This Path Makes No Sense

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

And that discovery scares me to no end:

patriotaction.us/forum/hobbies-astronomy-guns/rants-raves-and-conspiracy-theories

Rants, etc. is listed as in the private area, NOT in the "hobbies-astronomy-guns" --- so what the heck is going on? Please.

[Sunsettommy]

The headings were created in a hurry when this forum software was being set up when it was realized we couldn't transfer the database into it.

I have problems with it too as the board looks too crowded and not easy to follow, will be working on it eventually.

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

The headings were created in a hurry when this forum software was being set up when it was realized we couldn't transfer the database into it.

I have problems with it too as the board looks too crowded and not easy to follow, will be working on it eventually.

Well, I've worked with a number of control panels and I am still not quite sure how it is possible to place a restriction on a sub-forum within the hierarchical tree structure and no restriction on the forum within that path.

But as I wrote in the previous post, I'm running out of energy here. Frankly, you folks have a mess on your hands. But we've already been over some of that in private communications, haven't we? I tried to warn you; you have security holes all over the place and that has not one thing to do with web scrappers/bots.

[Sunsettommy]

patriotaction.us/forum/hobbies-astronomy-guns/rants-raves-and-conspiracy-theories

I pasted it in my browser and it said I have to LOG IN to see it.


Sorry, you are not authorized to view this page. For assistance contact the site administrator.

---

You may be to required to log in before you can view this page.

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

patriotaction.us/forum/hobbies-astronomy-guns/rants-raves-and-conspiracy-theories

I pasted it in my browser and it said I have to LOG IN to see it.

Sorry, you are not authorized to view this page. For assistance contact the site administrator.

---

You may be to required to log in before you can view this page.

Firstly, allow me to apologize for my rather crude/rude last post. Just that I am seriously worried about certain matters and I have already gotten myself into a mess.

Secondly, I had already checked that which you checked. I was actually trying to remember any time in the past when I saw a landing page set as you have yours with the "private" - - - heck, I can't even figure out how to explain that. But if you use the "Inspect" tool and then check the "Console" you are going to again see a lot of not good stuff.

But, thirdly, I wanted to not be too impolite and leave without at least offering you something that could help you, so here it is from Oracle:

https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/WAF/Protections/protections_management.htm

[Billy_Bob]

Firstly, allow me to apologize for my rather crude/rude last post. Just that I am seriously worried about certain matters and I have already gotten myself into a mess.

Secondly, I had already checked that which you checked. I was actually trying to remember any time in the past when I saw a landing page set as you have yours with the "private" - - - heck, I can't even figure out how to explain that. But if you use the "Inspect" tool and then check the "Console" you are going to again see a lot of not good stuff.

But, thirdly, I wanted to not be too impolite and leave without at least offering you something that could help you, so here it is from Oracle:

https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/C...management.htm

The landing page will always show you the full content of the site in the developer tool set. That said, differing forum points or channels in the vbulletin are then given specific access rights. This will make them viewable or not viewable depending upon whether you are logged in or not.

This is how vbulletin has chosen to create it's channel based access rights.

The Home versus The Forums page is a matter of setup. It has no bearing on security issues. This is something that can be changed and as I continue to work within the program it will get changed.

I appreciate your input, that said, I would appreciate it if you responded to me rather than to Thomas. You're "on the job training" remarks did not go unnoticed. I simply chose to ignore them as they were meant as a slight.

[Earl]

The landing page will always show you the full content of the site in the developer tool set. That said, differing forum points or channels in the vbulletin are then given specific access rights. This will make them viewable or not viewable depending upon whether you are logged in or not.

This is how vbulletin has chosen to create it's channel based access rights.

The Home versus The Forums page is a matter of setup. It has no bearing on security issues. This is something that can be changed and as I continue to work within the program it will get changed.

I appreciate your input, that said, I would appreciate it if you responded to me rather than to Thomas. You're "on the job training" remarks did not go unnoticed. I simply chose to ignore them as they were meant as a slight.

Boorish behavior by a boor. Perhaps even a habitual contrarian.

Thanks for all your work.

It is appreciated.

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

Well, my intent was to simply ignore all this bovine excrement, BUT that earthquake stuff got me back on the site, so let me just put forth something that ALL website managers KNOW! The bloody path should match the location of the forum or sub-forum. Very, very basic shite!! If you ignore the basics, how the frigging heck do you folks expect trust in the individuals (the team) to be garnered?

"Habitual Contrarian" is a nice title, by the way. Thank you.

But, Earl, if you are fine with a lack of proper protocol within the site's system, then do not complain when some smart hacker comes along and does you harm!!! In fact, from what I have logged, so far, it wouldn't even have to be a "smart" hacker. Some hacker teacher could use this site for hacking lessons and all you folks could get screwed. But you want to file that as simply habitual contrarian stuff, then good luck.

Do any of you folks know how to use the Right-Click-Inspect Tool? Maybe this habitual contrarian should do some teaching here?

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

The landing page will always show you the full content of the site in the developer tool set. That said, differing forum points or channels in the vbulletin are then given specific access rights. This will make them viewable or not viewable depending upon whether you are logged in or not.

This is how vbulletin has chosen to create it's channel based access rights.

The Home versus The Forums page is a matter of setup. It has no bearing on security issues. This is something that can be changed and as I continue to work within the program it will get changed.

I appreciate your input, that said, I would appreciate it if you responded to me rather than to Thomas. You're "on the job training" remarks did not go unnoticed. I simply chose to ignore them as they were meant as a slight.

Would you please stay on the point that was made. I only posted that path was incorrect. I was not making any reference to whether a given sub-forum was able to be seen by guests or not.

It is the protocol that is the key. There are protocols in all sorts of industries and they are established for very good reasons.

In this case, having the wrong path is just not the way it should be done.

I also do not understand what was meant about not responding to a post by Thomas. He is just as responsible for what goes on here as you are. Maybe, more so.

I hope that wasn't asking me to ignore his posts.

By the way, misspelled words in any given path can also cause real problems; both security and search engine troubles.

For example: ... /forum/main-forum/annouoncments/feedback/4838-this-path-makes-no-sense#post5190

And I have seen at least one other: "polotics". I asked somebody about the Google results I found and she told me that if a word is misspelled in the site's path it is dumped automatically because they rely a lot on AI now.

You folks really need to clean things up before real trouble hits the site, if it hasn't already. There may very well be valid reasons why you are have some personal problems with this-or-that when doing this code work, but machines don't care about that. And a whole bunch of the Internet is just one giant machine.

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

And that discovery scares me to no end:

patriotaction.us/forum/hobbies-astronomy-guns/rants-raves-and-conspiracy-theories

Rants, etc. is listed as in the private area, NOT in the "hobbies-astronomy-guns" --- so what the heck is going on? Please.

Okay, I'm wrong! Sorry. That certainly does look like I was making a point about whether it was an open sub-forum or a private sub-forum.

That wasn't meant to be the key to why I was bringing it up. I messed that up. I should have been clear that it is the path itself that was incorrect and that can lead to problems in ways that one might not realize until it is too late and trouble happens.

I think I remember that I was more than a bit surprised because, as I have already posted, I don't think I have ever seen that trouble before.

Anyway, I see where I gave all the wrong impression. It's the protocol I should have made clear right away, and I didn't. Please accept the apology.

[Billy_Bob]

Okay, I'm wrong! Sorry. That certainly does look like I was making a point about whether it was an open sub-forum or a private sub-forum.

That wasn't meant to be the key to why I was bringing it up. I messed that up. I should have been clear that it is the path itself that was incorrect and that can lead to problems in ways that one might not realize until it is too late and trouble happens.

I think I remember that I was more than a bit surprised because, as I have already posted, I don't think I have ever seen that trouble before.

Anyway, I see where I gave all the wrong impression. It's the protocol I should have made clear right away, and I didn't. Please accept the apology.

You had me totally confused...

I couldn't find what you were talking about.

As far as I can find I do not have any aberrant pathways. The site protocols and security are working as designed. You may have caught me making moves to certain channels into forms that were protected.

I appreciate your observations and concerns.

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

Maybe I can do a better example with a comparison.

That "Rant ... sub-forum is in the Lounge, correct?

Here is that path:

---/forum/hobbies-astronomy-guns/rants-raves-and-conspiracy-theories

"The Coffee Shop" is in the Lounge, yes?

Here is that path:

---/forum/the-lounge-members-only/the-coffee-shop-or-tea

[Billy_Bob]

Actually, the hobbies forum is not in the lounge. Does it need to be?

[AOF-AID-NGOs]

Actually, the hobbies forum is not in the lounge. Does it need to be?

No, I don't think most Community Citizens here would think it needs to be moved to the lounge.

But are you fully understanding what my point is/was? I sure would hope you do understand what those paths are indicating.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

Okay, let me just copy/paste the Google's AI input on this item:

AI Overview A sub-forum showing the wrong path usually stems from misconfigured forum parental settings, corrupted caching/indexing, or outdated URL rewrite settings in your forum software (like phpBB, wpForo, or XenForo).

Common Fixes to Try

• Check Parent Settings: Ensure the sub-forum is properly nested under its intended parent forum. You may need to edit the sub-forum's settings to verify its hierarchy. [1]
• Rebuild and Synchronize: Clear your forum's cache or run a "recount statistics" and "resynchronize" function in your admin dashboard. This forces the system to rebuild the correct directory paths.
• Update URL/Script Paths: If you recently moved your forum or site, ensure your script_path and domain settings match the new nested folder or subdomain. [1, 2]
• Check .htaccess or Permalinks: If you are using WordPress (e.g., wpForo), navigate to Settings > Permalinks and hit Save Changes twice to flush and reset your navigation paths. [1, 2]

To help me give you an exact fix, please tell me:

1. What forum software or platform are you using (e.g., phpBB, wpForo, Flarum, Discourse)?
2. Is the path displaying incorrectly on the forum index, or when you click on a specific post/topic link?
3. Did this start happening after a recent update or file move? [1, 2, 3]

That is as about as clear as can be.

[Billy_Bob]

Pathways are correct. Permissions are correct. System Cache has been rebuilt to verify things are where they are supposed to be. Old links are now broken. I did not find any problems with things but with all the moves I made, and changes completed, a systems cache rebuild was warranted.

That said, Sunsettommy, do we want to leave the hobbies forum open to the general public or is this an area we need to restrict to registered users?