Web Site Publisher
Troubleshooting - Expired Versions
Web Site Publisher is an intelligent ftp tool for publishing a web site to the web. It has gone through a number of releases.
The information on this page shows troubleshooting notes for versions which have expired. For troubleshooting notes applicable to current versions of Web Site Publisher please see here. The current version of Web Site Publisher no longer incorporates an expiry date and as such the information on this page is maintained for reference purposes only.
Known issues affecting expired versions ...
- Deleted final web site still remains in list
- Failed to connect to server ... The operation completed successfully
- Failed to copy file ... There are no more files
- Failed to delete directory ... File exists
- File uploaded unnecessarily that had not been changed
- Out of memory error
- The handle is invalid (#6)
- The procedure entry point FlashWindowEx could not be located in the dynamic link library user32.dll
- The source directory you have specified does not exist or is inaccessible
- Timeout values for new publications are too low
- Tries to dial a connection after switch to broadband
Deleted final web site still remains in list
When there is only one web site defined and you delete it, it still remains listed.
Versions affected
All versions up to 1.2. Fixed in version 1.3.
Cause
This is an internal bug. The web site settings are indeed deleted, but the displayed list is not updated to reflect that the web site no longer exists.
Resolution
This bug is fixed in version 1.3.
A work around is to quit the tool and restart it. The wizard will then run to allow you to create a new web site, because you will have none defined.
Failed to connect to server ... The operation completed successfully
When Web Site Publisher is attempting to connect to a server the following error is generated:
Failed to connect to destination XXXX Error code: 0 Description: The operation completed successfully
where "XXXX" is the name of the server.
The following internal bugs can cause this error:
Internet Subsystem is offline
Versions affected
1.0
Cause and Resolution
This is an internal bug. Web Site Publisher fails to detect that the internet subsystem has been switched is off-line. This error will only manifest itself on systems with a permanent internet connection (i.e. broadband) where the internet subsystem has been switched off-line (typically via internet explorer or outlook express).
As a work around, switch the internet subsystem on-line (using Internet Explorer or Outlook Express).
This issue is resolved in version 1.1.
The Password is incorrect
Versions affected
1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4
Cause and Resolution
This is an internal bug. When Web Site Publisher fails to connect because the supplied password is incorrect then it tries to connect again. The reconnect attempt also fails and the error is given. However the error does not include the true cause of the failure, which is that the password is incorrect.
This error is likely to occur when first configuring a web-site or when the connection parameters (i.e. the password) have changed for the account used to access the ftp server.
As a work around, go to the web site properties and re-enter the password.
This issue is resolved in version 1.5. In version 1.5 a dialog appears showing the actual error reported by the FTP server. In most cases it should be apparent from this if the username or password is incorrect.
Failed to copy file ... There are no more files
When updating a website the following error is generated:
Copying file NNNN
Error: Failed to copy file NNNN to SSSS
Error code: 18
Description: There are no more files
Where "NNNN" is the name of a file and "SSSS" the ftp address of the server.
Versions affected
This error was first reported with version 0.5 (Beta).
Cause and Resolution
This error is caused by a error return from the server. An error in Web Site Publisher prevents the correct error message from being displayed. This issue is resolved in version 1.1, which displays the correct error message.
Failed to delete directory ... File exists
When Web Site Publisher is deleting a directory (or folder) that exists at the server but no longer exists locally, sometimes the following error is generated:
Failed to delete directory FFFF (error 12003). Internet extended error: 550 DDDD: File exists
Where "FFFF" is the ftp address with the directory name appended, and "DDDD" is the name of the directory.
Versions affected
0.3 (Beta), 0.4 (Beta) and 0.5 (Beta).
Cause and Resolution
The error means that the server will not permit the directory to be deleted because it contains a file. However, upon investigation the directory appears empty (because Web Site Publisher has already deleted all the necessary files). This error is caused by a hidden file remaining at the server.
The problem is fixed in version 1.0.
File uploaded unnecessarily that had not been changed
Occasionally when uploading to a website a file is uploaded that was previously uploaded but the local version of the file has not been changed, i.e. a file is uploaded unnecessarily. This would be more likely to manifest itself if when the file was previously uploaded it was edited just prior to running Web Site Publisher.
Versions affected
All versions up to and including version 1.2. Fixed in version 1.3.
Cause and Resolution
Some shortcomings have been discovered in the time synchronisation logic and this lead to files occasionally being uploaded unnecessarily. The time synchronisation logic is responsible for working out the difference between the local PC's clock and the clock on the FTP server. Even in the same time zone these can be minutes apart and if the local PC and FTP server are in different time zones then they can be hours apart. Since the timestamp on a file is on of the mechanisms Web Site Publisher uses to determine what files need uploading it is important to be able to correctly determine the difference in clocks. Errors in this logic meant that sometimes slight inaccuracies could creep in - slight but sufficient to give rise to this problem occasionally. Also, the logic assumed that the FTP server's clock was ahead of the local PC's and this would lead to the logic failing if the FTP server was in an earlier time zone.
This problem is fixed in version 1.3.
Out of memory error
After using Web Site Publisher up and running for a considerable length of time (for example over a day publishing files constantly), an "out of memory" error has been observed. The length of time required before this error is seen may vary between computers.
This error has only been observed with large sites where the tool has been actively publishing files to the FTP server for over a day. It is therefore unlikely to affect the vast majority of users.
Versions affected
All, but first identified in version 1.6.2.
Cause
This error arises because all the activity performed by Web Site Publisher is written out to a log, and since messages are not removed from this log there comes a point where it runs out of memory. This may be a limitation of the control, since the computer itself is likely to remain with ample free virtual memory.
Resolution
Restart Web Site Publisher.
This problem has been fixed in version 2.0.3.
The handle is invalid (#6)
While publishing a website a message box appears containing the message:
The handle is invalid (#6)
Versions affected
This error was first reported in version 1.4, but may exist in previous versions as well.
Cause and Resolution
This error is caused by a timeout when listing files on the ftp server, which is not being correctly handled by the code.
This problem is fixed in version 1.5.
The procedure entry point FlashWindowEx could not be located in the dynamic link library user32.dll
When attempting to run Web Site Publisher on a Window NT4 machine, the following error is produced:
The procedure entry point FlashWindowEx could not be located in the dynamic link library user32.dll
and the tool does not run.
Versions affected
Version 1.1 and version 1.2 only.
Resolution
This bug is fixed in version 1.3.
The source directory you have specified does not exist or is inaccessible
When using the Wizard to define a new website, attempting to select a network share (or some directories) produces the message:
The source directory you have specified does not exist or is inaccessible. Please check and reenter.'
This is despite the fact that the directory (or share) is accessible.
Versions affected
First demonstrated in version 1.1, but may affect earlier versions as well.
Cause and Resolution
This is an internal bug and is fixed in version 1.2.
Timeout values for new publications are too low
Newly created web sites may have timeout values that are too low. Using 10 seconds for all timeout values rather than the default values which are much higher. This problem affects only the values initially associated with the website - if these values are manually changed then they new values are correctly stored and used.
Versions affected
0.3 (Beta) and 0.4 (Beta).
Resolution
This problem is fixed in version 0.5. As a work around:
- Highlight the website.
- Double click the website or click "Properties"
- Select the "FTP Parameters" tab on the properties page.
- Click the two "Default" buttons - one next to each of the timeout values.
- Click "Save"
Tries to dial a connection after switch to broadband
After switching to broadband and deleting the dial-up network account that used to be used, the tool still insists on dialling up even though under the web site properties the connection is shown as "Any/LAN connection".
Versions affected
0.3 (Beta).
Cause and Resolution
This is an internal bug. Despite the dial up connection being shown as "Any/LAN connection" the tool is still remembering the name of the original dial up connection and is using that.
To resolve the problem review the web site properties, ensure that the connection is shown as "Any/LAN connection" and then Save the properties. Ensure that you save the properties even if you don't explicitly change anything. This will update the stored properties of the web site, correctly associating "Any/LAN connection" with the web site.
This problem is fixed from version 0.4.