We're using VBO as a Find Content replacement (using the great Admin Views module) and discovered an odd issue with URL aliases whenever we do a bulk update. Here's an example:

1. Edit a node and verify that "Generate automatic URL alias" is NOT checked and that we have a custom alias in place

2. Now go to the VBO content manager, and choose a random "Change value" operation (in this case I simply added a taxonomy term)

3. Execute the bulk operation

4. Edit the node, and now:

a) The Generate automatic URL alias option is magically checked

b) We have a new URL alias that we don't want

So it seems that something during the bulk update is forcing that checkbox and a new URL alias regardless of settings -- we found this out the hard way when 80 something aliases were accidentally updated.

Any ideas?

Comments

sa3z’s picture

sa3z CreditAttribution: sa3z commented

I'm experiencing the same issue with the non-dev version (Version 7.x-3.1).

broeker, do you have custom URL alias patterns established? I'm also using PathAuto, and I'm not sure if this admin path is specific to that module or not, but this is the path I'm looking at for this configuration change: /admin/config/search/path/patterns

I got around this issue by temporarily emptying the pattern fields for the content type I was about to update (and the default path pattern, because I had one established). After I updated using VBO (no URL aliases were changed this time), I restored the patterns. Of course, it helps that I'm in a somewhat controlled environment and I was able to ensure that no one would be creating new content of this type during this temporary lack of patterned aliases.

Let me know if any of that's not clear, and I'm happy to elaborate.

RogerRogers’s picture

RogerRogers CreditAttribution: RogerRogers commented
Issue summary: View changes

Same issue, thankfully I have database backups, otherwise this would have been a big pain!

criscom’s picture

criscom
Location Graz, Austria
CreditAttribution: criscom commented

#1 worked for me. Thanks sa3z.

capogeannis’s picture

capogeannis CreditAttribution: capogeannis commented

Experiencing same issue. Very strange. I use the VBO dropdown to Unpublish/Publish nodes frequently. Just realized recently that when I go this route and Unpublish a node, "Generate Automatic URL Alias" ends up checked back on and my custom URL alias is overwritten with the defined URL Alias Pattern default. No bueno.

capogeannis’s picture

capogeannis CreditAttribution: capogeannis commented

Possible solution route: http://blog.valderama.net/bug-alert-pathauto-and-vbo

capogeannis’s picture

capogeannis CreditAttribution: capogeannis commented

Possible root issue: https://www.drupal.org/node/936222

capogeannis’s picture

capogeannis CreditAttribution: capogeannis commented

Turns out my issue was related to URL aliases path settings.

Under /admin/config/search/path/settings (Config > Search and Metadata > URL aliases > Settings), the "Update action" for the site I've been working on was set to "Create a new alias. Delete the old alias.".

Therefore, whenever choosing an action with VBO that involved a saved update of the node(s), the custom URL alias for the node(s) was updated with the default pattern - in my case, the Title of the node(s).

Essentially, VBO was working correctly, per my settings.

Hope that helps.

dmegatool’s picture

dmegatool CreditAttribution: dmegatool commented

Just exprienced this. Luckily I was at the begining of a project and it involved only a dozen of nodes.

Changing the setting in #7 did fix it. Took me 2 seconds to find this thread instead of scratching my head and dig in menus. Thank man !

Kathelijne’s picture

Kathelijne CreditAttribution: Kathelijne commented

Googled my way here, as I had the same issue.

#7 solved it for me. Thanks!

Basically just a wrong setting in the update action in /admin/config/search/path/settings.