Hey there,
for some reason the messages sent by people aren't shown to others instantly, or anytime, until they reload the page.

I suspect the polling method isn't working, is there a known reason and a fix for that? We've had other chat modules that used polling and they worked, we chose this one for it's simplicity but so far noone managed to resolve this issue.

Thank you.

Comments

doitDave’s picture

doitDave commented
Status: Active » Postponed (maintainer needs more info)

To investigate on this, I will need _far_ more information to reproduce the error.

  • First of all, please try while step by step disabling all other active (contrib) modules just to find out what probably interferes (in most cases, after disabling a certain module and clearing the cache, it will work, so you may consider the just deactivated module interfering with this here).
  • Then (if possible and after reactivating the interfering module) please try to check out for error messages, most browsers provide "developer tools" with an option to see e.g. Javascript errors (your problem sounds like a Javascript problem).
  • If the module-trial does not change anything, it would be great if you could install a second, "clean" standard Drupal on your system just to see if it works with that so we know if it is probably a server config issue.
  • After all that, without detailed information about your setup, I won't be able to reproduce anything. I need to know (at least):
    • Server software and extensions (e.g. Apache 2.2 with mod_php and APC)
    • PHP and Drupal version (e.g. 5.2.1 and 6.26)
    • Installed and active Theme(s)
    • Installed and active (contrib) modules

The more I know about your setup, the better I can investigate.

Thanks for your support!

TSNetwork’s picture

TSNetwork commented

Hi and thanks for the reply.

It's a Linux server, Apache 2.2
PHP version 5.2.17, Drupal 6.4
Custom theme built upon the default one

Modules that might be affecting:
Autoload
JavaScript callback handler
jQuery Update

We have alot of inactive modules and I'm too inexperienced to know which ones of the enabled ones need to stay enabled, but will try to disable what I can, in the meantime I hope you can come up with the next more accurate suggestion. It's my friend's community and I'm afraid of messing it up...
Thanks for your time!

doitDave’s picture

doitDave commented

Hi,

thanks for the details.

Drupal 6.4?? Seriously? It is really risky to run such an old version. There have been several security issues fixed since then. You should *really* update to the current release. However, core itself is rather out of scope because core JS functions did not change since then and your issue really looks like a JS problem.

JS callback handler is also unlikely the cause, as chatblock has been designed close to and with it. Also it does not do anything with JS except for input and output.

Jquery update actually could be an issue. Which jQuery version is the one you are using?

First of all, however, I would check with a different theme. Ideally one of Drupal's default themes. Deeply customized themes are very likely to cause compatibility issues.

You need not disable the modules for a long time. But unless you do, it will be guessing not investigating, which isn't really a serious option for debugging. Don't you have a testing or preprod environment with an identical setup (which actually is a very good practice)? Anyway, you need not do more than remember the current setup but then disable as many modules as possible (except chatblock), test if it works. If it does, re-enable one module after the other and test again. Until it stops working. It's about 10 minutes of work at max.

Remember to clean your caches after every change.

Do you have APC enabled, btw?

TSNetwork’s picture

TSNetwork commented

I looked up the APC thing from the very beginning and got it, but am unsure how to install it. This is terrible about the Drupal 6.4, I have no idea how to safely update it... I'll start disabling the modules and edit with results.

Edit: I've decided to follow your advice and first do what's more critical - update Drupal. Again, will edit when all is over, hopefully with no critical problems.

doitDave’s picture

doitDave commented

Good luck with that. Best advice is to stay cool and go step and test by step and test. And perhaps make a backup before, so you can roll back easily in case of trouble.

Looking forward to your findings then.

Edit regarding APC: Leave it away by now and take care for your site running properly again. Enhancements are better made once the site runs cleanly. Chatblock will work without APC and use its own file cache instead.

TSNetwork’s picture

TSNetwork commented

Hello, well the updating process was a crash and burn, total failure. And we actually did everything properly, barely managed to restore the old system at least, after hours of attempts. I guess we should get back to square one...

Since you don't think the modules I listed could interfere with the module, maybe we should give the APC a shot. Just please let me know in which directory I should place it, in which directory does Chatblock look for it?

Thanks again...

doitDave’s picture

doitDave commented

Sorry to hear that. But, I repeat it: Don't try things you don't really understand (no offense!). APC needs integration in your Web server and this here isn't the right place do discuss how to install and configure it as that is an advanced topic for itself. As for chatblock, it recognizes a proper APC installation without you having to tell it at all. That happens silently. In rare cases it *may* be a potential error source worth checking but I am almost sure that your case isn't one of them.

If your site setup doesn't even survive a rather simple procedure like updating Drupal core, there will _really_ be other and more impacting issues. For sure. As you said that you barely know about the site at all, you should first make sure whether your friend(?) didn't do any "core hacks" or something similar and, again, if your custom theme really matches all requirements of the Drupal API. There's a lot you can break unless you are really deeper into Drupal development.

So, as glad as I were could I help solving your issue by fixing my module (also for my and others' benefit), I really don't think it is the right place to start at all. Sorry to say that (again, no offense)!

If you need help with more general things like core etc., there are e.g. IRC support channels. You should find advice there almost 24/7 - just in case you didn't know.

TSNetwork’s picture

TSNetwork commented

Well, there are no core edits for sure, and we haven't got any problems with any other module (incl. chat modules, incl. such that used polling), so this might be a general Drupal 6.4 bug, I'm pretty sure it's not because of this particular installation, but I understand what you're saying, and agree on the "don't try things you don't understand" for sure. Thanks for your time anyways!

doitDave’s picture

doitDave commented
Status: Postponed (maintainer needs more info) » Closed (cannot reproduce)

You're welcome, and of course once it gets clearer that there is a problem in chatblock, I would appreciate your findings. But right now the only option would be to visit your server and spend some expensive investigation hours. ;)

So, I will close this one for now, but feel free to open it again once you know more. :)