UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.threads Version 7/8 Support Emergence - boards offline

Giz: my UBB version is 7.4.1

Ruben: I just set it back to what it was. I had a backup of the config and just used that.

I really think this is a bug (in fact I'm sure it is.) The UBB should not do this defaulting unless the two names are guaranteed to be compatible. And EVEN if the two names were compatible, it still shouldn't have changed it. Fields shouldn't auto-magically change without explicit direction from the administrator.

Yeh, the UBB shouldn't be changing what the data for the dbuser when it's set to something else... Very odd...

If I get some time I'm going to go drudge through the script/template files and see if i can notice anything; though I have a feeling that Yarp™ may beat me to it by then lol...

Well UBB has nothing to do with MYsql as far as servername,User Name and password.
You enter that info in ubb so it can access the database.
It is like giving ubb a login to the database.
So ubb did not change the db login it was just wrong in the config file
Phpmyadim is a standalone db tool which again has nothing to do with UBB.
So when you selected the connection settings something must have corrupted the ubb config file. Especially if you restored the old config file and it is working again.
So something was changed in the config file due to whatever reason. It was probably so slight and unobtrusive you overlooked it checking for errors.

Ruben, he's saying that when he edited his config via the CP that it changed the mysql username to the name of his forum (if i get what he's saying correctly) vs keeping the username unaffected.

Yea I am not sure. Since you and I both advised him to check his db using phpmyadmin. My understanding was phpmyadmin forced him to change the login.
But even then how would a old config file still work?
If the db login changed.

I think the login info was fine, the UBB changed his username in the config file, and thus it was being submitted wrong due to this odd behavior.

Luket, if I'm assuming this correct (as mentioned above) would you be willing to backup your config file, and go and just submit the db info page to see if it overwrites your mysql username again to narrow down if it is a bug with this area?

BTW Luket,
You say you are a gold member but you are using 7.4.1.
Maybe it is time to upgrade to 7.5.2

Correct. it was fine until i went to the "Game-Master.Net » Control Panel » DB, Paths & URLs" of the control panel. At this point the CP CHANGED:
1. Database Username: my message board account name
2. Database Password: my message board account password

When I hit submit, it shoved this info into the config file whereby screwing me over for all future DB access. (since my message board user name is incompatable with the DB.)


Done. I fix everything and went back to the "Game-Master.Net » Control Panel » DB, Paths & URLs" and noticed that in fact it auto filled in those two database fields (user and password) with my message board info.
I then hit Submit and verified that once again my config file was updated with the bad user name (and password)

The problem is very simple. The "Game-Master.Net » Control Panel » DB, Paths & URLs" section should NEVER change those fields unless explicitly asked to do so.

Okay now we are getting somewhere for Rick to work on.
What Browser are you using to visit the control panel in UBB.
I did note a issue a while back with Firefox with password changes.

HERE is my post on a issue with Firefox auto filling in password fields. Which may apply to this issue.
Most of this topic may not apply to the bug forum but the last few may.
But upgrading from 7.4.1 to 7.5.2 may also correct the issue.
If Rick addressed this for other areas in the software.

Yeh, from what you're saying it definitely sounds like an autofill utility is installed in your browser that's trying to "log in" to the page

What Browser are you using to visit the control panel in UBB.

Ah, good call man.

I use Google Chrome V 1.0.154.48
and it auto fills in the fields (causing the problem)

I then tried IE and it did not fill in the fields.

if Chrome wasn't so 'smart' about the autofill of psws, i'd be using it more for ubbthreads sites

Verified problem with chrome.
Using ubb ver 7.5.2
If you are using the browsers stored login and password. When you open the db/paths section in the control panel.
It replaces the database user name and the database users password with the board login stored in the browser.

IE7 and Firefox 3 seem okay.

Is this fixorable for chrome users in a future release Rick?

Chrome also changes the verify email address and verify password fields. When you open mystuff>profile.

Bad news again.

It's not really a threads issue imo...

No it is not a ubb issue but we all know Rick trys as much as he can for cross browser compatibility.

Well, short of renaming every field in the UBB to be some unresolvable field to ensure nothing triggers an autofill field ever, I don't really see this as being too easy...

Never said it was easy. Just that Rick trys his best.

Well, the thing is, some fill in every field for say name, address, etc when you load a page; so you could end up with say every im service populating with "name" or "address" and all of that; it'd likely be problems on any 3rd party page... Just don't see why the UBB would have to update because of some random behavior that should be fixed in the users browser...

So what do you do, target a browser and tell everyone that your site only works on Firefox 2 but not 3. Or you could use IE7 but not 6.
Or if you use chrome you have to turn off a certain feature.

It is bad enough with the referrer issue with Norton,Etc.
And dealing with different settings for each internet security settings.

I know it is a big issue, but where do you draw the line?

Well, if the issue effects more than one product, that's where i'd draw the line... i mean, making every field name obscure as to not "trip" would make dev even more difficult as you'd have to go in and have to actually look at what has to be updated instead of using logical names like "name" and "email" and "address", etc...

A valid "fix" would be if these browsers would create an html code to disable their autofill on any page it's specified; so they could make support for a prepriatary tag like:

Then we could just embed that anywhere we'd want it disabled, like every page of the CP... But that's up to them what prepriatry crap they want to shove in their product...

There is actually a thread on Google's Support Pages regarding the autofill in the Google Toolbar (give or take it's the same real behaviour as with the autofill in Crome); a lot of developers don't like the behaviour and are also seeking a tag to disable the autofill via a tag on a page as well.

I'd just rename all the special field names to ubb_name, ubb_email, and ubb_password and be done with it.

Sadly that wouldn't fix it in all cases; if you read the post I linked to above you'll see that anything containing "pass" can trigger the password, anything with "name" can trigger name...

Unless you went out of the way to name everything something totally out there (name: 8237980327441; pass: u2309ur023joijhoi, etc) you'll still get tagged by the autofill; and would make dev time a pain (both for rick, modders, etc)...

Again, this is really the browser/plugin creators problem, they need to make and follow a method of allowing site owners to disable their tool.

I understand the "it's not our problem" mentality, but an unhappy UBB customer is an unhappy UBB customer.

If other message board software solves the problem, then UBB could lose market share, because in the end; a customer doesn't really care who's problem it is, they just want to to all work.

I too am a software developer. My software works on all versions of Windows, but I had to either (1) say 'too bad' to people running Windows NT, or (2) work around the shortcomings of NT.
I chose to do the extra work needed so that my customers had a good experience.

My customers--like your customers--HATE to hear "it's not my problem"; especially when we know that you CAN work around the problem, but CHOOSE not to on principal.

Even though you're not asking; I recommend you work around the problem and never utter the words "It's not our problem" again

PS. Don't you guys have a #define mechanism?
Can you say something like:
#define EMAIL flabber_123
#define PASSWORD snarf_6969

such that the developer sees human readable names and the runtime environment sees some uninteresting field names?

I'm by no way a staff at infopop/groupee/whatever... I'm a user of the software just like you; i just understand how things work and all that fun jazz (hence why i'm a beta tester and a gold license holder).

My opinions are that of myself, not groupee/infopop.

By saying it's not the UBBs problem, i'm saying that the browser companies need to make it so that it's EASIER to work with their functionality; by specifying that post above i show that others are requesting the same thing FROM the company, which I'm assuming will be eventually worked on BY the manufacturer of the browser/plugin since they tend to have a decent track record with such things.

I'm not saying "it's not our problem" i'm saying it'll make maintenance more difficult, both for the product maintainer and 3rd party modders (and even board owners who just want to play with code every once and again).

not to mention taking a step backwards from XHTML compliancy

Additionally, bending over backwards to support a Web browser's shortcomings only encourages the behavior to continue.

My point exactly