Blank pages loading

[Penmed]

I am hoping someone is familiar with this problem and can possible help solve it.

Background info:

Server - Server 8 Advanced

Clients - Using Firefox 2.0.0.3 or 2.0.0.4

The situation appears to be random. Switching pages in a database, adding a new record or just switching tabs on the tab control will randomly cause the next page to be white blank page. This kills the browser session more or less as no buttons in the panel to the left will then function. Browser must be closed and restarted. If user was saving a record this locks them from the record until after the timeout period.

I have been unable to pinpoint a cause for this. I get multiple reports daily of this happening from roughly 10-12 employees. Noone seems immune to the problem. Even today I started up Firefox. Logged in. Clicked new record. Blank page. No reason for it that I can see.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Anyone have any ideas what could be the cause?

Thank you for your time and I appreciate any help anyone can provide.

[Leb i Sol]

Is this custom (PHP,cdml...) solution or...instant web?

[Penmed]

It's using instant web. No custom work involved. One user has reported it happening when just switching tabs (the ones provided by FMP). But I think they are just not remembering correctly.

I believe (99% sure) it only happens with buttons with connected scripts. They do no calculations. Just simple copy this variable to this field. Commit. Switch to this layout. Jump to this field. Thats it. But 1 out of 20 tries they just dont load. Blank white screen and leaves the session locked.

This is of course a secondary problem. When it locks the session requiring them to close the browser it leaves the record locked if they were doing any editing. I found no way to remove this locked session afterwards (other than restart IWP) forcing the user to wait until IWP automatically logs the session out.

[gumpish]

YES! I am also experiencing this from FMSA8 running on Win2003.

You're the first person I've found who is also experiencing this - it's a relief to know it's not just me.

It appears that it's somehow related to cookies, but I haven't established exactly what that relationship is. Our web environment makes it easy for our users to collect a fair number of cookies, and it seems that deleting some subset of the cookies the browser is holding onto clears the problem up (temporarily), but there isn't any one particular cookie that is the culprit. Our next theory was that it was the NUMBER of domain cookies that the browser was holding, but I don't think that's the case either. My next guess is that perhaps IWP freaks out if the AMOUNT OF COOKIE DATA exceeds a certain size. I plan to test this by creating a test page that gives the browser several large cookies to see if I can induce the problem.

Knowing Filemaker Inc., I wouldn't be surprised if this is a known issue (which they're keeping under their hat) which is fixed in FMSA9 and the only way to get the fix is to pay them more $$$. (As was the case with the browser security issue with IWP under FM6.)

PLEASE REPLY IF YOU'VE RESOLVED THIS ISSUE!!! Thanks.

[gumpish]

Ok, I can confirm that this bug is indeed related to the number of cookies / amount of cookie data or possibly more generally the amount of HTTP header data.

I created a page (in the same domain as the FM Server) which loads up my browser with cookies (about 30 or so) then the blank page symptom ALWAYS appears. Throw a bunch of the cookies away and service returns to normal.

I've submitted a bug report, but if anyone else cares to confirm this and submit their own report, maybe that will convince FM Inc. to actually fix the problem.

http://www.filemaker.com/company/problems.html