Installation page shows error in PHP 7.1

[dfinton]

Hello! We're in the process of evaluating Joomla 3.7.4 and so we've got a brand new install that I'm setting up in a local dev environment (Ubuntu 16.04, PHP 7.1, MySQL 5.7.19, nginx 1.10.3). I followed the directions and got up to the point where the installation page would load up. So far, so good; but when I noticed that MySQL wasn't in the list of databases I realized I forgot to install the PHP MySQL driver. I did that, enabled the mysqli mod (symbolic link from /etc/php/7.1/mods-available to /etc/php/7.1/fpm/conf.d), restarted FPM, restarted nginx, and reloaded the page. When I did all of that, I got this error (no additional details on page or in the nginx logs):

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Error displaying the error page

Initial web searches all strongly pointed to database configuration as being the culprit, but that's not possible because I haven't even gotten as far as configuring the database (this is the initial install). I tried increasing the error/debug reporting in PHP but I'm already set to E_ALL in php.ini. I cleared cookies, wiped out the database I initially created in MySQL and re-created it, and even re-installed Joomla itself, but no luck.

The only thing that I've gotten to work is downgrading to PHP 7.0. When I performed those same steps with the older version of PHP, the installation page loads up and I can see MySQLi and MySQL PDO as options in the drop-down on the second installation page. This is good for a workaround, but eventually I have to get 7.1 to work because that is what we'll be using when we go live.

So, am I missing something? From what I can tell PHP 7.1 should be a supported version of PHP for Joomla 3.7.4 (it lists PHP 7+ as supported), but from my testing it doesn't want to run on that version of PHP, at least with MySQLi enabled (note: I tried disabling it and it looks like the mere presence of the PHP MySQL driver is enough to crash the page even if it's not enabled). It's difficult to know what to look for because all I get is a vague error message with no way of getting more detail.

Any pointers would be helpful. If I happen to stumble on the solution (I'm still troubleshooting), I'll post a reply to my thread. Thanks!

[sozzled]

I agree that a generic message like "Error displaying the error page" is not particularly helpful and that is why it's a good idea to enable Joomla's Debug Mode and set the error reporting level to something like "Maximum" in order to see what is the underlying cause of that error message. Have you tried that?

The most likely explanation for this kind of message is that you have installed a third-party extension that is not yet PHP 7.1 "ready".

Further, PHP 7 only allows MySQLi database connectivity.

[dfinton]

Hi sozzled,

I've looked around and all the documentation assumes that I can access the Admin console to set the error reporting level. Since I can't get past the installation screen I have no way to set it that way. Is there a non-Admin-console way to configure the error reporting levels? I suppose I could install with PHP 7.0, configure via the admin console, and then upgrade back up to 7.1, but I wanted to see if there was a more straightforward way to enable more detailed Joomla logging without going through all of that.

PHP itself is set to E_ALL, but it doesn't seem to report any issues in the nginx logs or on the page.

As far as third-party extensions go, this is a brand new installation of both PHP and Joomla. No third-party extensions for either package has been installed except for the MySQL drivers (via "apt-get install php7.1-mysql"). This is 100% bare-bones Joomla.

I agree that a generic message like "Error displaying the error page" is not particularly helpful and that is why it's a good idea to enable Joomla's Debug Mode and set the error reporting level to something like "Maximum" in order to see what is the underlying cause of that error message. Have you tried that?

The most likely explanation for this kind of message is that you have installed a third-party extension that is not yet PHP 7.1 "ready".

Further, PHP 7 only allows MySQLi database connectivity.

[sozzled]

Thank you for the clarification and my apologies for digressing on the matter of third-party extensions at this time.

Certainly the most important contribution to a successful Joomla installation revolves two things: (1) the execution of the PHP scripts that deploy the files needed to install and operate a Joomla website, and (2) how the database is connected to the files that "run" Joomla.

From what I've read, there is no MySQL connector available for PHP 7. People needing to run Joomla on PHP 7 have to use MySQLi. Does this have any bearing on the issues you are facing?

[leolam]

Once again

Further, PHP 7 only allows MySQLi database connectivity.

Leo

[dfinton]

I've noted in my original post that yes, I did activate MySQLi for PHP 7.1. Doing so caused the installation page to crash with the message. With PHP 7.0, I don't get the crash. I do appreciate your help on this but I don't want to spend too much time answering questions that I've already addressed. Thank you for your consideration of this.

Certainly the most important contribution to a successful Joomla installation revolves two things: (1) the execution of the PHP scripts that deploy the files needed to install and operate a Joomla website, and (2) how the database is connected to the files that "run" Joomla.

From what I've read, there is no MySQL connector available for PHP 7. People needing to run Joomla on PHP 7 have to use MySQLi. Does this have any bearing on the issues you are facing?

[leolam]

I do appreciate your help on this but I don't want to spend too much time answering questions that I've already addressed.

Sorry for the disturbance... jeez

Anyhow a next Joomla release might address this issue for you perhaps

Sorry for wasting your time by answering your support questions ........

Leo

[dfinton]

Anyhow a next Joomla release might address this issue for you perhaps

Is this a known bug? Or is PHP 7.1 support planned for the next release of Joomla? I ask because the technical specs page only mentions "PHP 7+" as supported. I got it to work in 7.0, but eventually it will have to run under 7.1.

Sorry for wasting your time by answering your support questions ........

I didn't mean to sound disrespectful or unappreciative for the help, but I did spend a lot of time putting together the original post outlining the problem in detail, the environment I'm running, the steps I took to try to resolve, and the workaround I found to temporarily get around the problem. Since that time I've had to refer people back to my original post to answer questions that had already been answered or point out that their recommended steps that are to be taken have already been addressed in the original post.

Think of it from the other person's perspective when responding to support questions. If someone takes the time to put as much detail as they can when asking for help in written form, just responding to their requests without at least giving a cursory glance at what they are asking for only serves to frustrate that person, not help them. I'm not asking you to not provide support; I'm just asking that if you do take the time to respond to my request for help, just make sure I hadn't already answered your question or already taken the steps you're recommending.

Anyways, I apologize for the rant and that's the last I'll mention it. Thanks!

[leolam]

I got it to work in 7.0, but eventually it will have to run under 7.1.

All our own (see 2 of them in my signature) and client sites we manage are running with PHP 7.1 without problems so if your site does not run with PHP7.1 you have a problem with your server. It is not a Joomla issue (the nightly builds for Joomla 3.8 run also very well on our servers with PHP 7.1 ...as do the Joomla 4.x builds..... btw)

It is a known fact that Joomla runs well with PHP7.1 and we face no issues

We do face an issue with some Joomla installation scripts in specific server environments which has been addressed and resolved in the next release (!) of Joomla. Patches have been committed on Github. We release these patches shortly

(Without knowing your server environment) It might solve your issue as well

Leo

[dfinton]

We do face an issue with some Joomla installation scripts in specific server environments which has been addressed and resolved in the next release (!) of Joomla. Patches have been committed on Github. We release these patches shortly

(Without knowing your server environment) It might solve your issue as well

Leo

I have the git repository cloned on my server for the evaluation, so I'll try out those patches. Thanks!

[naturalcausez]

For anyone who this might be helpful to:

If like me you are trying to run this with PHP 7.2, by default not all required packages are installed.
Ensure you have all the following installed:

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sudo apt-get install php-fpm php-common php-mbstring php-soap php-gd php-xml php-intl php-mysql php-cli php-ldap php-zip php-curl

Allowed me to access the installation page.

NCz

[pmhburyatia]

For anyone who this might be helpful to:

If like me you are trying to run this with PHP 7.2, by default not all required packages are installed.
Ensure you have all the following installed:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install php-fpm php-common php-mbstring php-soap php-gd php-xml php-intl php-mysql php-cli php-ldap php-zip php-curl

Allowed me to access the installation page.

NCz

Thank you @naturalcausez - this tip helped me successfully install on a brand new Ubuntu 18.04 with a LEMP stack. Indeed, not all required packages came with it.