The Energon Pub

[Seibertron]

Forum is still dead like dodo.

Some post does not "pass premoderation" since january.

I have spent hundreds of hours over past month improving many things behind the scenes. Hopefully all of the dozens of improvements will bring fans back. More to come...

[Seibertron]

I would clear out your cookies and the cache for seibertron. I'm not experiencing this problem but I'm assuming that's what you are experiencing.


How to Clear Cookies and Cache for Seibertron.com

If you're having trouble with login, display issues, or anything else that might be fixed by clearing your browser's cache or cookies for just Seibertron.com, follow the instructions below for your browser:

---

Google Chrome

[]Go to seibertron.com. []Click the padlock icon next to the URL. []Click Cookies and site data or Site settings. []Click Clear data or Delete cookies.
1. Reload the page.

Did exactly this multiple times on different days, but every time I even close my browser, open it back up, and come back to the site, I am still forced to log back in each time.

Is it doing it each time or might this experience coincide with when I clear the forum cache after I make changes? You can test this right now by doing it exactly as u said to replicate it and reopen forums. I won't clear the cache for next couple of days.

[Sabrblade]

I would clear out your cookies and the cache for seibertron. I'm not experiencing this problem but I'm assuming that's what you are experiencing.


How to Clear Cookies and Cache for Seibertron.com

If you're having trouble with login, display issues, or anything else that might be fixed by clearing your browser's cache or cookies for just Seibertron.com, follow the instructions below for your browser:

---

Google Chrome

[]Go to seibertron.com. []Click the padlock icon next to the URL. []Click Cookies and site data or Site settings. []Click Clear data or Delete cookies.
1. Reload the page.

Did exactly this multiple times on different days, but every time I even close my browser, open it back up, and come back to the site, I am still forced to log back in each time.

Is it doing it each time or might this experience coincide with when I clear the forum cache after I make changes? You can test this right now by doing it exactly as u said to replicate it and reopen forums. I won't clear the cache for next couple of days.

Testing it just now, I closed my browser, re-opened it, came back to the site, and it did not happen this time. I'm still logged in.

[Sabrblade]

Tested again just now. Same thing. This is a good sign.

[Seibertron]

Tested again just now. Same thing. This is a good sign.

Yah i think it's just when I Clear out the forum cache that it does it.

[Sabrblade]

Aaaaaaaaand it just happened again. Turned on my laptop, came back to the site, and had to log in.

Strangely, it's only on my laptop. When I come to the site on my phone, I remain logged in without issue.

[Seibertron]

Aaaaaaaaand it just happened again. Turned on my laptop, came back to the site, and had to log in.

Strangely, it's only on my laptop. When I come to the site on my phone, I remain logged in without issue.

I think this has something to do with your device. Are you sure you deleted all cookies and cache for Seibertron.com? It sounds like something is corrupt on your end since this isn't a widespread problem (and is also working on your mobile device).

Which browser and version are you using?

[Sabrblade]

Which browser and version are you using?

Google Chrome, Version 134.0.6998.178.

[Seibertron]

Which browser and version are you using?

Google Chrome, Version 134.0.6998.178.

Thanks for the info, Sabrblade!

Since you're using Google Chrome Version 134.0.6998.178 on your laptop, there are a couple of settings worth checking to help figure out why you're getting logged out of Seibertron.com. Here's a detailed walkthrough you can try:

---

1. Check “Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows”

• Go to Chrome’s Settings: type or paste this in your address bar and hit enter:
  chrome://settings/cookies
• Look for the section titled:
  “Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows”
• If this is enabled, it will clear all cookies (including login sessions) when Chrome closes. Make sure this is turned OFF.
• If it is off, scroll down and click “See all site data and permissions” or “Sites that can always use cookies” and make sure Seibertron.com isn’t listed under anything like “Clear on exit.”

---

2. Allow Seibertron.com to keep cookies

• While on Seibertron.com, click the icon to the left of the URL in the address bar.
• Click Cookies and site data.
• Make sure it says “Allowed”. If you see anything blocked, click Manage cookies and site data and allow cookies for seibertron.com.
• You can also manually add Seibertron.com to the “Sites that can always use cookies” list by going to:
  chrome://settings/content/cookies → Scroll down to “Sites that can always use cookies” → Click Add and enter:
  

  Code: Select all

  https://www.seibertron.com

• Make sure to check the box that says “Including third-party cookies on this site.”

---

3. Extensions or cleanup tools

• Do you use anything like CCleaner, an ad blocker, or privacy extension? Some of these (like Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, or even antivirus software) can silently clear cookies or block session cookies.
• Try disabling those temporarily or adding Seibertron.com to their “Allow list” to test.

---

4. Test in a guest or incognito window

• Open a Guest window (click your profile picture in Chrome > Guest) or open an Incognito window (Ctrl + Shift + N).
• Visit Seibertron.com and log in. Then close the window and reopen it later to see if you're still logged in.
• If you stay logged in there, it points to an extension or setting in your regular Chrome profile that's interfering.

---

Let me know what you find out! If needed, I can help walk through clearing specific cookie settings or doing a fresh test without affecting your other sites.

[Seibertron]

I'm locking down the security of various areas of Seibertron.com. I made some changes to the image uploading for our forums. If you encounter any problems with this, please let me know. Thanks.

[Glyph]

As of today, all redirect page loads after submitting under /energonpub are appending port 80 to the host name (https://www.seibertron.com:80) which is causing Chrome at least to block the page as insecure ("can't provide a secure connection" / "invalid response"). The initial confirmation page loads OK, but the redirect back to the forum post then has the problem URL. I can't test whether this is happening anywhere else on the site, but it's definitely happening on the Login, New Post and Edit Post pages. Forum links (threads, pages) in general aren't doing this, just when submitting a form.

I presume it's something that changed today, as I was automatically signed out and it's been happening since then.

[Seibertron]

Hello all,

The issues with the ":80" port in the URLs and the malformed pagination URLs in forum topics should now be resolved. Here's a summary of the steps I took to address these:

• Resolved ":80" Port Issue:
  The URL issue that included the ":80" port has been fixed. However, if you received any topic reply notifications with this in the URL, you will need to manually remove ":80" when copying and pasting the link.
• Fixed Pagination Issue:
  I identified and fixed the random pagination problem that occurred when first viewing a forum or topic. This issue was replicated in an incognito window, and it was determined that the session ID (sid) variable was causing the malformed links. The issue only seemed to happen on the first load of a page.
• Updated phpBB Session Handling:
  In response to the above issue, I modified the phpBB code by removing the session ID (sid) variable from the URLs. This was a long-standing issue that has been present since the installation of phpBB 3.0 back in 2007. Removing the session ID from the URLs should prevent this problem from recurring.

In addition, here's a brief summary of the issues related to phpBB in the /energonpub/ directory that were identified and addressed:

• ":80" Port in URLs:
  The inclusion of the ":80" port in URLs was causing issues, particularly in topic reply notifications. I fixed the issue, but users who received notifications with the ":80" port in the URL will need to manually remove it when copying and pasting the link.
• Malformed Pagination Links with sid Variable:
  A random issue occurred where pagination links for forum topics were broken, particularly when first viewing a page. This was caused by the sid (session ID) variable being added to the URLs. The problem was replicated in an incognito window and was fixed by removing the sid variable from the URLs, which had been a long-standing problem since the installation of phpBB 3.0.
• Manual Session Handling in viewforum.php and viewtopic.php:
  The session management in phpBB was customized to manually call $user->session_begin() instead of relying on the automatic session handling in common.php. This was a result of the custom SEO URL modifications and caused issues with session handling on the initial page load.

As a reminder, yes, I am aware that we're still using phpBB 3.0, which is quite old. The platform has been extensively modified over the years to suit Seibertron.com’s needs. While upgrading to a newer version hasn't been feasible due to the level of customization, I plan to do a more comprehensive overhaul this year. The goal will be to rewrite much of the phpBB code to better fit our specific needs, while maintaining the database structure.

Thank you for your patience, and please let me know if any further issues arise.

[-Kanrabat-]

I copied and pasted your link and here I am.

It work.

However here's what I get when I try entering the site via a email notification:

TL:
(The site does not give a secured connection)

[Seibertron]

I copied and pasted your link and here I am.

It work.

However here's what I get when I try entering the site via a email notification:

TL:
(The site does not give a secured connection)

Screenshot_20250405_194531_Samsung Internet.jpg

Please read my post above that covers the error you mentioned.

[-Kanrabat-]

I copied and pasted your link and here I am.

It work.

However here's what I get when I try entering the site via a email notification:

TL:
(The site does not give a secured connection)

Screenshot_20250405_194531_Samsung Internet.jpg

Please read my post above that covers the error you mentioned.

I was busy at my mom's so I TlDr your post.

I manually removed the :80 from the URL of the old email refferal and it worked.

[Seibertron]

I know what I did that caused it, but it was something that needed to be done. Why it caused that issue with the port showing up after the domain,i couldn't figure out so I just removed the code that did it. Problem solved. Further phpbb integration into seibertron.com.

[Glyph]

Latest forum issue: creating or editing a post brings you back to the post form after clicking submit rather than taking you back to the post. The post form brings you back to the blank 'new post', the edit brings you back to the edit form with the original, unedited post in the text box.

It does appear to actually submit the post - when I left the page via links and came back to the thread, it had been updated - but the UI makes it look like it failed and you're stuck on that page until you click cancel. Going to get a lot of duplicate posts until this is fixed, I suspect.

[Seibertron]

Has this issue been happening for a few days or just since last night?

[Glyph]

I haven't posted for a couple of days, someone else would have to confirm. I suspect last night though.

[Seibertron]

I haven't posted for a couple of days, someone else would have to confirm. I suspect last night though.

I'm working on debugging the issue right now. As a temporary work around, if you click on the links on the confirmation page, it does work correctly. If you let it auto refresh/redirect, it takes you back to the add/edit post form instead of to the new/edited post.

[Seibertron]

I haven't posted for a couple of days, someone else would have to confirm. I suspect last night though.

I'm working on debugging the issue right now. As a temporary work around, if you click on the links on the confirmation page, it does work correctly. If you let it auto refresh/redirect, it takes you back to the add/edit post form instead of to the new/edited post.

This should be fixed. It was an issue that was introduced over the past weekend. I'm surprised no one said anything before now but thanks for reporting it, Glyph.

** FIX CONFIRMED. ISSUE RESOLVED. **

[Sabrblade]

Has this issue been happening for a few days or just since last night?

Just late last night.

[Seibertron]

Sorry about the various errors tonight everyone. I'm introducing version control on Seibertron.com so that I can upgrade the site. Just a few growing pains as I implement these changes. Some of this code is almost 25 years old that I'm upgrading so I keep encountering unexpected errors unfortunately.

[Sabrblade]

I just tried to Submit News and got this error message upon hitting the Send Message button:

Warning: mysql_insert_id(): Access denied for user ''@'localhost' (using password: NO) in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 43

Warning: mysql_insert_id(): A link to the server could not be established in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 43

Fatal error: Call to undefined function db_affected_rows() in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 46

[Seibertron]

I just tried to Submit News and got this error message upon hitting the Send Message button:

Warning: mysql_insert_id(): Access denied for user ''@'localhost' (using password: NO) in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 43

Warning: mysql_insert_id(): A link to the server could not be established in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 43

Fatal error: Call to undefined function db_affected_rows() in /var/www/vhosts/seibertron.com/httpdocs/contact/index.php on line 46

Thanks for letting us know. The problem was resolved a few weeks ago.