"time out" error when logging in

[brynn]

Hi Friends,
I've recently moved my forum (SMF 2.0.14, with Tiny Portal 1.2 and approx 45 other mods)  to a new server (new host).   https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php

And more recently than that, have converted everything to https, using this topic as a guide (and also with some advice from lurkalot).

Here's the problem:

If we use the convenient little box in the top-right corner to log in, we get this error:

An Error Has Occurred!
Your session timed out while posting. Please go back and try again.

Note that the message comes up immediately, so not enough time has passed for it to actually time out.  And plus, going back to try again gets the same result!  (And plus, we weren't posting, we were logging in.)

So while I would consider that specific error message to be a bug (on 3 different counts!), the more immediate problem is why can't we  log in with that little box anymore?

I've only just now found this problem, and don't know exactly when it happened.  But I did use that log in box just before the move.  Actually I used to get this error now and then, before the move.  But going back and trying again, it would log me in as expected.

It IS still possible to log in by clicking on the Login tab.  But I'd like to fix the little box, if possible.

My first thought is to look up the theme.  And I think I've even found the right place in the index template.   I thought possibly I might need to add an s somewhere.  But I don't see anything like that.

I did check that page using https://www.whynopadlock.com/index.html, and there is no insecure content on that page.  So it's not a case of needing an s somewhere...at least I don't think.

Does anyone know what might be causing this problem, and how to fix it?

Thank you very much 

[vbgamer45]

If your custom theme has a login form such as in the index.template.php or boardindex.template.php or in the login.template.php

The SMF 2.0.14 now requires the following code added in the <form> tag  just add in the closing </form> tag in any login form.

Code Select Expand


<input type="hidden" name="', $context['session_var'], '" value="', $context['session_id'], '" />


This code is used to help increase security for SMF.

[brynn]

Hhmm...would that be <form id=...> or <form action=...>.  I found those, but so far, I haven't found any tag that's just <form> or <form=...>  (I know some simple html, but I've never made a form.)

I think there might be a typo.  Do you mean I need to add the string of code you provided and the closing form tag (</form>)?  Or do you mean to add it in between <form....> and </form>?

Hhm, ok there already is a closing </form> tag....at least in the one theme I've looked at.  So you must mean to put it in between.

And when you say "...in any login form."  do you literally mean any?  Or do you mean I need to do it for all my themes?

Thanks 

[vbgamer45]

Just in any theme you use in the index.template.php

[Sir Osis of Liver]

index.template.php

Look for this -

Code Select Expand



<input type="hidden" name="hash_passwrd" value="" />



Do this -

Code Select Expand



<input type="hidden" name="hash_passwrd" value="" />
        <input type="hidden" name="', $context['session_var'], '" value="', $context['session_id'], '" />



And, yes, you'll have to fix any theme other than Curve.

[lurkalot]

Brynn, you'll also need to turn of the User Block, or upgrade to TP 1.3, because the user block has a login form which will also throw that error if you have it turned on.   This is fixed in TP 1.3

[brynn]

lurkalot, I'm not sure if I know what the User Block is.  I've never logged into anything separate for TP.  The block that I would guess might be the user block does not show the error.  Maybe I already don't have it enabled?

Oh wait, I know what the User block is.  Yes, I have it enabled.  But it doesn't show the problem.

Thanks for the clarification, Sir Osis of Liver!  That will be very helpful.  Getting late here, so probably won't fix until tomorrow.

[Steve]

I would go ahead and upgrade your tiny portal whether you're having a problem or not.

[brynn]

Ok, thanks Steve.  I'll put it on my to-do list

Login problem is fixed.  Thanks again everyone!

[lurkalot]

Ok, thanks Steve.  I'll put it on my to-do list

Login problem is fixed.  Thanks again everyone!

It is until you login from the user block on the forum page. 

[brynn]

Oh gosh, now I need to unsolve this.

At first, it looked like this fixed the problem.  But it has introduced some other problem and I don't know how to fix it.

You can see it best on my other site:  https://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/index.php  (SMF 2.0.13 with Simple Portal)

The main menu isn't displayed graphically anymore - only as text.

Here's what I did.  For every theme, in index.template.php, I searched the string which Sir Osis instructed, and replaced with the string which he indicated.

When I saw the problem, I immediately undid everything.  I replaced the original version of index.template.php.  And I've double-checked every single file (I have several themes there) has the original version afaict.  But the problem still is persisting.

For the default theme on my other site (Aqua Style), the fix worked and didn't cause any problems (https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/index.php) (SMF 2.0.14 with Tiny Portal).  But some of its other themes are affected as well.  Here, I have not reverted the files yet.

So far, I'm focused on the default SMF theme (which is also called Curve, right?) for where the problem might be.  I had missed Sir Osis's comment about not doing this to the default theme.  So I applied this fix to the default SMF theme. 

But, even so, I've replaced the original index.template.php file, for all the themes.  But it didn't fix the problem.

Does anyone have any idea what happened, or how I can fix this?

Thank you very much

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The login edit would not cause that problem, even if done incorrectly.  It's also doing it in Curve.  Looks like you switched from TinyPortal to SimplePortal.  Uninstall the portal and see if the problem clears.

[brynn]

No, one site uses Tiny Portal and the other one uses Simple Portal.  I haven't changed that or even edited the portals.  Plus the problem is affecting both sites.

However, if it's not the edits that's causing this, maybe I should ask my host if they changed something.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Look in Admin -> Support and credits, post the version info.

[brynn]

Ok, so my host says they didn't do anything that could be causing this.  So I still don't know what happened.

Can someone tell me which files I need to look at, which are responsible for the graphic display of the main menu (that makes it look like tabs, rather text and text links)?

Not sure why you want this.  I realize now that I didn't need to apply the login fix to the 2.0.13 version.  But I've restored all the files, in any case.  But fwiw:

inkscapecommunity.com

Version Information:
Forum version: SMF 2.0.14 (more detailed)
Current SMF version: SMF 2.0.14
GD version: bundled (2.1.0 compatible)
MySQL version: 10.1.26-MariaDB
PHP: 5.6.31
Server version: Apache

inkscapecuttingdesign.com

Version Information:
Forum version: SMF 2.0.13 (more detailed)
Current SMF version: SMF 2.0.14
GD version: bundled (2.1.0 compatible)
MySQL version: 10.1.26-MariaDB
PHP: 5.6.31
Server version: Apache

[Illori]

can you provide a test login so we can test the issue?

the issue with the menu is on http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/ right?

it looks like the css it is looking for is completely missing from your index.css file.

[brynn]

The issue is with the menu on both sites.  But it appears on that site, all the themes are affected.  On inkscapecommunity.com, the forum default theme is fine, but other themes are affected.

lurkalot has an account.  But I'll PM you another one you can use.  It's just a regular member account.

Hhm, yes.  On the 4 or 5 themes I've looked at so far, the index.css file is completely missing from those themes which are showing the problem!!  How in the world could that have happened, I wonder??

[Illori]

so you mean the theme does not load correctly at all? if so maybe they are not SMF 2.0 themes and have a style.css file instead? if so they will not work with SMF 2.0.

since that is a theme related issue, you should post in the themes support topic for assistance.

neither site gave an issue logging in using the login box at the top of the page.

actually i looked into it further, it looks like in this theme the css for the menu is present but not loading on your site. did you modify the theme css at all?

[lurkalot]

Gets worse.    If you select a different theme, even the SMF default Curve theme and look at the copyright at the bottom, it'll say "Aqua Style by Diego Andrés " on every theme.

The only one that's working properly is "Aqua Style by Diego Andrés"

[brynn]

They are all definitely SMF 2.0 or higher themes which I downloaded from this site.  Everything was working fine until the afternoon/evening of Aug 8th.

When you say the css for the menu is present but not loading, which site are you talking about (so I know which theme to look at)? 

Oh wait!  Ok, so in the theme which is still working correctly, there's an index.css file in the main theme directory.  AND there's an index.css file in the css sub-dir.  In all the themes which don't work, the index.css file is only in the css sub-dir.  So they aren't missing after all.

No, I didn't modify any index.css file.  I looked at the index.css file for the theme which is still working correctly.  I looked at it in admin panel > Current Theme > Modify the stylesheet > index.css.  So potentially that page can make changes.  So an accidental mouse click could potentially have changed something.  However, I was looking at that file for the theme which is still working correctly.

I could have accidentally drag/dropped a file into a different folder (via SFPT).  Once, maybe twice.  But certainly not to all these themes.  I just don't understand how this could have happened.....  Not unless it's somehow related to using repair-settings.php a week or 2 ago, when I switched my whole site to https under my SSL certificate.

(In all, I edited index.template.php (for all themes), Contact2.template.php (mod for a contact form) and Register.template.php (put extra comment on reg page).

Well, before I go on with this, do you think I should close this topic, and start a new one....where?  It looks like I would have to post a lot of new topics.  It looks like you can only post into existing topics that are dedicated to each theme, on this board https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?board=59.0.  Plus, when I've posted in theme topics in the past, there was never any answer.  Unless you really feel strongly that I could get better support on a different board....well, this is still a support question.

Thanks again

(Hi lurkalot.  Yes, I see that.  Hopefully it's somehow part of this problem.  But if not, let's deal with one thing at a time.)
(I just don't get how this could have happened.  Should I worry that I was hacked?)

[Illori]

sounds to me like a cache problem, can you ask your host to look into it?

[brynn]

Yes.  I had already asked my host to look into it, but the only indication I had that something might have happened was a report of a cron at about the right time.  They said the cron had nothing to do with it.  But I will ask about caching.

Can you give me a few more words to put it in context?  I don't understand caching myself (well, not very well, anyway).  (I understand generally that caching is a temporary place to hold the contents of a website, so that they can load faster.)  So if I just said, please look into caching, it won't be very likely to get any results.  But if I can give it a little bit more direction, they will have more to investigate.

Like for example, how could caching cause the files to get mixed up?  When they files are moved they are put back together in the wrong order?   Does that mean that the file structure I see through the SFPT connection is incorrect?  Or is the file structure correct but they're actually in the wrong order on the server?

Thanks

[brynn]

Gotta log off for awhile.  Will catch up later tonight.  Thanks again

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Um, the theme you're running at http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/ isn't anything like Aqua Style, and what lurkalot pointed out is correct, default Curve is displaying Aqua copyright and the header is badly broken.  Looks like you've been doing naughty things to the code.  Best bet is to start over by uploading clean set of files, get Curve working properly, then reinstall mods and themes.

[brynn]

Um, I KNOW IT'S NOT THE SAME THEME.  IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME THEME.  I have 2 different sites, both running SMF, but 2 different portal mods and 2 different default themes (each site has several themes available).

I also know about the copyright being wrong.  I'm trying to solve one problem at a time.  I don't know how any of this happened.

I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO THE CODE!!  I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW!!!  That's why I asked if I should worry that I might have been hacked.

Was that post seriously an attempt to be helpful?  Or you just like to laugh at people who aren't experts yet?



Illori, but if it was a caching problem, wouldn't it clear up when the page was refreshed?

Thanks

[shawnb61]

SOL & Lurkalot were pointing out that, somehow, portions of that theme have been applied to all themes.  Not sure how that happened, but it did.  That is very helpful analysis, actually.   This is consistent with what Illori pointed out earlier, that there was a .css issue.  The bottom line is that your code appears to have multiple issues. 

When your code has multiple issues, and you're not a coder, the best advice is often to "...start over by uploading clean set of files, get Curve working properly, then reinstall mods and themes.".  That is helpful advice.

Sometimes when code looks confused, that can be due to "too much" caching.  You may try tweaking the cache settings in your admin control panel to see if that makes any change.  Or talking with your host to see if they can dial it back.  That is a bit of a long shot, but it sometimes works - if your code is actually ok.

I doubt this was a hacker, as hackers are rarely so elegant as copying copyright info to a bunch of places...  More likely the problems would be WAY worse. 

So, for next steps...

I think SOL's advice stands.  I would suggest building a test environment somewhere safe, and practicing reinstalls of your themes & mods.  Once you know how to fix it in test, you can then fix it on your live site.  The good news is that your site is functioning.  Kinda strange menus, but functioning.  You have time to experiment & practice in a safe test environment. 

[brynn]

shawnb61, thank you very much.

I apologize for losing my patience, but I was already aware of the copyrights being changed, and had posted so.  And I felt accused of doing something wrong.

If it wasn't caching and it wasn't a hacker, how could this have happened?  Is there any way to know?

Do I understand you to say that if this was caused by caching, fixing the cache settings could fix it (which seems like it would be magic, at this point)?

I doubt this was a hacker, as hackers are rarely so elegant as copying copyright info to a bunch of places...  More likely the problems would be WAY worse.

"elegant"?  Doesn't that seem to be more of a human trait, than a random thing?  The problem seems awfully organized to be random.

Anyway, getting back to the caching.  I've never touched the cache settings in SMF.  But I did recently move to a new host.  So I'll ask them about caching.

I still have the same question as before.  It seems like if it was caching, wouldn't it clear up, or at least change, when the page is refreshed?  Or is this a different kind of caching?  If it's a certain kind of caching, can you tell me the proper terminology, so I can look it up and learn about it?  I understand what caching is in general, but there seems to be something different about this.

Thanks again!

(PS - not ignoring your other advice, but don't want to consider starting over, until I've ruled out caching)

[Sir Osis of Liver]

No offense intended, mope.  If you've been dragging and dropping files, you may have dumped files from one theme into another.  Looks like your main index, possibly your board index, and index.css are borked.  When there's that many possibilities, it's easiest to start with a clean install and work your way back.  Your database isn't affected, so content should be intact, just a matter of restoring the files to where they should be.

You can disable caching in Admin -> Server Settings -> Caching and clear the /cache directory.  Your server may also have caching running, but don't think that's your problem.

[brynn]

I don't use drag and drop (too easy to make mistakes).  I have not touched those files mentioned, in any way.

SMF caching is not enabled.

Edit
Also, it says "SMF has not been able to detect a compatible accelerator on your server." in bold, red text.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I could have accidentally drag/dropped a file into a different folder (via SFPT).  Once, maybe twice.

If you look at this, you'll see the same menu problem in Curve, the header is broken, and copyright shows Aqua Style.  That's most likely the Aqua index template.  You've somehow mixed up the theme files.  It appears that all your themes may be damaged.  No way for us to know exactly what you've done, so we can't tell you how to undo it.  Start with a clean install, unless you have a lot of custom coding, it's no big deal, and the only sure way to clean it up.

[brynn]

I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I didn't do this.  1 or 2 accidental drag/drops could not have caused this.  It would have affected one maybe 2 themes.  It sounds like multiple files have been edited.

Will you please stop blaming me?

Also, I'm not a mope.  At worse, I'm a student, trying to learn.  I could use some encouragement, rather than mocking.  Have I called you any names?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

<sigh>

You have two forums running:

https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/ - TinyPortal, Aqua Style theme.  Looks ok.

https://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/ - SimplePortal, don't recognize the theme, menu is broken, copyright is wrong.

Too tired to reread this topic, are you trying to move the forum from first link to second link?


Hmm, looks like first one is the new one, it's your old forum that's screwed up.  Interestingly, Curve is equally broken in both installs.

[brynn]

....are you trying to move the forum from first link to second link?

I have no idea where you got that idea.  I'm not trying to do anything.  I'm trying to get you to understand that this happened coincidentally when I was fixing that login issue (or possibly up to 6 hours before).  It just happened.  I have no clues.

Rather than rebuild both sites, is there some reason why I can't use my backups?

Thanks again.

[Illori]

before you consider putting a backup of files back in place. ask your host if they have any server side caching in effect and if so if they can disable it.

[brynn]

Hi Illori,
Yes, I asked, and and I've just received their reply.  They said no.

And so, there really is no way to know how this might have happened?  I know SOL thinks I've been playing with the code, or trying to merge my sites, or who knows other ideas he's conjured up.  But truly, everything was ok one minute, and the next thing I know, I have what you see now.

I just want to be able to avoid whatever it was, in the future.  Is there any way to know, or even guess?

Thanks again.

[Illori]

if your host will not admit they did something, then i would look for a new host and see if everything works fine there.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Nothing 'just happens', someone copied the Aqua index.template.php into your other themes.  I'm able to view your default theme and Curve on both forums, and all four are running the same template.  You can confirm this by looking in the files, you'll find this in all of them -

Code Select Expand



// Theme Copyright DO NOT REMOVE THIS
function aqua_copy()
{
$AQUA = 'Aqua Style by <a href="http://smfhispano.net">Diego Andr&eacute;s</a>';

return $AQUA;
}



If you copy the Aqua index template into a clean install running Curve, it reproduces your problem (I've done it).  That's what we've been trying to explain to you.  How did it happen?  Your host didn't do it, a hacker didn't do it, either you did it or someone else has access to your account and is yanking your chain (not likely, but it's happened before).  You basically have two choices to fix the problem:

1.  If you have good backups of both forums, restore the backups.  No big deal.

2.  If you don't have useable backups, you'll have to do a clean install and reinstall all mods and themes.

If you believe someone else may have access to your account, change your cpanel, FTP, and admin passwords.

[shawnb61]

To close out an earlier discussion point:  Caching can't fix this, since the issue is with the source code itself. 

At this point, I suggest focusing on how to fix it, not how it got this way. 

[Illori]

https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/How_to_upload_a_fresh_set_of_files

[Steve]

how it got this way.

How it got this way is important so the OP knows how to prevent it from happening again.

[brynn]

Nothing 'just happens', someone copied the Aqua index.template.php into your other themes.

OMG!!!

Of course I edited index.template.php in all the themes!  That's what you told me to do!  They all looked like the exact same file, so I fixed one of them, and uploaded/overwrote all the other themes with it.

You're the one that said there's no way this login fix could be causing these problems.  And you couldn't imagine a newbie might make this kind of mistake?  In fact, you said

The login edit would not cause that problem, even if done incorrectly.

Well, I did it incorrectly!  And it sounds like you're saying that's exactly what's causing the problem.

For goodness sakes!

I even wondered if this might have been the problem, WAY back on the day it happened.  I thought by looking up the file in admin panel > Themes and Layout > Modify the index template, I was looking at the original file.  And I looked at index.template.php for every single theme!  And they are all exactly what I have now.  So apparently that is only showing the current state of the file, and not the original file.

For goodness sakes!

So I guess I can only find the original index.template.php in the zip download file for the themes?

Would it work to use that file from the original theme packages?  Or I guess they might have been changed by various mods, upgrades, etc. along the way.  I guess it would be better to find it in my backups, right?

[Illori]

I guess it would be better to find it in my backups, right?

yes

[brynn]

All fixed!!

Thanks everyone for your help, and especially for your patience.  I help newbies every day (learning how to use Inkscape) and I know it takes a lot of patience.  So I appreciate it very much   

(lurkalot, still haven't upgraded TP.  I will do that as soon as I can catch my breath from this debacle  )

[Sir Osis of Liver]

They all looked like the exact same file, so I fixed one of them, and uploaded/overwrote all the other themes with it.

Actually, that's what I guessed you had done, was going to post it today if you hadn't figured it out.  No, the login edit cannot cause that problem, but juggling around theme files can.  If you had explained what you had done a bit more clearly, this could have been resolved days ago.  Bear that in mind next time you need support.

Anyway, glad you got it fixed.

[JmGOUS]

If your custom theme has a login form such as in the index.template.php or boardindex.template.php or in the login.template.php

The SMF 2.0.14 now requires the following code added in the <form> tag  just add in the closing </form> tag in any login form.

Code Select Expand


<input type="hidden" name="', $context['session_var'], '" value="', $context['session_id'], '" />


This code is used to help increase security for SMF.

Thanks for posting the fix. It worked perfectly for us!

[Mr. B]

Thanks, it worked for me too, so far. Now to see what happens when I update to 2.0.15