Problem with Style Manager

[Snowhog]

vBulletin 4.2.3 Beta 3

I'm getting this while in the AdminCP and in the Style Manager and I double-click on Registration Templates.

Hourly registration attempts exceeded!
Press your back button and try something else.

Why??

[ozzy47]

Are you running some sort of mod that limits registrations per hour?

Lets do this, disable plugins via the includes/config.php file.

To do that open your includes/config.php file and below <?php add the following.

define('DISABLE_HOOKS', true);

So it looks like this:
<?php
define('DISABLE_HOOKS', true);
/*================================================= =====================*\
|| ################################################## ################## ||
|| # vBulletin 4.2.2

Use a editor like notepad++ (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v6.6.8.html) to edit any files, don't use Notepad or Wordpad.

If that fixes the issue enable plugins again by adding // before the line you added, then navigate to ACP --> Plugins & Products --> Manage Products and disable one mod at a time until you find the one causing the issue.

Once you find the culprit, post in that mods thread what the issue is, and maybe someone in that thread can help. :)

[Snowhog]

Okay.

Adding the line to config.php prevents the message and shows the templates for selection. I've commented the line and will now go through and disable the mods, one at a time and test.

Thanks ozzy. I'll report back when I've found the mod that is triggering the issue.

[ozzy47]

Yeah I would like to know which mod would cause that, as it should not affect the ACP.

[Snowhog]

Found what is triggering this, and it isn't any vBulleting MOD; It's ZB Block, specifically, a registration attempts per hour setting.

I've already contacted the developer and advised him of the issue. That particular ZB Block trigger needs some minor modification; IMO. At least I now know what's causing this, and can work around it until the trigger is fixed.

[ozzy47]

Glad you figured it out. :)

[Kane@airrifle]

You can set the desired hourly attempts yourself in the zbblock. ini file to off while you work on the reg templates

; *** Registration/Confirmation Pageloads Per Hour
;
; This throttle allows only X many registration attempts, and confirmation
; attempts per hour.
;
; values: pageloads
; "0" = Turn off limiter
; "1" = Turn off registration/confirmation
; "6" = Best for phpBB and it's derivatives
; "8" = Good for boards that use one file for all reg operations.
; "15" = Bots sometimes give up by now.
;
; default: hourly_reg = 8

hourly_reg = 0

[ozzy47]

Well it still should bot be affecting him when he is trying to do stuff in the ACP though, so something is clearly wrong.

[Snowhog]

You can set the desired hourly attempts yourself in the zbblock. ini file to off while you work on the reg templates


Yes, I'm aware of this. But I shouldn't have to, IMO. But again, I'm fully aware that ZB Block by design isn't "user aware", and only monitors "activity" -- at the moment.

[Kane@airrifle]

Yes, I'm aware of this. But I shouldn't have to, IMO. But again, I'm fully aware that ZB Block by design isn't "user aware", and only monitors "activity" -- at the moment.

As you say, it is not user aware. I have to turn it off completely (zbblock) when updating/installing plugins for example or else I get blocked. For me a bagatelle considering the amount of grief zbblock saves my site. That said, you can tune the signature file to your particular needs.

[ozzy47]

But you should not have to disable a mod when you are doing such things, that means it is coded poorly, don't have the proper checks in place.

[Snowhog]

As you say, it is not user aware. I have to turn it off completely (zbblock) when updating/installing plugins for example or else I get blocked. For me a bagatelle considering the amount of grief zbblock saves my site. That said, you can tune the signature file to your particular needs.
As to plugins, yes, that too I'm aware of. And again, it's because ZB Block isn't user aware.

No protection is perfect; I both understand and accept that. And as you commented, the amount of time ZB Block has saved me more than offsets these 'minor' niggles. ;)

[Kane@airrifle]

But you should not have to disable a mod when you are doing such things, that means it is coded poorly, don't have the proper checks in place.

It is not a mod as such Ozzy. It sits outside Vbulletin and is called via a hook in Globals or Config, or, any such file on whatever PHP driven website you are running.

[cellarius]

If it is called in a hook of vB, it is more than trivial to have the necessary checks in place, even if the software itself is not a vB mod.

Ozzy's verdict "coded poorly" nails it.

[ozzy47]

Yup, poorly coded, for running on unnecessary pages.

[Snowhog]

I have to defend ZB Block. It isn't poorly coded. I have it "hooked" into global.php (in all three locations where it exists) so that every part of our forum is protected. It doesn't have to be incorporated into global.php; one can choose which specific .php files to put the hook in to.

ZB Block has prevented 100% of all spam and spammers from getting into our forum.

[cellarius]

The program itself may not, but the integration into vB sure is.

[ozzy47]

Correct, I mean how is a spammer gonna spam your templates in the ACP. :p
Nor should the mod stop you from doing anything on your site, unless of course you set it to stop you.