Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation error: Difference between revisions
noted time as "60 seconds"; put 8 gray-line div-sections to mimic as example box |
→Template limits cause WFE error: known issue |
||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
|} |
|} |
||
That message gives the impression that the [[file server]]s are "too busy" to respond, but |
That message gives the impression that the [[file server]]s are "too busy" to respond, but is actually caused by the complexity of the page that needs to be saved. In some cases, a page must be modified to display faster (when using too many templates). |
||
Since the reader's screen is completely overwritten by that message box, it is necessary for users to realize what page, which they were attempting to read, led to the Wikimedia Error screen. If the page causing the error is changed to use a faster template, then that WIKIMEDIA message page will no longer re-display. Note that a template does not need to be "large" for the WFEM error page to be displayed, but rather, a page that runs very slowly can be the cause. Typically, to be so slow, then an internal template somewhere down the line is being invoked hundreds of times. For more information, see: [[Help:Template]] or [[WP:Advanced template coding]]. |
Since the reader's screen is completely overwritten by that message box, it is necessary for users to realize what page, which they were attempting to read, led to the Wikimedia Error screen. If the page causing the error is changed to use a faster template, then that WIKIMEDIA message page will no longer re-display. Note that a template does not need to be "large" for the WFEM error page to be displayed, but rather, a page that runs very slowly can be the cause. Typically, to be so slow, then an internal template somewhere down the line is being invoked hundreds of times. For more information, see: [[Help:Template]] or [[WP:Advanced template coding]]. |
||
This is a known problem and listed as issue [[bugzilla:19262|19262]]. |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Revision as of 09:21, 8 November 2012
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
The common "Wikimedia Foundation error" message (WFEM) is sometimes called a "server error" but might be caused by a recent edit which a user made to the current page being displayed. The message is an indication that the webpage being processed for display could not be completely formatted within the time allotted, typically 60 seconds. It rarely indicates that there is a fatal problem with an actual file server at the Wikimedia Foundation, which has been preparing the webpage.
Template limits cause WFE error
During 2009 into 2012, some very slow templates, when used many times per page, were causing a long delay followed by the Wikimedia Foundation Error box, as follows:
|
|
That message gives the impression that the file servers are "too busy" to respond, but is actually caused by the complexity of the page that needs to be saved. In some cases, a page must be modified to display faster (when using too many templates).
Since the reader's screen is completely overwritten by that message box, it is necessary for users to realize what page, which they were attempting to read, led to the Wikimedia Error screen. If the page causing the error is changed to use a faster template, then that WIKIMEDIA message page will no longer re-display. Note that a template does not need to be "large" for the WFEM error page to be displayed, but rather, a page that runs very slowly can be the cause. Typically, to be so slow, then an internal template somewhere down the line is being invoked hundreds of times. For more information, see: Help:Template or WP:Advanced template coding.
This is a known problem and listed as issue 19262.