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#1 2015-09-30 15:31:59

Destry
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From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,909
Website

[docs] Diagnostics panel

With Bloke’s help, I’ve pulled all the possible pre-flight messages that Textpattern spits out and organized them by their assigned color class. Some of the warnings and errors are still missing some descriptors, so if you can help fill in the gaps that would be nice.

And I’m trying to tidy up and clarify the Low and High diagnostics data descriptions a bit more. Feel free to point out errors or other vague wordings.

Some questions in Low diagnostics:

  1. What’s the difference between “Document root” and “$path_to_site”? I can read the descriptions there, obviously, but they don’t make a clear distinction. I’m guessing the former is the public web root only, and the latter is the actual install location (e.g., could be a sub-directory of the doc root?)
  2. Why does “$path_to_site” look like code?
  3. What’s the difference between “Server” and “Apache version”? I’m guessing server could be something other than Apache and then the Apache version would be blank?
  4. For the data items with no description, what do they mean?

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#2 2015-09-30 15:52:56

Destry
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From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,909
Website

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

Btw, I’m still working on some of the warning and error items, which is why a few are funny looking. Bear with me. It’s a slow cross-reference process at the moment.

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#3 2015-09-30 16:20:52

michaelkpate
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From: Avon Park, FL
Registered: 2004-02-24
Posts: 1,379
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Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

ou are running a development version of Textpattern on a live server.

Is that an error in the Docs or in the Code?

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#4 2015-09-30 18:25:23

ruud
Developer Emeritus
From: a galaxy far far away
Registered: 2006-06-04
Posts: 5,068
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Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

Destry wrote #295241:

What’s the difference between “Document root” and “$path_to_site”? I can read the descriptions there, obviously, but they don’t make a clear distinction. I’m guessing the former is the public web root only, and the latter is the actual install location (e.g., could be a sub-directory of the doc root?)

Correct. Document root is the path to the root directory of the domain, while path_to_site can point to a subdir of the document root, although often they are the same.

A question you didn’t ask, but which is interesting nonetheless: why do we still have a path_to_site variable, when we can determine it at runtime. In fact, we automatically set this preference if it’s missing or empty, so the warning message about a missing path_to_site shouldn’t ever occur.

Why does “$path_to_site” look like code?

It’s hardcoded in the diagnostics code. Could be replaced with a gTxt string, but one would have to be created.

What’s the difference between “Server” and “Apache version”? I’m guessing server could be something other than Apache and then the Apache version would be blank?

Correct. Perhaps better to remove Apache version from diagnostics?

For the data items with no description, what do they mean?

Which items?

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#5 2015-09-30 19:09:03

Bloke
Developer
From: Leeds, UK
Registered: 2006-01-29
Posts: 11,250
Website GitHub

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

ruud wrote #295249:

we automatically set [path_to_site] if it’s missing or empty, so the warning message about a missing path_to_site shouldn’t ever occur.

Good point. Removed check. So this string can be removed from docs and Textpacks, going forward.

It’s hardcoded in the diagnostics code. Could be replaced with a gTxt string, but one would have to be created.

No need, imo. $path_to_site is the same string in every language. Unless you wanted to replace it with some fancy translation like “The path to the site root directory”, which disguises the true meaning of what the output represents. Using the PHP variable name directly is more transparent as it says the exact name of the variable that we need to check in order to help diagnose a problem with someone’s site.

Perhaps better to remove Apache version from diagnostics?

There’s a check around apache_get_version() to see if the function is available, so presumably on setups that don’t use Apache, that string won’t appear anyway. Or have I missed something? Interestingly, on my host that does use Apache, the version doesn’t appear in my Diagnostics panel. Maybe my host has disabled that function or something.


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#6 2015-09-30 19:21:00

ruud
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From: a galaxy far far away
Registered: 2006-06-04
Posts: 5,068
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Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

In my setup it shows the apache version twice (once via server and once via apache version). The exact same thing. No point showing it twice. Using just the “Server” version is enough.

And yes, you’re right about not needing gTxt for path_to_site.

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#7 2015-09-30 19:42:25

Bloke
Developer
From: Leeds, UK
Registered: 2006-01-29
Posts: 11,250
Website GitHub

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

ruud wrote #295255:

In my setup it shows the apache version twice (once via server and once via apache version).

Interesting. On mine I just see: Server: Apache. And that’s it. No version, no follow-up string with version info, nada.

I guess this is one of those things that differs per host. Perhaps the reason for including both values is for those situations where the host only reveals nibblets of info for each field or function called. But in your case, it sort of backfires because the host reveals the full info via both methods.


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#8 2015-09-30 21:32:21

Destry
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From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,909
Website

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

ruud wrote #295255:

In my setup it shows the apache version twice (once via server and once via apache version). The exact same thing.

Fwiw, that’s what I get too on local OSX’s setup, which inspired my question.

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#9 2015-09-30 22:17:28

gomedia
Plugin Author
Registered: 2008-06-01
Posts: 1,373

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

Bloke wrote #295259:

On mine I just see: Server: Apache. And that’s it. No version, no follow-up string with version info, nada.

Me too. It looks like most (possibly all) of my live sites only have the “Server:” entry:

  • Apache server: Server: Apache
  • Non-Apache server: Server: Zeus/4.3

On my Mac, I get both:

Server: Apache/2.4.16 (Unix) PHP/5.5.27
Apache version: Apache/2.4.16 (Unix) PHP/5.5.27

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#10 2015-10-01 08:50:38

ruud
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From: a galaxy far far away
Registered: 2006-06-04
Posts: 5,068
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Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

How much detail you get in the Server/Apache version depends on how you’ve configured Apache, but both display the same info.

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#11 2015-10-01 09:40:43

Destry
Member
From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,909
Website

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

ruud wrote #295249:

Which items?

I was referring to the empty description fields in the “Low” table, for example. Things like, “GD Graphics Library”, “RFC 2616 headers”, etc.

And then any suggestions for where descriptors are missing on warnings and errors. Just little one-liner leads to what might be the issue in each case.

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#12 2015-10-01 11:30:42

Destry
Member
From: Haut-Rhin
Registered: 2004-08-04
Posts: 4,909
Website

Re: [docs] Diagnostics panel

1) I see these data items in the 4.6 “Low” diagnostics display, just under the “MySQL” item:

  • db_server_time: 2015-10-01 13:11:02
  • db_server_timeoffset: 0 s
  • db_global_timezone: SYSTEM
  • db_session_timezone: SYSTEM

Will they remain at release?

2) Another observation:

  • Server TZ: Europe/Paris
  • Time zone: Europe/Paris (3600)

Redundant?

3) Another observation, these DST settings are ordered like this in actual prefs display (not in docs):

  • Automatically adjust DST setting?
  • DST enabled?

From a logical standpoint, they should be in the reverse order, no? Enable first then adjust?

  • Daylight Savings Time (DST) enabled?
  • Automatically adjust DST?

Note the suggested edits. Once the order is corrected, the context will be clear.

4) Wouldn’t the label, “Permanent link mode” make more sense as “URL pattern” for the nature of the information? (I think so. The former sounds like an “On/Off” situation.)

Last edited by Destry (2015-10-01 11:56:34)

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