Wordpress plugins cannot access SQL db

[priyank]

Hi
I seem to have a weird problem. Any plugins that I try to install in wordpress cant seem to function. On investigating, I found that they are unable to create a table in the sql database. The old plugins work fine, but the new ones dont, so I think this problem is recent one. Does anyone know why the plugins cant access the db ?
Thanks.

[Croc Hunter]

Are you using: username.powwebmysql.com ? If you're new plugins are trying to remote connect to a powweb mysql server that access is blocked. What plugins are they? Someone here may have the same working.

[priyank]

Hi!

There are 2 plugins in particular I was looking to use: Simpleviewer (http://wp-simpleviewer.fuggi82.de/) and FAlbum (http://www.randombyte.net/blog/projects/falbum/). The forum search didnt not reveal anything for either.

I tried both methods: username.powwebmysql.com and mysql##.powweb.com.

I tried installing these plugins on my non-powweb server having same version of WP and they ran fine. I also posted this question on the plugin guys' website but this seems to be a powweb specific problem.

Any wild guess why this may be happening?

Thanks again.

[IanS]

Can you give the exact error messages?

[priyank]

Hi,
There is no error message at all. This is what happens:

I login to wordpress and 'activate' a plugin. The plugin gets activated. However, if I try to make any change to the plugin options, I am either shown a blank page or simply redirected back to main page.

I went with this behavior to both the plugin makers forums and I got similar replies - to check if the plugins created a table in my WP SQL. No, they didn't. They say that the plugin cannot access the sqldb, hence cannot save the options, hence don't work.

thanks.

[IanS]

Try manually creating the table(s) required in the database first. Then any data required may be inserted.

[Croc Hunter]

Hmmm.. That's why I thought remote connection port blocked, but that is very unlikely, just wouldn't make sense to create tables that way unless it's some sort paid install service unrelated to Powweb, which would fail.

Did manually creating the tables fix?

I wonder if your CGI is borked. Goto OPS> Main> Overview> scroll down to the Scripting and Add-on's section> CGI and Scripted Language Support> PHP Scripting. If the dropdown box for "Select Default PHP Version" displays PHP4 and PHP5 it's ok. If it displays PHP twice contact support to have your CGI fixed.

I don't use wordpress, if you FTP upload the plugin files re-upload them.

[priyank]

Ian and Croc

The CGI looks okay, I can see both PHP4 and PHP5. I tried fresh running the plugins again by changing to PHP5. :(

Since I don't know how to create tables in SQL, I'll need a day to learn from the plugin manufacturers exactly how many fields are required etc. Once I do that, I'll repost here.

Appreciate your help guys.

[priyank]

Any ideas?

I tested few more plugins and concluded that - the plugins that try to create their own tables in the wordpress db on sql server are the plugins that fail.

Is there a way the db might be 'protected' or something? I simply used the sql page to create the table, and tried using both mysqlXX.powweb.com and username.powwebmysql.com

thanks.

[troycawley]

Check that the plugins are compatible with your version of Wordpress. The latest versions of Wordpress changed the tables a bit.

[priyank]

Check that the plugins are compatible with your version of Wordpress. The latest versions of Wordpress changed the tables a bit.

Yes :) The plugins are latest and compatible with WP 2.3

[troycawley]

...so I guess you already saw this (http://www.markpetrowsky.com/blog/site/falbum-flickr-plugin):
...It looks like they just released a 0.7.1 update to FAlbum. Taking a quick glance it looks like they might have fixed the database cache issue.
I'm trying to use the falbum plugin to simulate your problem. The wp_falbum_cache table was created, no problem. I can't get it to actually work, but I don't have any sql issues.
Honestly, this plugin doesn't seem as "robust" as some people tout.
If there was a problem with wordpress connecting to the db, you wouldn't be able to create a post or leave a comment on the blog, right? And the plugin uses the same credentials...the very same file to get those credentials.

[priyank]

[apologises to Troy]
Yay :) It DOES work now.

I didn't know that the plugins use same file (wp-config.php i guess). Also, since more than once plugin acted erratic, I thought it was SQL problem. Afterall until recently mysql12 was pretty messed up.

Thanks.

[troycawley]

[apologises to Troy]
None necessary....wp-config.php i guess...Exactly right.