Error: The input is NULL

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by olderscot
I realised after posting that you were using the updated workaround whereas I'm still on the original basic one.

All I get with the old workaround is a server error with the error message about microsoft's bug (and my embedded image).

Sorry for any confusion.

What happens with the new workaround? does it forward you to another page?

Mike

From my understanding of the code, it displays a page with an error message and a link to the IE6 fix on MS's pages.

[rmladden]

What the new workaround does for me is take the user back to the first checkout page, which in my case is the page that asks for the shipping destination. It is supposed to also display an error message in the box at the top. That's the box that displays messages like missing information. The box only appears if there is an error. For me there is no error box so the user does not know why he is back to that page. I did change the error message to communication error, please try again. I did not want my customer to go off and research IE bugs.

[taliesyn]

How exactly are you testing it then? I tried to reproduce the error in the way you described but I can't get it to do anything other than give me a General Script Error.

I'm obviously doing something stupid

[rmladden]

The new workaround intercepts the general script error. If you are still getting it, you may not have the new workaround installed correctly (like I'm one to talk).

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by rmladden
The new workaround intercepts the general script error. If you are still getting it, you may not have the new workaround installed correctly (like I'm one to talk).

That's not an entirely unfeasible situation

I'll recheck the scripts and try again.

[taliesyn]

Just checked the scripts, and they appear to have been changed exactly as per Nadeem's message. The site has been uploaded at least twice since this morning.

This gets stranger by the minute, as I'm still unable to trigger the error condition, and so test to see if the fix works.

[rmladden]

After hearing from Chis, this may not be testable the way I described.

But I don't think you still should be getting the general script error.

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by rmladden
After hearing from Chis, this may not be testable the way I described.

But I don't think you still should be getting the general script error.

Thanks for that. I'll await further developments then

[Nadeem]

Hi there

Here is a reply from one of our developers

When the error is encountered, instead of a General Script Error, the script behaves as if was the first call to the OrderScript e.g. os0000001.pl?Start and so redisplays the first checkout page.

The error message is shown in the error block at the top of this page. The link, if clicked, will open a new window so that the buyer is not taken away from the store. The buyer can try again or apply the patch and try again. The message can be customised by the merchant if they want to.

Kind Regards

[rmladden]

I can partially test by going direct to os*.pl. It goes to the first checkout page when before it would get a general script error. I probably cannot force the error message because it knows where I came from from the cookie. I cannot force a get to os*.pl from a checkout page because IE seems to remember that the page was a post and not a get and wants to refresh the page. This is complex stuff. I'll just believe the new workaround is good and shut up.

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by rmladden
I can partially test by going direct to os*.pl. It goes to the first checkout page when before it would get a general script error. I probably cannot force the error message because it knows where I came from from the cookie. I cannot force a get to os*.pl from a checkout page because IE seems to remember that the page was a post and not a get and wants to refresh the page. This is complex stuff. I'll just believe the new workaround is good and shut up.

This is probably the same reason I was unable to get it to fall over when I tried to access the pages directly. Good old IE

[rmladden]

I know I said I'll shut up, but I rarely ever do. I don't think the DisplayPage routine will display the error box and message because the status is still success in the cookie, which apparently keeps track of these things. Can the developer that understands this code verify?

[cdicken]

Bob

Here is the reponse from Gordon in development:

The global variable $::g_NullInput is set to True if there is no input
data received. This then causes the error message to be written to the
variable $sError. DisplayPage then includes the contents of $sError if
it is not null. The status is then set in the line $Response[0] =
$::BADDATA; which is returned to the calling routine.

From the thread I see the problem that the customers have with testing
the work round. The way to fool IE is to order a product and start the
checkout as normal. While still in the checkout, open a new IE Window
and enter the URL for the order script such as
https://www.sciencekits.com/cgi-bin/os000001.pl. This site at the moment
uses the first fix I did which just adds extra text to the general Script error.

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by cdicken
Bob

Here is the reponse from Gordon in development:

That's exactly how I was trying to test it.

All that happens for me is that Actinic just brings up the same stage of the checkout in the new window

I have the pre MS fix version of IE, so I would have thought this would have triggered the error.

I've edited the scripts in my \site1 directory as per the fix in Nadeem's post and re-uploaded my store. Please tell me that I'm not doing something stupid.

[rmladden]

OK, now I'll shut up. I have the first workaround now in my website, which really is not bad because it tells the user to go back and try again and does not take him all the way back to the first order screen. I have been switching back and forth. I have not decided which workaround I'll stay with. I may just add a BACK or RETRY button to the first workaround.

With either workaround, I would just tell the user to try again and remove the stuff about the Microsoft bug. I want the user to get the order placed, not start trying to fix his computer. The error is so intermittent on my site that it is not likely that the user will see it again. But I may be better off because of my long keep alive time.