Hi John,

I have searched around in the forums for a similar issue, but couldn't find anything relevant, albeit I saw quite a few similar ones.

The issue is: I go to the normal login page fine (www.taximise.com.au/login.aspx), I enter the user name and password, click 'login', and the screen goes into a DNN Error screen, with a 'Return to site' button. You can try this yourself, just enter anything under user name and password, click login and you will see the error.

Now, I run PB 3.4.5, DNN 5.2.02, with the following install status: I have implemented all the recommendations required to merge and minify js and css files, created the XHtml rules as Portal rules (just the standard ones in the saved rules repository). PB is only at a Portal level (ie, not installed on individual pages).

The issue started to happen after I created the XHtml rules, in the sense that I could not login from any computer anymore (I have a few PCs and a few MACs that I usually login from), actually day after day I could login from fewer and fewer computers, until one day I could login only from one computer (which is a MAC), and from that computer only from Safari, and not from Firefox anymore. Anyhow, a few days ago that has gone down as well. Right now I cannot login from anywhere (yes, I have cleared the browser caches everywhere, etc; on one PC I have purposely installed Safari and then proceeded to the login screen with the same result).

As this is getting very frustrating (as I still need to do quite a lot of work to the webpage) I asked the host to comment out the line in the pageblaster.config file that you recommend in case of post-back issues. He has done that, but with no results. I have also asked him to clear the cache, no result, and also restart the site - no result. By the way, he also could not login in (from his local PC, that is).

I do not know if this will help, but I will just mention additional weird behaviour and errors prior to loosing the login capability:
- very slow page load speed almost everytime from a 'cold' start, and without being logged in (eg, same page, loaded a few consecutive times: first time very very slow, second time much faster, third time very fast, ..., nth time very slow again, where n varied say between 6 and larger values) - this is valid for all of the pages of my website;
- errors in updating modules (this happened after mods to the contents of one of the text/html modules, also after changes to the links module, imagerotator module, etc); these errors seem entirely random;
- errors in the file manager module: would just refuse to display the directory structure in the left pane, the visual interface was corrupted most of the time, no update / download function possible, etc;
- errors with the Sitelog module - similar errors as the fore-last point above.

I would appreciate your fast reply; as you can see I really need urgent help.
Sorry for the long post.

Thanks,
Edmond

Hi Edmond,
This problems you describe don't seem to be PageBlaster related, but try adding an exclusion for your login page to the Snapsis.PageBlaster.config file:

<path pattern="login" excludeFrom="All" />

You should also have one already there for any of the admin pages that looks like this:
<path pattern="/admin/|/host/|install|thumb|\.ashx" excludeFrom="All" />

Hi John,

Thanks for the fast answer. I correlated the weird behaviour with PB given the good synchronicity with the PB installation on the website. Indeed it may not (all) be PB related. I hope not.

I will add the exclusion. Only that I need to (physically) go to the host offices to do that (they just got one or more of their websites defaced by some strange 'group', and you imagine that right now all is in "lock-down" mode. I can do this tomorrow evening, after which I will let you know.

I had a look in the PB.config file: I couldn't find the exact string you mentioned above, but only something vaguely similar:
<path pattern="/admin/|/host/|install|jquery" excludeFrom="All" />

Maybe this is it? Do you need me to send you the PB.config and/or the web.config so you can have a look? By the way, in IE8 I get a page load error that's got to do with initWidjets.js. But no errors in any other browser.

In another order of ideas, given that I do not like at all having my site 'hosted' (cause I do not have the access and thus control I need, etc), given that you are an expert in DNN, could you please tell me how hard would it be to move the site from the host to my own server? I have an SBS2008 (and a static IP) but no experience with setting up IIS, etc. Would "the move" be too hard for a newbie in IIS? The only thing I am worried about is the security aspect. Pls let me know what you think (at least then I could just give you access and you could check the potential PB issues yourself!).

Thanks,
Edmond

Regards,
Edmond

Hi Edmond,
Yes, that line you found in the config file is the one I was referring to.

I guess that means you don't even have FTP access to the files on your website. If that is the case then I think you are right to consider using a different host or doing it yourself.

It is not terribly hard to manage it yourself, but there is a learning curve if you have never managed IIS or setup your own database in SQL server. You will need some type of SQL server btw.

If you need a host that can also help you with DNN then I could set you up with an account on my servers. Let me know if you are interested by replying directly to the e-mail notification from this post, or sending me a private message and I can give you details.

Hi John,

Thanks for the offer! I will start looking into it, and determine what I need to do. Also I will send you an email so you can reply with details on your hosting conditions, etc (although you already have my email address I believe).
No, I do not even have ftp access.
So the exclude statement on my PB.config file is alright? I mean, it looks v different from what you suggested (do they have the same function?).
Unfortunately I had a meeting that run late, so could not make it to the host. I will try to call them and ask to place the line in the PB.config file.
Meanwhile, off the forums, I noticed that a lot of the errors have to do with the order of the various statements in the *.config files. Would you mind having a look at my web.config and PB.config to check that the execution order is correct? If Yes, please let me know and I will email you the files.
Regards,
Edmond

Hi John,

They have added the exclude for the login, and did not help. However one hour after that I got an email that the issue was addressed, login works again (and it does). However now the PB admin window is empty - I mean I have all the upper row buttons, "Save", ..., "Save config and clear cache" of the PB admin screen, but nothing in the left (directory) and right (rule details) panes. Also the errors in the File Manager persist (Displayed in DNN window: A critical error has occurred.
Conversion from string "C:\Data\web\Taximise\Portals\0\" to type 'Integer' is not valid.)
Now that I can login I checked the log and here is more detail on this error:
This is the detail from DNN LogViewer:
"
FileName:
FileLineNumber: 0
FileColumnNumber: 0
Method: Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ParseDouble
StackTrace:
Message: DotNetNuke.Services.Exceptions.PageLoadException: Conversion from string "C:\Data\web\Taximise\Portals\0\" to type 'Integer' is not valid. ---> System.InvalidCastException: Conversion from string "C:\Data\web\Taximise\Portals\0\" to type 'Integer' is not valid. ---> System.FormatException: Input string was not in a correct format. at Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ParseDouble(String Value, NumberFormatInfo NumberFormat) at Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ToInteger(String Value) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.Conversions.ToInteger(String Value) at DotNetNuke.Modules.Admin.FileManager.FileManager.lnkSyncFolders_Click(Object sender, ImageClickEventArgs e) at System.Web.UI.WebControls.ImageButton.OnClick(ImageClickEventArgs e) at System.Web.UI.WebControls.ImageButton.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) at System.Web.UI.WebControls.ImageButton.System.Web.UI.IPostBackEventHandler.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) at System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(IPostBackEventHandler sourceControl, String eventArgument) at System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(NameValueCollection postData) at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
Source:
Server Name: COREWIN1
"
What would be the reason for this?

Thanks,
Edmond