Form Wizard changes will not save

I thought I had added this problem already but I can't find it and isn't showing up under View my posts so my apologies if it is still in here somewhere.

I had created some forms, they all work perfectly, I then backed up my Joomla website and reinstalled it onto a completely different server (and then validated the forms - it wasn't validated on the previous server as I was just testing it there).

When I go into the form wizard and try and make a change and click apply, it seems to save it but as soon as I click the Save or Save and Close button at the top, it goes straight to the Administrator Control Panel instead of back to the Forms Manager Control Panel and won't save the changes. My changes will save if I go into the Form Manager in the name section, it is only in the Wizard that is the problem.

I did some testing and found if I created a new form I could have up to 10 fields and it will save, but as soon as I add more than 10 it won't save it (the forms that I am using have 16 fields to them).

I am using the latest Chronoform with Joomla 1.7 and am not using a database, the results of the form are going straight into an email.

Thanks

Hi taya74,

My best guess is that this is a result of some servers security settings. If 'suhosin' is running it has an option to limit the number of variables that can be submitted. That could produce a result like this. Each files/action in ChronoForms may create a dozen or more variables to be submitted so ChronoForms itself is using unusually large forms.

Please check with your web host.

Bob

I have the same issue as taya74. I have been beating my head against a wall all day trying to figure this out. At first I thought it was just the Easy Form Wizard, then after lots of frustration, uninstalling and reinstalling and searching this forum I decided to abandon the Easy Form Wizard and I though it was working with the regular wizard until I hit 12 fields. It will take changes to already saved fields but I can't add anymore. I originally posted on it here: http://www.chronoengine.com/forums.html?cont=posts&f=26&t=63422 earlier today.

I have used ChronoForms on a number of other Joomla sites with no issues like this before. I just did one up on another website at the same host with no issues.

I checked the Cpanel error logs and all that is there is:
File does not exist: ...../2012/includes/js

I just upgraded Joomla from 1.7.2 - 1.7.3 on the off chance it may help but nothing...

taya74 did you contact your host? any luck? what did you ask them?

Thanks,
-Dan

Hi Yes I emailed my hosting company, and copy the text that Bob had put in regards to the 'suhosin' to them and the guy had to make some changes and then get me to test it (it took about 3 goes before it worked so I am not sure what he did) but it is now fixed and works perfectly so it must have been that. Thanks

Hi Dan,

The only explanation I have seen for this kind of problems is on servers where there is security set up using suhosin (or something similar) that limits the number of variables that can be accepted in Post/Get/Request submissions. ChronoForms uses big forms internally and the number of variables rises quickly - each form element or action in the Wizard can return 10-20 variables.

Bob

I have put in a ticket at my host...

Taya74 thanks for letting me know and glad you got yours fixed!

Bob, thank you also for sharing your overflowing chalice of wisdom and knowledge 😀

Just one other quick question. I have another website hosted on the same reseller account and same machine, etc. It is running Joomla 1.5.x and v3 of CF. It doesn't seem to have any of these same issues. Does it use 'smaller' forms internally and return far fewer variables?
BTW: You did some nice custom work on this site's forms for me about 6 months ago. The forms were quite long too.

Thanks,
-Dan

HI Dan,

ChronoForms v3 uses many fewer form inputs. For example the main Form HTML is one text area whilst the Preview box in CFV4 might easily be several hundred inputs on a moderately sized form. It's also possible that your host has changed the settings - security is often tightened up when some 'new' threat appears.

Bob

My host replied with:

"...have now disabled suhosin for the domain. You can check this from /info.php. suhosin.simulation = On implies that suhosin is disabled."

I logged into Joomla admin and was able to add another field to the form so I though it was all good to go. After trying one more it went back to bouncing me to admin panel main screen and not saving 😟

I then tried to create a new form from scratch using the easy form wizard. I found that on the first save it works. Then when I go to add more it won't accept any more changes or fields. It's so intermittent and hard to diagnose.

I asked the host if it could be something else blocking things.

Hi Dan,

Just being picky have you checked the PHP Info settings in the Site admin to make sure that it is set to ON??

It's probably also worth looking at the suhosin logs to see what it is reporting - my Googling just now tells me that in simulation mode the logs are still written.

Bob

Strange... when I look at the domain.com/info.php it says:

System Linux 2.6.18-338.19.1.el5.lve0.8.36PAE #1 SMP Wed Jul 27 14:18:33 EEST 2011 i686

suhosin.simulation On On

However when I check the PHP Information in the Joomla admin panel it says:

System Linux 2.6.18-338.19.1.el5.lve0.8.36PAE #1 SMP Wed Jul 27 14:18:33 EEST 2011 i686

suhosin.simulation Off Off

I don't get it. How can there be two different ones??

The host disabled Mod Security too but it didn't make any difference.

I should also note that I did a full cpanel backup and moved the whole thing to another host to test it out and everything worked fine there, so it must be something at the host.

HI

I don't get it. How can there be two different ones??

Good question?? It's certainly possible for there to be several php.ini files in the installation. On the PHP information tab in Joomla! 1.7 there is an entry like this

Loaded Configuration File C:\xampp\php\php.ini

Does that help?

Bob

My host replied with:
"You have been receiving different values because the value of 'suhosin.simulation' on the local php.ini file was not changed. I have now changed it, and it shows correctly on the info page too."

So I tried things out again and same old same old. I was about to give up and move the whole thing to another host (probably should have done that 2 days ago!) when I thought I better check the php info in Joomla one more time. Sure enough the suhosin.simulation was still "off". After digging around some I remembered on this host you need a directive in the htaccess file that makes the php.ini global, otherwise it has to be in the same directory as the script (suPHP_ConfigPath /home/username/public_html). I added this directive to the htaccess and sure enough suhosin.simulation went "on"! Better yet, Chronoforms is back to 100% working!! -even easy form wizard! 😀 😀

Support people at this Host have never been the sharpest knives in the drawer... I am glad I didn't trust everything they said.

Bob, you have been a great help. Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction and keeping me in the right direction! (you're smart 🙂 )

I think I will buy you some more "beers" now.

-Dan

Hi Dan,

Great to hear that you cracked it.

It should still be possible to have suhosin running with appropriate settings. Mostly it has to allow very large form submissions.

Thanks for the 'beer' - much appreciated.

Bob

I was wondering that...

While I was looking at the suhosin config variables I saw these and wondered if I could up their values a bunch and still leave suhosin running...

suhosin.get.max_vars
suhosin.post.max_vars
suhosin.request.max_vars

I will mess around with it and see what happens. I can always go back to turning the whole thing off.

Thanks,
-Dan

Hi Dan,

Those look like good candidates to me. If you check the suhosin log (which I think should still be running in simulation mode) you can see which rules are being broken when ChronoForms saves.

Bob

I up-ed each one to 1000 and turned suhosin back on. Chronoforms continues to work perfectly. I just did a rough estimate based on your comment of 10 - 20 variable per element x 50 elements (for an average larger form) and used the higher end of 1000. At least suhosin is running...

I think I would have to get the logs from my Host as it looks like they are stored in /var/log/messages. I will probably just leave things as they are and roll with it.

Thanks again for all the help.

-Dan