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Disappearing Categories


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Posted

I've installed a fair amount of contributions so far, and just last night I noticed an interesting problem. I added a new category via the admin panel, and it didn't show up in the store. I moved it around, changed it's name,wouldn't show up. I moved a new product into it, and it still didn't show up. But because it has a new product in it, I can see the product in the new products box at the bottom; when I click it i go to the product and the category shows up in the category box. I can click on it and go to that category, but as soon as I leave that category it disappears again.

 

I also noticed that I can't change its name, when I go into the admin panel I can change its name there, but no matter what in the category box it shows with the same name when I view the product, though it's name does change at the top.

 

So frustrated, I took a break, hoping I would think of what I changed recently. I came backa while later, opened my store, and there was the new category! it showed up!! but as soon as I refreshed, it disappeared. it does this everytime, it looks like it only shows the first time you visit the site, once you're online it disappears. This is just weird, and I'm losing my mind.

 

Is this a database issue? I recently had a database scare, and had to revert to a backed up DB (after much trial and error, it worked). If it's an issue with a file, what one should I be looking at?

 

If you'd like to see this freak phenomena for yourself, see here: http://www.mattmasonms.com/catalog/index.php

 

The disappearing category is "Fuel System," on the top level (not a subcategory). The only product in it is "Fuel Injector, Low Impedance $80" in the new products box at the bottom. I changed the category name to "Fuel System WTF" in the admin panel, once you're looking at the product, you'll see that that name shows up at the top, but the category name in the category box is still just "Fuel System."

 

I have modified a lot of things, and been adding contributions over the past few weeks, and unfortunately I didn't add a new category until last night, so I don't know when exactly the problem started. I've already tried replacing the admin/categories.php with a virgin copy straight out of the osc 2.2 MS2 download, no change. I've looked at it in phpmyadmin, and not really understanding any of it, the database structure for cat 74 (the one in question) is the same as any other category. If I add more new categories, same thing, they show once then disappear.

 

Help is VERY much appreciated :)

Posted
I just see a huge error message

Really? Everything works from here... What's it say?

Posted

Wow, ok, supertracker has been ignoring my IP, so apparently I'm the only person who hasn't beed seeing that error. Should be fixed now :)

Posted

Have you added any category box contributions??

The Knowledge Base is a wonderful thing.

Do you have a problem? Have you checked out Common Problems?

There are many very useful osC Contributions

Are you having trouble with a installed contribution? Have you checked out the support thread found Here

BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!!! You did backup, right??

Posted
Have you added any category box contributions??

Don't think so, but just for fun I replaced it with a fresh copy and no change.

Posted

I do not see a problem here. Everything works. I see the category and products. Changing categories still shows the category you mentioned it disappears.

 

Anything to do with your browser's cache or settings?

Posted
I do not see a problem here. Everything works. I see the category and products. Changing categories still shows the category you mentioned it disappears.

 

Anything to do with your browser's cache or settings?

You aren't seeing that category disappear? When you first go to the site, it will be there, as soon as you hit refresh, open another category, page, anything, it will disappear, and stay disappeared until you clikc on the product in the new products box.

 

I just checked it in Firefox and IE6 both on two different computers, it's definately disappearing.

Posted

I looked at it several times. Hit refresh, changed categories, browsed products, visited many pages on your site. I see no problem. The Fuel System WTF is fully functional and present in all cases. I checked using ie6.

Posted

:blink:

 

 

 

Weird, it's still acting crazy from here. What files should I be looking at for an issue in either writing to or reading from the database?

Posted

Here are a couple screen shots of what's going on:

 

Not there:

wtf1.gif

 

In the category, but now it has two names:

wtf2.gif

 

I've gone through the database as far as I know how in phpmyadmin looking for anything obviously out of place and can't find any obvious problems with category 74. I've tried adding more new categories with the same result.

Posted

I doubt its an issue with the osc categories box. Probably something else perhaps your browser's settings. Try clearing temporary internet files, history, or anything else specific to your browser cache. Also check through a proxy if the same thing happens.

Posted
I doubt its an issue with the osc categories box. Probably something else perhaps your browser's settings. Try clearing temporary internet files, history, or anything else specific to your browser cache. Also check through a proxy if the same thing happens.

Cleared out the cache and temporary internet files in both browsers on both computers, same result. I got my mom on the phone and had her check it out, it's disappearing on her end as well.

Posted

Any ideas? What files should I be looking at for mistakes or replacing with fresh copies? That is, which files on both the admin side and store side are involved with with category entries in the database?

 

Also, anything specific I should be looking for in the DB?

Posted

I'm still lost on what I should be looking for, any help please?

Posted

Anyone? Point me in the right direction of which files I may have changed that would cause this? I'm guessing something having to do with writing category info to the database? I have no idea where to even start looking since as I said, I didn't notice this until after about a week or two of modding during which I didn't add any categories...

 

Pretty please?

Posted

sigh...

 

Is there somewhere else I should be posting this, or what?

Posted

Sorry I can't help, but here's a bump for the morning crowd. :)

 

Good luck with it.

 

 

 

 

sigh...

 

Is there somewhere else I should be posting this, or what?

Posted
sigh...

 

Is there somewhere else I should be posting this, or what?

 

No, but appearantly nobody knows a direct answer to this strange happening.

I just took a look and I see that one category dissapearing indeed. It's always just that one and no other categories. What I can say is that after clearing the session cookie the category is back but alas, only for one click. So somehow it is attached to the session settings.

What happens if you define new categories (with or without sub-categories or products) ? Do you have cache enabled through the admin and if yes what happens if you disable it (admin->configuration->cache) ?

It's weird indeed as appearantly it involves only that one category name...

 

@Nancy:

Bumping is not allowed, also not on behalf of others despite it is meant well :rolleyes:

Posted
No, but appearantly nobody knows a direct answer to this strange happening.

I just took a look and I see that one category dissapearing indeed. It's always just that one and no other categories. What I can say is that after clearing the session cookie the category is back but alas, only for one click. So somehow it is attached to the session settings.

What happens if you define new categories (with or without sub-categories or products) ? Do you have cache enabled through the admin and if yes what happens if you disable it (admin->configuration->cache) ?

It's weird indeed as appearantly it involves only that one category name...

 

@Nancy:

Bumping is not allowed, also not on behalf of others despite it is meant well :rolleyes:

Hi,

From the site I can say is that you have added some contribution that affects the data that goes into data base when a new category is entered.

Look all the categories added before this are working fine this one is not.

 

Approach:

check what happens in the db when a category is added in a frsh osc version and when you add the same in this modified site of yours.

 

just see all the pages whose script runs when a categoryy is added and thru some file utility compare it with fresh files.

The problem is when you are insertung the data into db and not in categories.php

 

Use some IDEs to analyse or paste the related code to analyse further.

 

Hope this helps you.

 

Staish

Ask/Skype for Free osCommerce value addon/SEO suggestion tips for your site.

 

Check My About US For who am I and what My company does.

Posted
No, but appearantly nobody knows a direct answer to this strange happening.

I just took a look and I see that one category dissapearing indeed. It's always just that one and no other categories. What I can say is that after clearing the session cookie the category is back but alas, only for one click. So somehow it is attached to the session settings.

What happens if you define new categories (with or without sub-categories or products) ? Do you have cache enabled through the admin and if yes what happens if you disable it (admin->configuration->cache) ?

It's weird indeed as appearantly it involves only that one category name...

 

@Nancy:

Bumping is not allowed, also not on behalf of others despite it is meant well :rolleyes:

I turned off caching, and low and behold it works fine now. Is the only downside to this more server load? What exactly is this caching, just the page files?

 

Thanks for the input, wheeloftime and satish, where do I begin the search in my software knowing this? Is this an issue in one of the categories.php files? I really wish I'd tested this out after installing each contribution so I could backtrack, but it had never occured to me that this would become an issue.

 

Also I apologize for my thread bumping, I was unaware it was disallowed. Understandably I was a bit frustrated and freaked out :sweating: It has been noted B)

Posted

I just changed the category's name, and it no longer has multiple names in the category box and up top.

Posted

..got the same problem!!

after i turned cash off the new categories are show up very slow and without right column!!

 

http://www.rsvshop.de

 

the new categories are

Auspuffhalter

 

Airboxring

 

I surch now since two days in this forum and tried lots of things but nothing change the result.

 

can anybody help??

Posted
..got the same problem!!

after i turned cash off the new categories are show up very slow and without right column!!

 

http://www.rsvshop.de

 

the new categories are

Auspuffhalter

 

Airboxring

 

I surch now since two days in this forum and tried lots of things but nothing change the result.

 

can anybody help??

 

I got this disappearing categories problem as well when I click back button on browser and move around in the shop etc. It started to occur when I set chmod +t /tmp on my server, apparently this caused my problem. The cache uses /tmp to save cache data and when I disabled cache the problem went away.

 

My aim was to protect the /tmp so unauthorised users can't access mysql.sock which is placed there. Apparently there two ways to do that, protect it like I did, and to replace mysql.sock somwehre else which is somewhat more complicated.

 

How necessary is caching anyway on Oscommerce? I am not even sure what it actually caches, mostly the files were titled 'customer also purchased' or something.

 

So have you checked your /tmp folder settings? Type ls -ld /tmp in your unix terminal to see if the last letter of the write permissions is t.

Posted
I got this disappearing categories problem as well when I click back button on browser and move around in the shop etc. It started to occur when I set chmod +t /tmp on my server, apparently this caused my problem. The cache uses /tmp to save cache data and when I disabled cache the problem went away.

 

My aim was to protect the /tmp so unauthorised users can't access mysql.sock which is placed there. Apparently there two ways to do that, protect it like I did, and to replace mysql.sock somwehre else which is somewhat more complicated.

 

How necessary is caching anyway on Oscommerce? I am not even sure what it actually caches, mostly the files were titled 'customer also purchased' or something.

 

So have you checked your /tmp folder settings? Type ls -ld /tmp in your unix terminal to see if the last letter of the write permissions is t.

 

A quick update and real simple solution to my problem. I made a new folder and directed cache in admin to use it instead of /tmp. So now the /tmp is protected, cache is on and no more disappering categories (so far, knock on wood. <_< )

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