I have installed editablefields on two sites on the same server, it works for one of them, but not for the other. Problem description: I activate the module, and can choose the various versions of editable fields under "View Type". But when I add a field, I don't find "Editable" under options.

I do exactly the same thing on another site on the same server, and the module works perfectly -- I can add editable fields, and edit them.

I have tried to recreate the problem on the other site by installing and activating the same modules there, but haven't succeeded. If anyone have any ideas on what I can do to try to pinpoint what causes the problem, I'm willing to continue testing.

Some possibly relevant data:

Status report
Drupal 5.2
Configuration file Protected
Cron maintenance tasks Last run 1 min 8 sec ago
You can run cron manually.
Database schema Up to date
Drupal core update status Up to date
File system Writable (public download method)
GD library bundled (2.0.28 compatible)
Module update status Up to date
MySQL database 5.0.32
PHP 4.4.0
Unicode library PHP Mbstring Extension
Web server Apache/2.0.54 (FreeBSD) mod_lisp2/1.3 mod_ssl/2.0.54 OpenSSL/0.9.7d

Installed modules (from update status module)
Drupal 5.2
Includes: Block, Color, Filter, Help, Locale, Menu, Node, Statistics, System, Taxonomy, User, Watchdog

Automatic Nodetitles 5.x-1.0
Includes: Automatic Nodetitles

Content Construction Kit (CCK) 5.x-1.6-1
Includes: Content, Node Reference, Number, Option Widgets, Text, User Reference

CCK Field Permissions 5.x-1.10
Includes: CCK Field Permissions

Content Access 5.x-1.2
Includes: Content Access

Date 5.x-1.6
Includes: Date, Date API

editablefields 5.x-3.0
Includes: Editablefields

Insert View 5.x-1.x-dev (2007-Jun-30)
Includes: Insert view

LoginToboggan 5.x-1.0
Includes: LoginToboggan

Node Family 5.x-1.3
Also available: 5.x-2.x-dev (2007-Jun-19) Download · Release notes
Includes: Node Family

Node Profile 5.x-1.2
Includes: Node Profile

Subform Element 5.x-1.3
Includes: Subform Element

Update status 5.x-2.0
Includes: Update status

Views 5.x-1.6
Includes: Views, Views RSS, Views Theme Wizard, Views UI

Enabled modules:
Content Access

CCK field permissions
Date
Node reference
Number
Option widgets
Text
User reference

Color
Help
Locale
Menu
Statistics
Taxonomy

Node Family
Node Profile

Automatic Nodetitles
Date API
Insert view

LoginToboggan
Subform element
Update status

Editablefields
Views
Views RSS
Views Theme Wizard
Views UI

Comments

Leeteq’s picture

Leeteq commented

Good problem description :-)

PS. Perhaps it is fastest to test with a completely new installation right away, as in #4 below.

For general problem-solving, here is my take on this:
("long" general description in fact it may be useful for others in other cases)

Firstly, it is important with some specific iniformation about the other site: (the one where it works)

We must know if they are "in fact" comparable:

1. Was it installed in the same way (have they both or only one or none been upgraded from earlier drupal version). Are all the (contributed) modules of the same version?

2. To be able to compare, you must turn off/on the exact same modules on both sites, and actually (in quite rare cases - possibly not relevant anymore in 5.x, not sure) also make sure you have _removed_ modules from the file system that does not exist on the problem site - even if they are disabled, just to be sure the two test sites are completely comparable.

Consequences:
3. If after making them completely comparable, you DO get the same error on both sites, then we are possibly dealing with some conflict between two different modules

4. If on the other hand that functions still works on the comparable site after the above is done, then I would try a fresh install of drupal on a new database and see if that also works. If it does, you should think back to see if you can pinpoint some "special" events that has happened on the problem site. Other modules that you had problems installing, or whatever might seem to be "extraordinary" that has happened only on the problem site. Does not have to be a problem, but simply some operation that has updated the database in a way that has not happened on the other.

BTW:
Whenever it is possible/relevant to compare (if same content), I use to export the relevant database tables from PHPmyAdmin and use a tool like for example WinMerge to compare the exported data to see which entries are different. That is rarely possible between two sites used for different purposes, though.

The clue is to make it completely comparable.
In general, if initial simple tests fail, it is crucial to make sure the same modules are enabled/disabled on both sites.

I dont mean to indicate that your particular problem here is cache related, but I thought it is suitable to throw in some words about that below, as this can hopefully be a useful general trouble-shooting description:

Some times cache may play tricks with you..:
When it comes to cache related problems, there are 3 aspects to be aware of: Drupal's cache tables, the server cache, and your browser cache.
I often choose to empty (truncate) the cache table with phpMyAdmin on such sites I do a trouble-shooting comparison on. When I do, I also empty the cache of my browser without refreshing any page on the sites in question, then close/restart the browser right after the browser cache and the cache tables have been emptied. (I log out of both sites before emptying the cache.) ...
Call me paranoid, but sometimes that is quite useful...
On some servers (shared hosting, in particular - servers where you dont have full control yourself), it might even be that you have done everything right but the test would still fail if you dont wait for the server cache (not the db cache tables) to "refresh". If you dont have control over the server cache, simply taking a 5-30 minute break right after the cache operations could give different (opposite?!) test results than if moving ahead straight away. (the time depends on the server, out of your control.)

All it takes to come to no or wrong conclusions, move around in circles or to "fool oneself" is to do a couple of steps in the "wrong order" or forget (or not know about) one, or do one too much - leaving you with a situation you _think_ is comparable or "right", but in fact is not.

chadwick wood’s picture

chadwick wood commented

I've created an Issue for a similar problem I was having, and included a patch. The problem looks to be an extra comma in the module code!

http://drupal.org/node/206550

markfoodyburton’s picture

markfoodyburton commented

Wow!

Thanks!

(Many years ago, I was called in to debug a program that crashed every hour or so - turned out to be a semi-colon that should have been a colon (something like that anyway)... but, in context was syntactically correct! Oh - the joys !)

Cheers

Mark.

johnv’s picture

johnv
Primary language Dutch
commented
Status: Active » Closed (duplicate)

closing, D5 is old, duplicate of #206550: Extra comma in module code causing Editable option not to appear