframe object that contains a DOCTYPE declaration. That portion of the site does not render. BUT I do NOT have this problem on MSFN. So it isn't a 100% surefire bet that a malformed webpage is going to fail to render properly.

 

So any one of these errors could cause an issue with some browser/plug-in combination.

 

EDIT: URLS (Domains) that CK Editor uses:

ajax.googleapis.com

apis.google.com

[xper]

IPB 4.0 is just around the corner and we hope FF/IE issues will be fixed up.

[JorgeA]

xper,

 

Would you recommend that I wait for IPB 4.0 to become operational? If it's coming soon, then that might be the simplest solution.

 

--JorgeA

[Tarun]

On my computer, MSFN is working better on IE8 than on Firefox 28.   I went to post a reply to a forum thread via Firefox, and this is what I got when I clicked on the "More Reply Options" button:

 

Firefox MSFN.jpg

 

The writing area shows up in blue. When you hover the mouse pointer over it, the pointer stays as an arrow. Clicking in the typing area doesn't do anything, the cursor never appears. If you start typing, nothing shows up on the screen.

 

Compare to what it looks like when you do the same thing in IE8:

 

IE8 MSFN.jpg

 

The writing area is in white (as expected), and you get a blinking cursor if you click in it.

 

Needless to say, I'm preparing this post in IE8. 

 

Also, when I'm on the board index (not sure what the correct name for that page is), some of the entries have double listings. This doesn't happen in IE8. For an example, see the one circled in red in the following screenshot:

 

FF MSFN 2.jpg

 

What could account for this weirdness, and is there anything that can be done about it, either at my end or at MSFN's end? I'm more interested in being able to post via Firefox than in eliminating those double entries.

 

--JorgeA

Update your Firefox to the latest version. List every addon you have installed (disabled or not). If you're using a firewall try disabling it temporarily. Check for anything in your HOSTS file that shouldn't be in there (it should be stock settings) and also uninstall toolbars (such as that Norton garbage) to stop it from messing with your browser.

[JorgeA]

Thing is, the firewall, the Hosts file, and the Norton add-ons would affect both IE8 and FF28 (right?), yet FF is having these problems while IE isn't.

 

Also, note that, on another PC, Pale Moon (a FF derivative) doesn't have these issues, whereas FF does. Whatever the problem is, it seems to have to do with FF (maybe FF28) specifically.

 

I'll install FF30 as soon as I have a block of time to fix it with the Classic Theme Changer and related tweaks.

 

--JorgeA

 

[Tarun]

Thing is, the firewall, the Hosts file, and the Norton add-ons would affect both IE8 and FF28 (right?), yet FF is having these problems while IE isn't.

 

Also, note that, on another PC, Pale Moon (a FF derivative) doesn't have these issues, whereas FF does. Whatever the problem is, it seems to have to do with FF (maybe FF28) specifically.

 

I'll install FF30 as soon as I have a block of time to fix it with the Classic Theme Changer and related tweaks.

 

--JorgeA

We're trying to rule out any and all possibilities.

 

Also, the theme should not matter. You're trying to fix a problem. Don't risk creating more potentials issues.

 

You should also go into Firefox and go to Help > Troubleshooting Information > Reset Firefox...

[JorgeA]

I took care of the problem by installing Pale Moon 24.6.2 on my Vista system.

 

Posting this reply via the Quick Reply box in PM. The avatar next to it shows up fine.

 

Who needs Firefox anyway  , AFAIC they cause more hassle than it's worth with their frenetic "upgrade" treadmill and their UI changes. Life is too short.

 

--JorgeA

 

[JorgeA]

On another topic...

 

@xper, did you make any tweaks to the board subscription functions? Just now I received my first e-mail "new post notification" in months.

 

The only change at my end is that last night I switched the default browser from Firefox (and, before it, IE8) to Pale Moon.

 

We'll see if this turns out to be a one-off thing, or if the notifications start coming in regularly again.

 

--JorgeA

[xper]

I'm tuning database server, mail server, forums and a lot other things today. In some cases database will loose connection to mysql server while posting to forums and throw database error. I hope it is fixed now. As for notification I also tweaked and changed some settings. Hope it works now. Still working on other issues.

[Tarun]

I took care of the problem by installing Pale Moon 24.6.2 on my Vista system.

 

Posting this reply via the Quick Reply box in PM. The avatar next to it shows up fine.

 

Who needs Firefox anyway  , AFAIC they cause more hassle than it's worth with their frenetic "upgrade" treadmill and their UI changes. Life is too short.

 

--JorgeA

Sadly, that's not really fixing the problem; that's simply avoiding the problem. It really doesn't contribute any real solution should anyone else experience a similar issue.

 

For what it's worth, you're still using Firefox. Pale Moon is just a x64 compiled custom version.

 

I do agree about how silly the rapid release cycle is but you can thank Google and Chrome for that. The UI changes are nice and very intuitive, allowing for more screen real estate however.

 

I have a feeling the problem is client side and I was willing to work with you on getting to the root of the issue and getting it resolved. Oh well, happy browsing.

[JorgeA]

I'm tuning database server, mail server, forums and a lot other things today. In some cases database will loose connection to mysql server while posting to forums and throw database error. I hope it is fixed now. As for notification I also tweaked and changed some settings. Hope it works now. Still working on other issues.

 

E-mail notifications definitely seem to be working again.    Two more notifications have come in, including one for your posting and another one for Tarun's.

 

Thanks, xper!

 

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

 

Sadly, that's not really fixing the problem; that's simply avoiding the problem. It really doesn't contribute any real solution should anyone else experience a similar issue.

 

For what it's worth, you're still using Firefox. Pale Moon is just a x64 compiled custom version.

 

I do agree about how silly the rapid release cycle is but you can thank Google and Chrome for that. The UI changes are nice and very intuitive, allowing for more screen real estate however.

 

I have a feeling the problem is client side and I was willing to work with you on getting to the root of the issue and getting it resolved. Oh well, happy browsing.

 

 

After my experiences last night, I agree that the problem is client-side. I installed PM and logged into MSFN; everything was great. Then I used their Firefox personality migration tool, and things got screwed up again.

 

So I uninstalled PM (disabling the add-ons didn't improve matters) and reinstalled it, then I reinstalled the add-ons one by one. (At this point, details start getting fuzzy, as it was late at night.) IIRC, everything worked until I told Ghostery to block the Gravatar tracker. Immediately upon reloading the page, things got screwed up again and telling Ghostery to stop blocking Gravatar didn't help; even uninstalling Ghostery made no difference.

 

So I uninstalled PM again, reinstalled it and the add-ons, and refrained from messing with Gravatar. Everything is great again (writing this post on PM in glorious wysiwyg).

 

You might legitimately ask why I would spend all this time with PM but not with FF. The reason is that the FF installation is old (updates dating back to FF 3) and I believe there are a number of tweaks made over time that would be lost if I were to use the nuclear (reset) option; I'm just not familiar enough with FF to remember where those settings might be or indeed what the setting changes might have been, so I prefer to leave it alone if possible. IE has always been by far my principal browser, so trying to relearn where I might have changed settings in FF would have been a much more tedious process than uninstalling and reinstalling PM.

 

As I use PM more (and yes, I do know it's a FF derivative, but for whatever reason it's worked better for me than FF on a different machine), I'll get more familiar with the interface (assuming they too don't start messing with it) and discover what obscure settings there are to change. Heck, I might even find that I hadn't actually tweaked any internal FF settings   despite my vague memories of having done so at some point.

 

Thanks very much for offering to help. Norton doesn't support Pale Moon, so if I feel insecure websurfing without their toolbar    I might take you up on troubleshooting Firefox.

 

--JorgeA

[Tarun]

That actually says a lot!

• Importing old Firefox data caused an issue.
• Installed Ghostery and told it to block Gravatar.

Ding. This sounds like the issue (or at least part of it) right there to me.

 

Take a look at this part of your User Control Panel - namely, Change Photo.... Notice how you can either upload an avatar or use one from Gravatar if you have an account there?

 

Now, I believe even you mentioned your avatar loading earlier when you tried Pale Moon. Since you're not blocking Gravatar that's actually why.

Gravatar - Your Gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. Avatars help identify your posts on blogs and web forums, so why not on any site?

 

I have IP.Board on my site as well. I believe that the API checks for an avatar first, and if one isn't found it may also check Gravatar. I could be mistaken though.

 

To me, that sounds like the root of the issue. Let me know what you find.

 

 

You also mention that your Firefox has data from 3.0. That's an easy fix without needing to reinstall anything, I mentioned it earlier:

 

You should also go into Firefox and go to Help (press Alt to bring up the menu bar) > Troubleshooting Information > Reset Firefox...

 

 

Additionally, I would strongly, strongly recommend ditching Norton. While they're not as bad as they used to be they're still pretty bad. I'd be worth getting either MSE or avast, both are excellent free anti-virus/anti-malware solutions.

[buyerninety]

Gravatar etc. ...

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/170958-blocked-content-funny/?view=findpost&p=1067627

 

[MagicAndre1981]

the "find likes" button in the profile doesn't work.