Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fails.

[Neil]

Hi.

When I try to upload a list of ~600 recipients, MBM systematically fails.

I am using the Recipients - Upload to MLM... function. The response is typically:

No recipients have been uploaded to the remote list 'My List'. Check your list and try again.

Make sure your list contains at least yada yada...

I have read most of the relevant forums/FAQs I could find. Here are the clef notes:

• mod_security is not installed
• configuration is correct, evidenced by records appearing in `tbl_mlm_sub_clk_test` when I do previews.
• nothing is showing up in my apache error log, except for some deprecated function warnings
• lm.php version is 3.0.7. MBM SE version is 8.3.9-US (installed today from Mac App Store).

I've noticed MBM doesn't like importing tab-delimited text files with multiline values, so I've removed all columns that contain such values. It hasn't helped.

Now what?

Thanks,

Neil

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Are you uploading a list that already exists in MaxBulk Mailer?

 

[Neil]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Yep. Is it possible to upload a list that doesn't exist in MBM using the method I mentioned?

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Yes, the Upload to MLM window allows you to upload external lists as well. Anyway have you tried to change the upload settings?

 

[Neil]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Yes. I went from "All at once" at 2 second intervals to 250 at 5 second intervals, same deal.

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Are you sure MLM is properly installed? Can you log into it with your browser, create a list and add a recipient to that list?

 

[Neil]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Yep.

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Well, you will have to talk with your server support then. The problem is with them. Very likely a security setting.

 

[Neil]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

I run the server. As I said, mod_security isn't installed. Suhosin is, but any app that can't deal with that needs to be redesigned, because it's everywhere and most hosting companies won't disable it. The application's directory is owned by the same user as the Apache process, and has 755 permission set throughout.

I know what I'm doing. On the other hand, looking at lm.php:

if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt1'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt1'] ) ) { $opt1 = $_REQUEST['opt1']; }
if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt2'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt2'] ) ) { $opt2 = $_REQUEST['opt2']; }
if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt3'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt3'] ) ) { $opt3 = $_REQUEST['opt3']; }
if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt4'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt4'] ) ) { $opt4 = $_REQUEST['opt4']; }
if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt5'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt5'] ) ) { $opt5 = $_REQUEST['opt5']; }
if ( isset( $_REQUEST['opt6'] ) && !empty( $_REQUEST['opt6'] ) ) { $opt6 = $_REQUEST['opt6']; }

God almighty. Who wrote this crap? Half your function calls are prefixed with the @ sign, which suppresses error reporting, so I've no idea what's going on in there.

Now what? Do I have to use Wireshark?

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

I write MLM and yes, I use '@' everywhere to avoid warnings to appear in the middle of the page. All the pages in the 'html' folder has a 'DEBUGGING' section where you can activate or deactivate debugging. Doing so you will see all the debug information, errors, warnings, etc... And no, I am an experienced PHP developer with years of experience, I don't' write crap.

About the other problem, please paste the text you get when you go to the 'upload_list.php' file.

 

[Neil]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

I set the $mlm_debug global in upload_list.php to true, and pasted the response from upload_list.php here: http://d.pr/n/TQo4

There are 647 recipients in the list I'm using, so I can't see it being a memory issue.

I must respectfully disagree with your assertion that you don't write crap. No programmer worth his salt, in any discipline, writes the same line of code 20 times when a loop will suffice. In respect to hiding errors, isn't that the issue here? Something's going wrong and we can't tell what it is. Isn't the more responsible practice to write code that handles errors, rather than sweeping them under the rug? If the software was written that way, I would have meaningful information to give you beyond "um it didn't work".

I've lost count of the bugs I've found in MBM since I bought it. If you're in preferences and there's a communications error, the buttons grey out and you can't kill the window. If there's a momentary loss of connectivity while sending messages, you have to re-start the process manually, so every batch of emails has to be baby-sat. Every restart hangs after 6 to 9 messages. And then you get fragmented reports, split at each fail point, so you can't see the big picture. These aren't forgivable glitches, I'm sorry, they're rookie mistakes caused by sloppy coding, that could easily be avoided with good code design practises and some unit tests.

If you decide you don't want to persevere with this issue, I'll understand. I bought the app through the mac app store and I'll gladly accept a refund.

 

[stanbusk]

Re: Upload list to MLM sits on "Waiting for Reply", then fai

Yes, get a refund, I think it will be the best. The MaxBulk Mailer supposed bugs are actually problems with your server but I guess you will not believe me either. Have a good day.