Works – but badly interferes with some WP functionality

  • fbbez

    (@fbbez)


    9 years, 7 months ago

    Yes, this plugin does a bunch of stuff it says it will do (I haven’t tested everything) BUT … I’ve run into two really annoying problems with it. First let me share the post I was about to make on the WordPress Forum before I got the brainwave that this plugin might be the cause of my problem:

    “Ok, yes I’ve searched the web for answers to this question, but the solutions I have found do not fit my scenario, which is this:

    I need to update an image. So I delete that image using “delete permanently” in the media library. I check that the image is deleted via ftp – it’s gone, but the image still shows up on the website. It even shows up when I go to it’s direct url (eg – http://www.site.com/wp-content/uploads/image.jpg). Clear my cache, it still shows. Double check the ftp – the image is NOT there. Try another browser – still shows. Try another computer – still shows. WHAT THE *&%$!! IS GOING ON???

    It’s as though there’s another secret copy of the image somewhere that keeps getting referenced instead of the correct one whenever a call to the given url is made, regardless of whether an image at the given url even exists!

    FYI – I’ve also tried using the “Enable Media Replace” and “Force Regenerate Thumbnails” plugins, verified that the image and all versions of it’s thumbnails are updated, and still the old image shows up instead.

    The only method that has been able to sort-of resolve the issue has been uploading the images with different names and re-linking to the newly named images.“

    When I deactivate this plugin, the strange behavior goes away (plugin off = if I delete an image from the library, it doesn’t show on the website). If I reactivate the plugin the problem returns.

    The other issue that this plugin has caused for me is that it interferes with image uploading from some interfaces. I’m currently creating a site using the “X” theme. In it’s customization interface you can upload images for the site background. When this plugin is activated, images don’t upload at all.

    I would love to love this plugin, but I can’t.

    FYI – there would still be lots of room for improvement even without these issues … though it would still be a big improvement over the default media handling.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Thanks for your feedback. I’d love to say it was helpful to me but I can’t.

    1) I believe that when someone suspects that a plugin MIGHT cause an issue, he/she SHOULD use a support forum first.

    2) “Works – but badly interferes with some WP functionality” – from your verbose message I still can’t understand what is that WP (!) functionality that EML does badly interfere with.

    3) EML does not mess with image deletion AT ALL. It simply does not have ANY function that does ANYTHING about creation/deletion/edition of an image. What it can do is to create and assign taxonomies to images. That’s it. Along with this you use at least 2 plugins that work with images creation/deletion directly but blame EML in your problems with image deletion.

    4) To solve your problem with theme X I have to know what is that mysterious variable equal to.

    Nadia

    Thread Starter fbbez

    (@fbbez)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Seriously? Yes it is true that I haven’t done a 100% investigation into the issue (frankly, I don’t have the time), and it’s easy to understand why you would be annoyed at a bad review done without it, however:

    1) it is likewise clear that whatever the exact problem is, your plugin is involved. Otherwise a mere removal of your plugin would not solve the issue.
    2) EML would not need to mess with image deletion to create the kind of problems I pointed out. Read my description of the problems more carefully.
    3) Theme X is literally that – a theme named “x – the theme” on themeforest.

    Annoyance at a bad review aside you should still take this from it: that somehow your plugin is, in the context of my installed plugins and themes, resulting in the problems I have described. It’s worth your time to look into why that could be. To aid your investigation, the other plugins I have installed include: Coming Soon Page, Contact Form 7, Enable Media Replace, Force Regenerate Thumbnails, Go Daddy Quick Setup, Revolution Slider and X – Shortcodes.

    As you pointed out, the Enable Media Replace and Force Regenerate Thumbnails plugins are the most likely co-culprits, but do remember that with them alone installed I am not experiencing the problems I described. However, I will try deactivating those, reinstalling yours and then check to see if the same problem occurs. I’ll then post my results.

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    I am not annoyed at all. Of course, I will check if your charges have any solid ground. I just stated that the correct place for this thread is support forum because the information is not enough for a review despite having many words and emotions in it. I meet people convinced EML caused a problem twice a week, but actually I found 2 bugs for the last year this way. So, you are slightly categorical in your assessments as for me.

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Do you have (maybe had) following line

    define( 'MEDIA_TRASH', true);

    in your wp-config.php ?

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    1. “EML would not need to mess with image deletion to create the kind of problems I pointed out. Read my description of the problems more carefully.”

    Well, I DID carefully read your description once again. To show some kind of “secret” copy of a deleted image (that you even can’t see via FTP, SO it is NOT on your server any more) EML SHOULD definitely mess with image creation or edition. It has EXACTLY to CREATE a copy somewhere else, create a tie between this place and your website image URL.

    EML does NOT work with images this way. It does NOT work with images AT ALL. It does NOT create/delete/edit/copy images. It allows to create TAXONOMIES for images. Taxonomies are NOT images. Creating taxonomies does not require creating/editing images. Some things are just impossible under particular conditions. I am almost sure that the problem is not in EML and it’s just a coincidence that your problem is gone with EML deactivation. I guess, you changed some other settings at the same time.

    2. Test results:

    WordPress 3.9 + define( ‘MEDIA_TRASH’, true); = image still shows up after deletion, behavior is similar to what you have described
    WordPress 4.0 + define( ‘MEDIA_TRASH’, true); = image still shows up after deletion, behavior is similar to what you have described

    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 3.9 = no problem detected
    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 4.0 = no problem detected

    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 3.9 + Enable Media Replace 3.0 = no problem detected
    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 4.0 + Enable Media Replace 3.0 = no problem detected

    (but EMR produces too much warnings in development mode, the examples:

    Warning: chmod() [function.chmod]: No such file or directory in /var/www/webbistro/data/www/wpbeta.wordpressuxsolutions.com/wp-content/plugins/enable-media-replace/upload.php on line 125

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /var/www/webbistro/data/www/wpbeta.wordpressuxsolutions.com/wp-content/plugins/enable-media-replace/upload.php:125) in /var/www/webbistro/data/www/wpbeta.wordpressuxsolutions.com/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 1173

    ).

    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 3.9 + Enable Media Replace 3.0 + Force Regenerate Thumbnails 2.0.3 = no problem detected
    EML 1.1.2 + WordPress 4.0 + Enable Media Replace 3.0 + Force Regenerate Thumbnails 2.0.3 = no problem detected

    3. Since it’s impossibel to test all possible combinations especially with premium plugins and theme, the only way to find a problem is to get access to your website.

    Thread Starter fbbez

    (@fbbez)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    I’ve checked my wp-config.php for “define( ‘MEDIA_TRASH’, true);” and simply “MEDIA_TRASH” while Enable Media Replace (EMR) and Force Regenerate Thumbnails (FRT) are both active. It is not there (I’m using the search function in notepad++).

    Interestingly I am now getting that odd behavior again (the image still showing though it has been deleted), this time when your plugin is not installed. It now appears that these images will get “stuck” until ANY plugin is deactivated (I’ve tried it now with two others), after which it will properly fail to appear when you reload the page. Still more odd is the fact that if I then re-upload the image, it will then not show-up, even on the ftp, until a plugin is activated (I’ve not tried all combinations to know whether it needs to be the same plugin that was just deactivated or not. In my case I was reactivating the plugin that was most recently deactivated).

    This suggests that the root of this problem lies in the wordpress core rather than with any particular plugin. I have previously speculated that wordpress may be making copies of images directly in the database for some purpose, but could find no such indication in my web searches.

    In most cases where I have noticed this problem I have had an active link to the webpage where the given image was to be displayed running at the time that I deleted the image. Is it possible that when an image is being sourced by a visitor to a site that there is a cache version of it stored in either the database or somewhere else on the server? And that this could be what is being sourced when there should be no image?

    What I keep coming back to is the fact that somehow the data which is the given image, is still accessible to web-browsers, even ones on completely different computers, when by all normal means of checking it has been deleted.

    I have neither the desire nor the depth of knowledge required to pick this one apart in short-order, so I leave it to you and anyone who feels inclined to investigate it. Gratefully I do not have to deal with many images for this site, so I will be just fine with the available workarounds.

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    I am glad you apologized for the bad and unfair review about my plugin 🙂

    Have you been investigating the issue with or without X-theme active? Does the theme have any media settings? Do you use wordpress.com or your website is standalone?

    Thread Starter fbbez

    (@fbbez)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Actually, I didn’t apologize. I merely continued to investigate the matter and reported my findings which vindicated your plugin … or at least suggest vindication. I will now though apologize for my earlier review given that it seems the problem does lie elsewhere.

    However, I must also emphasize that your response to my review was extremely inappropriate. You took it very personally, and that showed in your writing. Your response was very combative. You should have approached it in a much more level-headed investigative manner, rather than verbally ripping my head off for my review. Yes, I know you’ll say that that’s not what you were doing, but unfortunately the record shows otherwise and merely denying it afterward doesn’t change what really happened.

    Incidentally – I did first look for a support forum for your plugin in which to post my first remarks but did not find one. That is why it ended up as a review. If there is such a forum, please provide the link to it.

    Also, if you do discover what the source of that problem is it would be appreciated if you posted that information here, or a link to a blog post or something where you explain your findings.

    All the best … I actually do mean that:)

    Thread Starter fbbez

    (@fbbez)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    I forgot to answer your other questions:

    I’m using a standalone version of wordpress. It might be worth noting that someone else did the base installation, but I believe they just used some kind auto installer from GoDaddy.

    Yes, my investigations have been done with the X-theme active. At a glance, it does not appear to have any media settings. At least there is no standalone media settings among it’s options and I do not think it has added anything to the default media library options. I’ll try it without though, after I’ve backed-up the site.

    Thread Starter fbbez

    (@fbbez)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    The problem is still present when using the default theme (Twenty Fourteen).

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Actually, it was a sarcasm. I have great difficulty understanding why are you so sure I owe you something.

    stacyvlasits

    (@stacyvlasits)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    A user on my platform requested that I install this plugin for her. Doing due diligence I came here to check out the reviews and support.

    This thread gave me great confidence in the quality of the plugin and in the quality of the support I would receive if I suspected I was having a problem with it.

    Thanks for making it and for supporting it, webbistro.

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Hello @stacyvlasits,

    Since the launch of the plugin in November 2013 there were many questions on its support forum https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/enhanced-media-library. Everyone asking one’s question without shouting “WHAT THE *&%$!! IS GOING ON???” and arrogantly telling me what I should do got an answer, many got a solution even in case those were questions not about plugin itself. Many sent the admin access to their websites to me and no one wrote I broke something. You can easily check this for yourself.

    Please notice that EML is a free plugin, distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, as explicitly stated in its license information, I spent my spare time to create it, and did not take any official obligation to support it at all. I believe that users can not demand anything from me. I develop and support this plugin on my own free will. I believe that understanding this by EML users is a part of general culture.

    Just be polite and you are sincerely welcome to the support forum of Enhanced Media Library.

    Nadia

    Plugin Author webbistro

    (@webbistro)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Also, for any future reader of this, as for problem raised by the author of this review, please notice

    1) I can’t reproduce it,

    2) any other user did not mention something similar,

    3) the review author experiences the problem with or without Enhanced Media Library active and not certain that exactly EML causes it,

    4) as an author of the code I do not see any possibility for the plugin to affect image deletion/creation/edition process.

    I believe listed above is enough reason to consider the problem not existing until new information is received.

    Nadia

    stacyvlasits

    (@stacyvlasits)

    9 years, 7 months ago

    Just to be completely clear: I think you, web bistro, handled this issue exceptionally well. I was being completely sincere in my earlier post.

    Best Regards,
    Stacy

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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