Joomla 3.6.4 update gone wrong - Error decoding JSON data: Syntax error

[bushwhacking]

Hi.

I done a simple update, which I have done on many occasions and have now crashed the website and lost Admin access!

Earlier today I logged into Joomla Admin to notice there were 20 extension updates and a Joomla 3.6.4 update.

joomla-updates.jpg

I first backed-up the website then installed all 20 extensions and tested the site (all was fine)

I then updated to Joomla 3.6.4, and the error occurred.

joomla-admin-error.jpg

I no longer have access to Admin and the site is down, so I cant restore the site back to the old version!

joomla-site-down.jpg

What went wrong?

I touched nothing except do what they requested, and that's update the platform.

All help would be appreciated (I do have access to my host C-Panel, if that's any consolation)

Thanks up-front for any help.

[bushwhacking]

!! Any help?

[apsilva]

read viewtopic.php?f=710&t=937036 for cause and possible solutions.

[bushwhacking]

Thanks apsilva, but the post you pointed to is more confusing than my existing situation.

Its based on debates and not a clear fix. Must I try all the methods discussed? Or is there a specific fix that I missed?

What are library/vendor files? and how do I locate the library folder in my host C-Panel to disable the JB Library plugin?

Its confusing reading the answers in that specific thread that point to various fixes but don't explain the exact location of the files and a exact fix via my host C-Panel.

I am not Joomla high tech savy.

The only library I know is the public library down the road that contains books.

But what I do know is, the website has been down for 24 hours and is now costing bucks.

Is there a way of accessing Akeeba Backup in my host C-Panel to restore the site back to the way it was prior to Joomla crashing it?

[abernyte]

If you can access your site files via the file explorer in the Cpanel your back ups are in administrator/components/com_akeeba/ backup.
Restoring to 3.6.2 just opens you to the ongoing and very active exploit that was patched at 3.6.4.
Your error is being caused by a third party extension which is badly written and causing the error checking introduced at 3.6.3 to flag the issue.
You might be better off accessing the database via phpMyAdmin and unpublishing the third party extensions one at a time until you find which is causing the site to choke.

[LGjoomla]

The fastest resolution is this:
1. Go to PHPMyAdmin
2. Click the SQL tab
3. Type in:
update xxxx_modules set params = '' where params like '%{""}%';
(where xxxx is your table prefix)
4. Click Go

[bushwhacking]

Hey, hey, hey. I'm back on-line (time to open the bottle brandy to celebrate my victory!)

I never slept last night I was so stressed.

Nonetheless. Thanks for all your input, but it never worked (maybe it was me not following correct instructions!)

I found a fix in github

https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/issues/12460

In C-Panel they suggested /libraries/vendor/joomla/registry/src/Format and edit Json.php on line 72 with the following:

throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('Error decoding JSON data: %s', json_last_error_msg()));

But that never worked because the php code was already the same as above.

A different user suggested to edit line 67 to:

$decoded = json_decode(html_entity_decode($data));

By mistake I edit line 72 with the above code and not line 67!!

It worked, so I'm going to leave it as is.

I obviously never fixed the issue but at least the site is back online and I have Admin access.

[abernyte]

The good news is that you are back on line.
The bad news is that you have over written a core file which may get restored at the next update and you are back where you started.
You still have a third party extension that is causing this.

[arvendal]

Hi,

Just a small note:
For me the problem originated from the content table (articles), I found this in the attribs field:

Code: Select all

{show_title:\,link_titles:\,show_intro:\,show_category:\,link_category:\,show_parent_category:\,link_parent_category:\,show_author:\,link_author:\,show_create_date:\,show_modify_date:\,show_publish_date:\,show_item_navigation:\,show_icons:\,show_print_icon:\,show_email_icon:\,show_vote:\,show_hits:\,show_noauth:\,alternative_readmore:\,article_layout:\}

and this in the metadata field:

Code: Select all

{robots:\,author:\,rights:\,xreference:\}

Correcting the escapes did the trick.

So I think there's a more complex origin for this phenomenon than just a third party extension problem.

Bets regards

[robwent]

There is a script linked to in the post linked from the second post in this thread which will help diagnose any problems and fix common issues.

edit: the script: https://github.com/robwent/joomla-json-db-check yes, I wrote it but the only reason for pushing it is to help people. Updating Joomla isn't going to fix the problem so don't wait for an update.

[user1976]

There is a script linked to in the post linked from the second post in this thread which will help diagnose any problems and fix common issues.

edit: the script: https://github.com/robwent/joomla-json-db-check yes, I wrote it but the only reason for pushing it is to help people. Updating Joomla isn't going to fix the problem so don't wait for an update.

I am run this script:

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