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Crashed forum - how to revert back to old theme?

Started by thenakedscientists, January 04, 2018, 05:11:25 PM

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thenakedscientists

Dear community,

I'm desperate and I pray that someone can help me?

I have used SMF for a very long time (over a decade). I have built a very popular site that attracts millions of page views. It's on a bespoke theme based on "Exodus".

However, our server had a problem and has been upgraded to ubuntu 16.04 and php7; now the existing forum won't function and says it has a database error.

Not even repair_settings.php will run. It just gives a white screen, so I fear we have a software incompatibility problem.

I have been a diligent backup person and have twice-daily DB impressions and a complete site backup, but that is useless when I cannot unhook the DB from it's cluster of mods and its theme and revert it to a non-custom theme just to get it working again.

Can anyone help me? I'm so upset for my visitors and users.

Chris

Forum specs:

SMF 2.0.15
Ubuntu 16.04 (now) with PHP7.0, dedicated server; rest of website works fine - https://www.thenakedscientists.com/


Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists

Thanks; I think that the problem is also that I have a customised theme; this seems to break the database if it doesn't start up right.

So If I over-write everything with a fresh copy of 2.0.15 what theme will it try to use?

Should I also install the Exodus theme clean too?

Yours,

Chris

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

You can overwrite the custom theme folder with a fresh version as well.
If needed, you should be able to get to the default theme also by using /index.php?theme=1
and then be able to access the admin control panel to change theme settings further.
Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

Illori

what is the error you are getting? usually a theme cannot cause a database error.

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Actually, I took a look and was unable to even open the forum address to see any error. My browser told me the address is stuck in an endless redirect loop. Perhaps make sure first that there isn't anything wrong on the server side that could be related to this?
Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

Sir Osis of Liver

You can reset theme to default Curve in database by setting theme_default to '1' in _settings table, but I agree with Illori, this isn't theme problem.  I'm getting browser error 'This page can't be displayed', that's a server glitch.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

Shambles

Quoteour server had a problem and has been upgraded to ... php7

See if you (or they) can put you back to php 5.6

thenakedscientists

Thank you very much everyone for taking the trouble to reply.

The loop problem is something a bit different - that happened after the forum failed to resurrect because I was endeavouring to put a mitigating message in place.

It's bizarre, but I've had DB problems with it before; we customised the Exodus theme; whenever we move the forum URL it errors to a white screen with "database error"; I could only move themes about by reverting it to classic, then making the changes, then reinstalling the new theme.

I'll have a go with the advice offered here next (after I fix the redirect problem) and see if I can at least get it back to classic theme by editing the DB.

Chris

thenakedscientists

I've fixed the loop and put the files back in there.

If you take a look at https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum - you'll see a reported database error, and the theme doing weird stuff and duplicating bits of the page.

Thoughts?

Chris

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

That does seem odd, to say the least.
You did mention you had problems running repair_settings earlier, does it work now and are all the settings correct?

Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists


Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Does the white screen leave anything in your server error log?
Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists

In the logs are two entries -  "PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function set_magic_quotes_runtime() " at both the times I've tried to run it.

Thanks for your advice.


Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. This function was DEPRECATED in PHP 5.3.0, and REMOVED as of PHP 7.0.0.

As far as I know, that shouldn't be a problem in the current repair_settings.php though. Are you using an old copy of the tool, or did you download a fresh one from the downloads site? https://download.simplemachines.org/index.php?tools
Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists

Thanks - I'd not realised that was an old copy of the tool

With a new copy, that now run; I stripped the hooks but now the error is:  PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function Activity_Bar_css()

I think I need to go with the suggestion to replace all the site files from scratch and then reimplement the theme and mods...?

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Or if you can, revert to PHP 5.6? I'm guessing your troubles are because of mods that are incompatible with your current PHP version.
Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists

I'll try a clean install first, which will confirm database integrity. If that is a problem then I'll go down the 5.6 route. I've got it installed on the server, but it would mean more disruption and downtime for the rest of the site while I revert to use 5.6

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

Slava
Ukraini!


"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

thenakedscientists

Thank you for your patient help. It is so nice to have a sympathetic ear!

I have over-written all of the Themes and Sources and then used the access that granted me to revert all users back to the classic theme, using the current db impression. That's now working again, so users and search engines can at least see the content and log in, albeit on a theme that we've not used for a long time! When my blood pressure reverts to normal, I'll take on resetting the mods and the previous theme...

Incidentally, I was using Exodus because it's a nice, clean responsive layout, but it does have some foibles, especially with moving the forum around - like the problem I have just had.

Do you know of any alternative responsive themes that are SMF approved?

Thanks again

Chris

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