Blank page?! TOTALLY RANDOM

grudas

grudas

grudas

Soldato
Joined
12 Mar 2008
Posts
23,498
Location
West sussex
Hey

we have had this odd problem for a few weeks now.. and i can't get to the root of it!

the problem - updating a single file on the website will cause the WHOLE page to go "blank" replacing any file in ftp even if it is the same file just modified(for e.g. adding a space and then removing it just so it gets a different "save date") causes the WHOLE page to go blank again.. adding a file to the ftp ( a skin to our CMS) same problem.. deleting the files from the cache.. same problem again?!

contacted the hosting - they got no idea and blamed everything on the CMS.. ok i thought ill test it out.. off i went and created a subdomain.. new database(exact copy of the main one) everything set up etc etc.. web site works as it should.. lets go update the files.. i went updated the files no blank pages nothing.. EXACTLY the same site/dababase and everything else.. so it has to be the hosting or the directory on the FTP..

now the "fix" which is not really fixing anything

is to use the "backup" of the site and upload all of it to the FTP simply replacing same files in FTP with the files from my PC(same dates/sizes everything)

and this gets the website back up and running.. i really have no idea whats up? i feel like i have tried everything.. even changing the permissions to the main directory.. nothing helps.. :/

any ideas?
 
When you download the file from the server again does it still have code in it, or is it completely empty? It could be something wrong with the FTP upload process.
 
Yeah, I have had this where the upload is stalled or really really slow and you find that the connection has been dropped. When you open it up again even after the ftp says its uploaded, a completely blank file comes down the wire.

If I am making a simple change that I know won't break the site and I am doing it to the live file I always leave that file open till I have made sure the upload worked. If it doesn't you can just open up the blank and put the code back in.
 
Spunkey said:
When you download the file from the server again does it still have code in it, or is it completely empty? It could be something wrong with the FTP upload process.
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code is in the file like it should... so its not the upload process..

fez said:
Yeah, I have had this where the upload is stalled or really really slow and you find that the connection has been dropped. When you open it up again even after the ftp says its uploaded, a completely blank file comes down the wire.

If I am making a simple change that I know won't break the site and I am doing it to the live file I always leave that file open till I have made sure the upload worked. If it doesn't you can just open up the blank and put the code back in.
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yes i have tried that and many other things like uploading from the plesk panel, different ftp browser etc etc.. contacted the hosting again we'll see what they can say about it.. :cool:
 
Yeah, if you have access to the shell on your server, try editing using that.

So the file is perfect in every way on the server but when you visit the page on the website, it's completely blank? What cms are you using?
 
not the file, the web site it self goes blank - gives a clean page no code no error nothing just blank page after any edit/upload/edit while in the ftp etc etc.. basically i can't touch the ftp or it will go blank on everything.. and it only does that to one directory the subdomains work perfectly fine...

contacted the hosting got a reply saying to wait because they have some urgent issues..booho.. :/
 
well im back.. and the problem is still there! :(

what we have done

completelly new install of the cms + new database etc = blank page

moving the whole "website" to a different server with the hosting

resetting all the settings

and it still doesn't work.. why would the main folder to host the website "not like" the cms we use? while it works perfectly fine in a subdomain folder? where is the problem? hosting? or the cms.. i can't see it being CMS since we tried everything.. and the folder only seems to not like THAT one CMS.. all the others work fine..

any ideas guys?
 
Is the server error log keeping schtum on all this ? Most live servers suppress certain errors and log them instead which leads to a blank page.
 
Permissions?

If the webserver can't read the file after you upload it then that would explain the symptoms.

I'd expect error logs though...
 
Hmm, to be honest I doubt I can help without looking at it myself but I assume that you can't share the code for someone to test.
 
fez said:
Hmm, to be honest I doubt I can help without looking at it myself but I assume that you can't share the code for someone to test.
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well i can't share the whole CMS as that is over 6k files.. i have tested by renaming each plugin so it wont get executed in case that causes the problem.. and i've done the same with rest of the folders..

dave-lew99 said:
Permissions?

If the webserver can't read the file after you upload it then that would explain the symptoms.

I'd expect error logs though...
Click to expand...

this was my idea first.. but after a long chat with the host they tried resetting all the settings to the default ones and it did not change anything.. ive tried changing permissions to the directory and that didn't help either.. no on really has an idea what is up with it..

the only choice i have is move to a different hosting that offers same/similar package for same price.. but this was pretty much faultless for the last year and support is great too.. so i don't really feel like doing it unless i have tried everything..


SORTED! finally.. pfu.. at the bottom of the folder tree there was a directory that did not have the right permissions.. :/ the only way we saw it was with php debugger..
 
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If you can set up a test server with limited access im happy to have a ganders but im fairly sure that wouldn't go down well with management....
 
Your CMS (is it your own or third-party?) should really log an error if there is an issue with file permissions. Also, should the whole page really just crash if there's a file permission error!?

May I suggest that, if it is your CMS, you look at logging errors, catching and dealing with them better?
 
Spunkey said:
You can't leave it like that! What was the problem? :)
Click to expand...

SORTED! finally.. pfu.. at the bottom of the folder tree there was a directory that did not have the right permissions.. :/ the only way we saw it was with php debugger..
Click to expand...

I think thats his explanation but I would love to know how the folder was not noticed before.
 
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