recaptcha doesn't load

Last time I tried getting recaptcha to work in a form, I tried for hours and somehow, miraculously it suddenly worked. Never could figure out what miracle caused it to work, but I wasn't going to question it. I thanked God and put it to rest.

Well, I'm at it again. Same server, different site. Same problem. I can't get it to load and I've tried monkeying with it for hours. The {ReCaptcha} just doesn't get replaced. I have the plugin enabled. I looked over the other site where it is still working, copied code, made sure it all looked the same, but I still can't get it to work. Like I said, it was a miracle that made it work before, but miracles are not on my side this time. So what else is there to try?

I did notice on the site where it IS working on the plugins page, the recaptcha looks like it is off. The checkbox is not on. I see a red circle with a white X in it. That says "OFF" to me, yet it IS working there.

On this new site I tried making it red and green. Neither worked.

Looking for a miracle here. Anyone have one?

Here's my code:
<div class="form_item">
<span class="cf_text">{ReCaptcha}</span>
<div class="cfclear"> </div>
</div>

Is there a typo there I'm missing? Or what?

Oh dear. Now I really need a miracle.

I removed ALL of the recaptcha code from the form code. I disabled and enabled and disabled and enabled recaptcha in the plugins many times, testing over and over again, but no matter what every time I try to submit the form I get hit with:

"You have entered an incorrect verification code at the bottom of the form."

I am so frustrated.

I think I'm going to start over. <sigh>
Maybe I need another form extension. No, not yet. I like this one. Can someone please help before I pull out all my hair.

Thanks.

I found the problem and developers please note because I think this can be improved on.

Here's what tripped me up.

In the plugin manager, the developers made a red circle with an X in it to mean ON and a green circle with a CHECKMARK in it to mean OFF. Here in America, red and X's mean OFF. And green and checkmarks mean ON.

So to turn on captcha, make sure the plugin looks like it's off (red circle with an X).

AND to make it more confusing, to make it work you have to have the image verification set to NO under the spam tab. THat's confusing because you think you want image verification ON.

I hope this helps someone else out there.

Hi katandmouse,

Yes true, the red and green bars are a disastrous piece of UI design - and much reported here.

And, as you found, the ReCaptcha plugin is completely separate from the ChronoForms anti-spam imageverification.

Bob

Same problem here before. I didn't notice that my captcha is already ON. So I found out that I was interchanging these two colors. Shouldn't it be ON=GREEN and x=OFF=RED? Why didn't the plugin manager base the user interface with the traffic lights, huh? LOL! Calling the attention of the plugin manager, we have some serious suggestions here for you to consider... 😀

Hi maecruz0320,

It is ON=GREEN and OFF=RED, that bit is fine if visible to all, the bar color shows the status.

The icons show the action: click 'check' to enable, click 'x' to disable. That bit is non-standard and causes the problems.

Bob

I'm back!

Oh, no. I'm at it again and can't get that silly recaptcha to work again.

This time I know that under plugins, recaptcha should be green and it is.

I also know that under Anti-Spam, image verification should be set to off and it is.

Here is my code:

<div class="form_item">
<span class="cf_text">{ReCaptcha}</span>
<div class="cfclear"> </div>
</div>

{ReCaptcha} is not being replaced with the ReCaptcha box.

What's wrong this time?

Hi katandmouse,

The only think missing is that you haven't said that you've opened the Plug-in Configuration dialogue and saved it. (You don't usually need to make any changes befroe saving.)

Bob

I'm sure it's saved. The settings are still there every time I log in. Here's the page:
http://174.120.139.94/~devsite/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&Itemid=5

Your help is appreciated. Thank you.

Hi katandmouse,

By all means email or PM me the site URL and a SuperAdmin login and I'll take a quick look.

Bob

Hey Bob, back at it again with the same problem. I'll ping you the login.

I have to say that even though I continually have this problem, I love this form. I especially love that I can copy and paste html code from existing forms. In this case, it's essential.

Your help is much appreciated.

Hi katandamouse,

I don't see a login anywhere. Apologies if I've missed it, or worse, deleted it.

Bob

Thank you very much,Bob..

Oh my goodness. here we go again. This recaptcha never works for me, this time at site.pondart.net.

Can you please help me settle this once and for all so I don't have to continue to bother you with this. This is my favorite form script but without recaptcha, I can't use it and I've had to bail on it a few times. I'll PM you the login, Bob. Thanks.

Hi katandmouse,

Fixed I think, you have to configure the plug-in by checking the box by the form name and clicking the plug-in link on the left. If this step is missed then the plug-in info isn't saved and it doesn't work.

Bob

That misplacement is a curiosity. I see nothing wrong with the code. I tried putting it in a td cell in the same table. Then I took it out of the table entirely. I can't figure it out.

I do notice that recaptcha makes an iframe. That is beyond my control. Could that be it? Maybe Joomla doesn't like iframes without an extension installed. Is this a new recaptcha perhaps?

Hi katandmouse,

There's a 'compatibility' section in the template joomla.css file around line 146 that is breaking the ReCaptcha layout

#recaptcha_widget_div {position: absolute;top: -140px;}

Bob

Wow. Thanks! You're amazing for finding that. I'm going to notify rockettheme. Thanks.

OH shoot. This is embarrassing! new site, can't get recaptcha to work again. What did you do last time to get it to work?

Here's what I've done:
1) added {recaptcha} to the form
2) in the forms management, checked the form and pressed the "recaptcha verification" link
3) After clicking on the form name, went to plugins and turned off image verification
4) Saved.
http://www.katandmouse.com/contact-kat-mouse

Can't this be made simpler? How about just put a checkbox on the General page that says "turn on recaptcha," yes, or no and then have the software automatically generate the recaptcha?

I go through this every time I install this form, which tells you something very positive. The fact that I don't go get something else shows you that I love this extension. Why? Because you make it so easy to customize the form code. I just dread having to go through getting recaptcha to work every time. Fix that and I'm golden.

Thanks for your help -- again <sigh>.

Hi katandmouse,

From the Help tab (and in the tooltip)

You will need to include the ReCaptcha box in your form HTML using {ReCaptcha}.

That's {ReCaptcha}, not {recaptcha}.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. You are always so good to reply. It's just not working. I changed the caps and I think I've done everything right. I just don't know why this is always a bear for me, but I'll put my nose to the grindstone and try again.

I got it to work, but I have no idea why. Even after I added the caps it still didn't work, but what I did to is go back to the Recaptcha plugin configuration page. I changed nothing there. Went back out, tweaked my form code. Still nothing. Went back to the Recaptcha, excuse me, ReCaptcha configuration page and I think I hit Save this time, but I'm not sure. Maybe that was it. It looks like all the settings are there when you open it up, so it appears there is no reason to hit save, but maybe you have to. I was hitting Save on the plugins page where you click to make it green, but maybe that's not where you have to press Save.

What has always been the case for me, is that there has always been something sort of mysterious that makes it work and I've never been able to put my finger on it. Maybe this is it.

Hi katandmouse,

That does explain it; although the values are displayed when you open the ReCaptha configuration they aren't saved until you click Save. That and enabling the plug-in on the plug-ins tab are both required to get any of the plug-ins working.

Bob