Why do I have a blank page?

Xoops is setup to do blank pages when functional or fatal errors exist. If you have a blank page you will need to debug the problem and then go to the Xoops support site and post your problem in a relevant forum. You will get quicker answers if you first debug the problem and post the results.

The first thing to check is permissions on these folders:

• cache" folder (CHMOD 777)

• "template_c" folder (CHMOD 777)

• "uploads" folder (CHMOD 777

How to debug Xoops

There are several ways to start debugging in Xoops

1. If you have still got admin access go to System Admin->Preferences-> General Settings.

Here you have a debug option containing various options. Now select PHP Debug and then click Go at the bottom of the screen to confirm your settings.

If you don't have admin access it could be that a block is causing an error on the default launch page. To attempt to access admin try typing this in your browser.

www.yoursite.com/user.php

This just might bring up the login dialogue, if so log in with your user details. If after logging in you are taken to another blank page, then type this in your browser:

www.yoursite.com/admin.php

If the error is related to the Xoops default page or blocks then you should get into the admin using this method. Then switch on debug using the method mentioned above.

2. Manually Debugging from the Xoops database

If you can't access your site admin, you may need access to your mySQL database using the phpadmin tool to connect your xoops database. The table we need to find is called "xoops_config". Select this table and then click on "browse". In this table there is a field named conf_name and one of the rows is called "debug_mode". Change the number of the "conf_value" to"1". (for phpdebug)

Debug  choices available:
0= Off?
1= PHP Debug (normally this one for functional faults and blank pages)
2= MySQL/Blocks Debug
3= Smarty Templates Debug

3. Override the Debug Setting by editing a file on your server.

Go to your server and download and open this file in a text editor:

www.yoursite.com/include/common.php

Then find the following three lines:

if ( $debug ) {
error_reporting (E_ALL);
}

Change the above codes so the lines will look as below:

//if ( $debug ) {
error_reporting (E_ALL);
//}

Save the file and upload it back to the same place making sure you have a backup the original.. You should now be able to see all the PHP errors reported.

One you have the error reported go to the Xoops website and copy and paste the error into a relevant forum stating the problem and your Xoops version etc.

Why can I login as admin

If you have a firewall setup on your local computer or network you will not be able to login until you add your site to the trusted sites list for your firewall.

Also make sure cookies are enabled in your web browser

No News content on the front page.

You will not see any content on the front page unless you set up XOOPS to display a module on the main page.

To do this go to System Admin-> Preferences-> General Settings. You will see a listbox called "Module for your start page". Now set this to News or any other installed module

Sources of help

Xoops

Xoops Wiki

Xoops Troubleshoot A Blank Page

Xoops FAQ

jackj macambridge.com