Weird error 500

[@rjen]

Did you get closer to an explanation for this?

Background: I ran into the same issue today on a test forum.

Some specifics; version 2.1.4, the board index fails to load with this memory issue.

But here is the weird part: only for admin users, and only in two themes.
Works fine for regular users in all themes, also works fine for admin in curve2.

Now I tested this as admin yesterday in the test board and it worked fine (on a database backup of about a year hold) today I refreshed the database with todays fresh backup of the main forum.

Problem occurred after that: files unchanged from yesterday, which suggests it is somehow related to what's in the database...

Themes that give the errors: NameX and Blindspot

[Gryzor]

Sadly, no. Everything seems to be running fine with the new php memory limit, but no clue as to what caused the issue. 

[shawnb61]

Problem occurred after that: files unchanged from yesterday, which suggests it is somehow related to what's in the database...

Themes that give the errors: NameX and Blindspot

Do you also use the Recent Topics on Home Page mod?

[Gryzor]

Problem occurred after that: files unchanged from yesterday, which suggests it is somehow related to what's in the database...

Themes that give the errors: NameX and Blindspot

Do you also use the Recent Topics on Home Page mod?

Let me check tomorrow morning. I think I've uninstalled it but maybe it wasn't removed properly. 

[shawnb61]

Just trying to understand if the mod is common to both. 

[@rjen]

I don't have it,  it what puzzles me is that it is theme specific

[shawnb61]

I would set $db_show_debug to true in settings.php.

Load the board index in the two themes & compare the two results.

[@rjen]

I would set $db_show_debug to true in settings.php.

Load the board index in the two themes & compare the two results.

Triedd that, but when the pageload fails (as admin) I am not getting any logging (obviously) and when it does work (not as admin) the log is different of course, but no indication where it goes wrong...

[Arantor]

That implies something is running away and running a lot of queries.

Try temporarily turning the memory limit up again and turning logging on.

[@rjen]

Tried that no change. Just no sure if I changed the correct limit

[Arantor]

So even with logging enabled it still fails as an admin? Then the limit isn't high enough.

[@rjen]

As always, you are right, I must have been updating the chache size limit instead of memory limit.

Memory limit was set to 96M , changed it first to 128, then 256, but the boardindex first loaded when I set it to 512M...

Now let's see if I can identify the query or queries causing it..

[Gryzor]

Fwiw I haven't been able to pinpoint the moments that php mem goes high, it always seems quite stable... (I don't remember which monitoring command I used)

[@rjen]

So I am comparing the queries,
Curve2: 17 Queries used
NameX: 23 Queries used,

So I would expect to see a difference in those 6 queries

Comparing the logs I see this..
The 6 extra queries seem to run pretty quickly, but ...

In the boardindex there is an extra join on the attachment table (I think it is meant to collect the avatar info, which the theme uses) and that makes the query run for almost a second...

You cannot view this attachment.

I suspect this is the cause of the high memory consumption?

By the  way I was running this example with two different users, both Admins, getting similar query times when the same user, so pretty sure this is the reason...

Any tips on how this could be improved?

and yes, I know: I will also have to report this in the NameX thread...

[@rjen]

Just trying to understand if the mod is common to both. 

Just looked at Gryzors site and noticed that he is running a Mod showing avatars on the board index: that seems to be the common factor

[@rjen]

Meh, checking the code this logic is actually standard SMF, whenever a theme or mod sets the parameter avatars-on-boardindex

Is this perhaps an SMF bug that appears on forums with a certain amount of boards/users/attachments?

[Arantor]

You'd need to have a LOT of boards for that to be a significant problem though.

[@rjen]

Define a lot?

[Gryzor]

Just trying to understand if the mod is common to both. 

Just looked at Gryzors site and noticed that he is running a Mod showing avatars on the board index: that seems to be the common factor

Yeah, avatar integration but still:

-worked just fine, problem cropped up out of nowhere
-problem appears only when signed in...

[@rjen]

Just did a quick count: 95 boards and child boards. Sounds like a lot, but not that much imo