Fixed: Install fails when using the dynamic config folder paths.

[yorkshire-pudding]

Description of the bug

Trying to install in the default way with dynamically generated config folder names fails as the config folder name is not written to settings.php

Steps To Reproduce

To reproduce the behavior:

1. Download the 1.x-1.x branch of backdrop as zip
2. Unzip to website docroot
3. Ensure DB is empty
4. On command line cd docroot
5. ./core/scripts/install.sh --account-pass=password --db-url=mysql://db_user:db_pass@localhost/db_name (anonymised)
6. It will say Backdrop installed successfully.
7. head -n 60 settings.php
8. Navigate to the home page of the site
9. In command line do ls files
10. Drop all tables in the database and delete the docroot folder
11. Unzip to website docroot
12. In browser refresh the page - it should go to core/install.php
13. Enter database details and proceed to next step
14. In command line do ls files
15. In command line do head -n 60 settings.php

Actual behavior

Step 7 - Extract of settings.php

<?php
/**
 * @file
 * Main Backdrop CMS configuration file.
 */

/**
 * Database configuration:
 *
 * Most sites can configure their database by entering the connection string
 * below. If using primary/replica databases or multiple connections, see the
 * advanced database documentation at
 * https://api.backdropcms.org/database-configuration
 */
$database = 'mysql://db_user:db_pass@localhost/db_name';
$database_prefix = '';

/**
 * Configuration storage
 *
 * By default configuration will be stored in the filesystem, using the
 * directories specified in the $config_directories setting. Optionally,
 * configuration can be store in the database instead of the filesystem.
 * Switching this option on a live site is not currently supported without some
 * manual work.
 *
 * Example using the database for live and file storage for staging:
 * @code
 * $settings['config_active_class'] = 'ConfigDatabaseStorage';
 * $settings['config_staging_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';
 * @endcode
 */
// $settings['config_active_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';
// $settings['config_staging_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';

/**
 * Site configuration files location (if using file storage for configuration)
 *
 * By default these directories are stored within the files directory with a
 * hashed path. For the best security, these directories should be in a location
 * that is not publicly accessible through a web browser.
 *
 * Example using directories one parent level up:
 * @code
 * $config_directories['active'] = '../config/active';
 * $config_directories['staging'] = '../config/staging';
 * @endcode
 *
 * Example using absolute paths:
 * @code
 * $config_directories['active'] = '/home/myusername/config/active';
 * $config_directories['staging'] = '/home/myusername/config/staging';
 * @endcode
 */
$config_directories['active'] = 'files/config_' . md5($database) . '/active';
$config_directories['staging'] = 'files/config_' . md5($database) . '/staging';

/**
 * Skip the configuration staging directory cleanup
 *

Note the $database settings have been written to settings.php but not $config_directories

Step 8

Step 9

./  ../  .htaccess  README.md  config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335/  field/  styles/

Note the difference in config folder names between folder and error message:
Error: config_b05ed1b853e0ec5082777affc41f2cae
Folder: config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335

Step 13

Step 14

./  ../  .htaccess  README.md  config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335/

Note the difference in config folder names between folder and error message:
Error: config_40a3365ba6fb24dd6f483b4734a29085
Folder: config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335

Step 15 - Extract of settings.php

<?php
/**
 * @file
 * Main Backdrop CMS configuration file.
 */

/**
 * Database configuration:
 *
 * Most sites can configure their database by entering the connection string
 * below. If using primary/replica databases or multiple connections, see the
 * advanced database documentation at
 * https://api.backdropcms.org/database-configuration
 */
$database = 'mysql://db_user:db_pass@localhost/db_name';
$database_prefix = '';

/**
 * Configuration storage
 *
 * By default configuration will be stored in the filesystem, using the
 * directories specified in the $config_directories setting. Optionally,
 * configuration can be store in the database instead of the filesystem.
 * Switching this option on a live site is not currently supported without some
 * manual work.
 *
 * Example using the database for live and file storage for staging:
 * @code
 * $settings['config_active_class'] = 'ConfigDatabaseStorage';
 * $settings['config_staging_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';
 * @endcode
 */
// $settings['config_active_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';
// $settings['config_staging_class'] = 'ConfigFileStorage';

/**
 * Site configuration files location (if using file storage for configuration)
 *
 * By default these directories are stored within the files directory with a
 * hashed path. For the best security, these directories should be in a location
 * that is not publicly accessible through a web browser.
 *
 * Example using directories one parent level up:
 * @code
 * $config_directories['active'] = '../config/active';
 * $config_directories['staging'] = '../config/staging';
 * @endcode
 *
 * Example using absolute paths:
 * @code
 * $config_directories['active'] = '/home/myusername/config/active';
 * $config_directories['staging'] = '/home/myusername/config/staging';
 * @endcode
 */
$config_directories['active'] = 'files/config_' . md5($database) . '/active';
$config_directories['staging'] = 'files/config_' . md5($database) . '/staging';

/**
 * Skip the configuration staging directory cleanup
 *

Note the $database settings have been written to settings.php but not $config_directories

Expected behavior

Backdrop installs normally using both the CLI script and the UI
Confirmed in both Lando and natively (on host) that the latest release 1.27.1 works fine for both.

Additional information

Add any other information that could help, such as:

• Backdrop CMS version: 1.28.x-dev
• Web server and its version: Apache
• PHP version: 8.1
• Database sever (MySQL or MariaDB?) and its version: both
• Operating System and its version: linux
• Browser(s) and their versions: N/A

[indigoxela]

Confirmed. When using the dynamic directory names, the install via UI fails.

In my case it was:

./files/config_6c8e87b96ae385d096d72b7b6ac38f43/active/ not found.

vs. created directory (wrong!):

./files/config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335

👆 One is the md5 of the initial database value mysql://user:pass@localhost/database_name the other one the md5 of the actual db settings. The right one.

Seems like this md5 based directory creation happened too early, when the database credentials weren't even set yet?

[quicksketch]

Thanks @yorkshire-pudding and @indigoxela. Could you try out backdrop/backdrop#4724? I haven't reproduced this problem locally, but I suspect it has to do with initializing config before settings.php is rewritten. The PR moves the initialization of the config after rewriting settings.php.

[yorkshire-pudding]

@quicksketch - I tested with that but it doesn't make any difference. I get exactly the same results.

[herbdool]

@quicksketch @yorkshire-pudding It worked for me.

I first tested a fresh install without the patch and I got:

Failed to write configuration file: ./files/config_ef6d450a67517cbc757971fc31e799c7/active/system.authorize.json

Then I applied the patch and got "Backdrop installed successfully." And I was able to log in. All looked fine.

[totten]

For me, that patch (b50117cb42f0d156ab16161dc0d12a9a3b1e6c8b) helps a little bit - but not decisively.

One thing to look out for in reproducing (when repeatedly reinstalling) -- the content of settings.php evolves. Depending on whether you reset it to baseline, the problem may or may not recur. Consider this procedure:

for trial in 1 2 ; do
  reset_mysql_databases
  git checkout settings.php
  rm -rf files/config_*
  ./core/scripts/install.sh --db-url=...
done

Compare:

1. If I include the git checkout step in the middle, then it consistently reproduces the problem. The folder is always initialized as files/config_a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335 (aka md5('mysql://user:pass@localhost/database_name')).
2. But if I skip the git checkout step in the middle, then the settings.php is a bit different, and it actually works.

Asides:

• I believe the patch helps insofar as (with repeated runs -- creating slightly different starting points in settings.php), you are able to eventually do an installation.
• When running install.sh, it's interesting that settings.php seems to load twice. On the first load, it has the dummy $database ('mysql://user:pass@localhost/database_name; a1614e81308b9e6b86be181ef0914335) -- and on the second load, it has the real $database (and real hash). Evidently that first load determines the effective folder-name used by the installer.

[laryn]

@totten If you get a chance to test removing the global $config_directories; line from backdrop_install_config_location() that's my current theory but I haven't had a chance to validate it yet. Maybe declaring $config_directories as an empty array again before the settings get read in as it was before:

backdrop/backdrop@5faa5ed#diff-5ad946c2d6abff202fe58bbc7b2b8c28af243b335436bdcf6948ca183cb46290

[quicksketch]

Thanks @totten, I appreciate your help! I pushed another commit to the PR that might resolve the problem more comprehensively. In my testing I was able to install manually and have the settings.php file rewritten correctly and be picked up in the remainder of the installer.

One thing to look out for in reproducing (when repeatedly reinstalling) -- the content of settings.php evolves.

Yep, I think that's where we're seeing the problem. I don't usually run into this issue because DDEV always provides the database connection string, so that step of the installer is skipped. When using the UI and using the stock settings.php file, it rewrites its contents based on the input from the UI.

So the first install fails, but it populates some values in settings.php. The next time, those values are provided and don't need to be changed, so the second install works properly.

I think the updated PR is now working properly, please give it a test if you can.

[totten]

Oh, nice. Thanks @laryn @quicksketch. I think either/both get it to work for me:

• Use #4724's initial commit (b50117cb42f0d156ab16161dc0d12a9a3b1e6c8b) and manually drop the line global $config_directories
• Use #4724's latest revision (c2d6868cbb8f81f6d81920be93a836668791fec9 which includes that and a bit more)

[quicksketch]

Thanks for testing @totten! With @herbdool's confirmation, I went ahead and merged backdrop/backdrop#4724 to make testing easier. I'm feeling pretty good that this change reduces the logical differences in the installer code from what we have in 1.27.x.

@yorkshire-pudding If the problem is still yet occurring for you; it's possible there's another problem at play here still, but it looks as though this change has fixed at least one scenario. Please reopen if you still can reproduce the issue with the latest 1.x.

[indigoxela]

Fantastic! I can confirm, that the latest commit fixes the installer. 👍
Tested with the defaults (md5 based names for the config dir), on PHP 8.2, using the web UI.

[yorkshire-pudding]

I see this has all been sorted while I was out and then asleep. I've tested and confirm it all works.

[klonos]

Just for my benefit (because I've seen similar errors before), this was introduced in 1.28.x, right? (assuming with the changes for #2277) ...it wasn't reproducible before, in 1.27.x. Was it?

[yorkshire-pudding]

Just for my benefit (because I've seen similar errors before), this was introduced in 1.28.x, right? (assuming with the changes for #2277) ...it wasn't reproducible before, in 1.27.x. Was it?

Yes. That is correct

[diraneyya]

Hello is this supposed to be fixed in 1.29.0?

I tried to update the Dockerfile with 1.29.0 release and I am running at the same issue. The folks at backdrop-ops/backdrop-docker#48 have been crying about it for 4 years.

Trying to decide if this project is still alive or abandoned.

[yorkshire-pudding]

@diraneyya - this was an issue found when the config database storage functionality was added, but it was fixed in this issue before the 1.28.0 was released

[yorkshire-pudding]

@diraneyya - I've raised a question in the chat channel at https://backdrop.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/218635-Backdrop/topic/Docker.20Image

[diraneyya]

Thank you for the response I updated the docker image and it indeed works now:
backdrop-ops/backdrop-docker#69

I also uploaded a multi-arch build to docker hub:
https://hub.docker.com/r/orwa84/backdrop

Thanks!