Topic: Wrong time on recent topics block

[Sakae]

Hi guys.

I'm using SMF 2.0 RC2 and Simple Portal 2.3.1 on http://www.tigrelog.com.br (l: simple / p: machines).

The clock on user area is right, same as my computer. But the time of recent topics/posts is wrong.

If I configure one, the other gets wrong, so I'd rather have the post time right before the clock in user area.

Is it a bug of Simple Portal?

Thanks in advance.

[Nathaniel]

Without logging in I can't see your issue, could you please post a screenshot?

The Recent posts/topics block time string relies on the inbuild SMF SSI.php functions, which use the exact same time functions as the display for all over your forum, so I am not sure why this would be occuring at the moment.

[Sakae]

Hi, sorry for taking so long. See the attached screenshots.

I believe there's a problem with timezone, since it's +3 on examples (despites I use "0" on my forum), as it used to be in Simple Portal old version. Could be a DB problem?

[Nathaniel]

Is your personal offset (set in the profile area) the same as the forum's default?

[Sakae]

Yes! You can test using the login I provided...

l: simple
p: machines

[Nathaniel]

Ah, that is intended behaviour, the recent block is showing the information for the most recent post from that topic, so that is why the time is different from the boardindex (which shows the time that the topic was started itself).

[Sakae]

What?? Nooooooo!!! There's only ONE POST in each topic I show on screenshots!!

It's indeed a BUG or some configuration I am missing... Or for sure there is no field on Simple Portal configuration to change timezone?? Does it ever exist this function?

[Nathaniel]

Ah, ok. I was comparing your boardindex to the block. It looks like a bug with the SMF message index (the listing of topics for a particular board) which is not related to SimplePortal in any way. You have a mod that changes your message index (adding the 'Global Announcements', 'Important Topics' and 'Normal Topics' sections), its likely that that mod is causing the problem, probably because it doesn't add the forum offset.

The block agrees with the post/topic times shown when you view the topics themselves, so they must be correct.

[Sakae]

Oh, haven't saw this """detail""", and you're correct!

I just realized there's a bug only in Curve and my default theme (Curve based). There's something with boardindex I'm missing!

Thanks anyway!

[AngelinaBelle]

It seems that, with ?theme=1, ?theme=19, and ?theme=20, the two times agree.
 
But with ?theme=2, the times are different.
 
The time at the bottom of the board index always agrees with the time on the posting.  So I am guessing that the time show in ?topic= and at the bottom of the index is correct, and that the time shown in the block is incorrect -- but only when theme=2 is used.
 
Do you have any changes to PortalBlocks.php, in sp_recent? Or in SSI.php, in ssi_queryPosts?
 
1) In Portalblocks.php, in the function sp_recent, with the compact option, the time is displayed:

Code: [Select]

        <a href="', $item['href'], '">', $item['subject'], '</a> <span class="smalltext">', $txt['by'], ' ', $item['poster']['link'], $item['new'] ? '' : ' <a href="' . $scripturl . '?topic=' . $item['topic'] . '.msg' . $item['new_from'] . ';topicseen#new" rel="nofollow"><img src="' . $settings['lang_images_url'] . '/new.gif" alt="' . $txt['new'] . '" border="0" /></a>', '<br />[', $item['time'], ']</span><br />', empty($item['is_last']) ? '<hr />' : '';
2) In SSI.php, in the function ssi_queryPosts -- where the time is formatted and stored as $item['time']

Code: [Select]

   'time' => timeformat($row['poster_time']),This same line appears in several different functions in SSI.php, but it is function ssi_queryPosts  that we want to check.

[Sakae]

1) In Portalblocks.php, in the function sp_recent, with the compact option, the time is displayed:

Code: [Select]

<a href="', $item['href'], '">', $item['subject'], '</a> <span class="smalltext">', $txt['by'], ' ', $item['poster']['link'], $item['new'] ? '' : ' <a href="' . $scripturl . '?topic=' . $item['topic'] . '.msg' . $item['new_from'] . ';topicseen#new" rel="nofollow"><img src="' . $settings['lang_images_url'] . '/new.gif" alt="' . $txt['new'] . '" border="0" /></a>', '<br />[', $item['time'], ']</span><br />', empty($item['is_last']) ? '<hr />' : '';

Portalblocks.php have no modifications (still, here's my line, it's the same as original):

Code: [Select]

<a href="', $item['href'], '">', $item['subject'], '</a> <span class="smalltext">', $txt['by'], ' ', $item['poster']['link'], $item['new'] ? '' : ' <a href="' . $scripturl . '?topic=' . $item['topic'] . '.msg' . $item['new_from'] . ';topicseen#new" rel="nofollow"><img src="' . $settings['lang_images_url'] . '/new.gif" alt="' . $txt['new'] . '" border="0" /></a>', '<br />[', $item['time'], ']</span><br />', empty($item['is_last']) ? '<hr />' : '';

2) In SSI.php, in the function ssi_queryPosts -- where the time is formatted and stored as $item['time']

Code: [Select]

   'time' => timeformat($row['poster_time']),This same line appears in several different functions in SSI.php, but it is function ssi_queryPosts  that we want to check.

Same either. Actually, this code you gave..

Code: [Select]

'time' => timeformat($row['poster_time']),..shows 4 times on my SSI.php, 3 of them followed by..

Code: [Select]

'timestamp' => forum_time(true, $row['poster_time']),..except on function "ssi_recentAttachments". I add it below, but still, nothing.

Actually, I found a "solution", and you can imagine what.

I erased the time item on PortalBlocks.php. Really, that became way better than expected.

[AngelinaBelle]

You came up with a pragmatic solution. Remove the time, and it will not bother you.
 
Still, it is very strange and puzzling. Why were the times correct for every theme except theme 2? No evidence to found in PortalBlocks.php or SSI.php. We may never know the answer.
 
Do you want to look into this any more, or are you planning to move on?
 

[Sakae]

Well, I'm not sure.

I might keep trying eventually from now on, you will know

[Nathaniel]

I don't think that there are any issues with how SimplePortal handles the timestamp. As I said previously, this is a bug with your MessageIndex (the page which lists topics for a specific board). The Recent block's time agreed with the time displayed within the topic itself.

To get a solution for your problem, you will need to look at your MessageIndex.template.php and MessageIndex.php files. As I already stated you have a mod that has changed those files (and the MessageIndex itself), this problem is likely a bug with that mod (or a custom theme that has its own custom MessageIndex.template.php file), not with SimplePortal.