Reviewer cannot download file - 'The current role does not have access to this operation' (OJS 3.4.0.10)

Software Support
1

Hello,
I am running OJS 3.4.0.10 on Ubuntu 20.04, Apache 2.4.41, PHP 8.1.18, MariaDB 10.5.27.
I have a submission (ID: 6283) in the Review stage. The reviewer (dzabin) can SEE the file assigned for review (ESPINILHO.docx, submissionFileId=20202), but when trying to DOWNLOAD it, the following JSON error appears:
{“status”:false,“content”:“The current role does not have access to this operation.”,“elementId”:“0”,“events”:null}

Details:

  • The reviewer has the correct Reviewer role assigned
  • The journal administrator CAN download the same file without errors
  • The file is visible to the reviewer in Step 3 (Download and Review)
  • The error occurs specifically when clicking to download
  • I verified the review_files table has the correct record linking the reviewer to the file
  • I updated viewable=1 in submission_files for this file
    The error message suggests a ROLE permission issue, not a file visibility issue. It seems the Reviewer role is being denied access during the download operation specifically.
    Could this be related to the SubmissionFileAssignedReviewerAccessPolicy?
    Thank you for your help.
2

Hi @ebron,

Are you able to check your PHP error log for errors there? That can typically provide more clues.

-Roger
PKP Team

4

Hi Roger,
Thank you for your response. I enabled PHP error logging and found the following warning in the log after the reviewer attempted to download the file:
[30-Apr-2026 16:06:53 America/Sao_Paulo] PHP Warning: Cannot load module “http” because required module “raphf” is not loaded in Unknown on line 0

Additional server details:

  • OJS version: 3.4.0.10
  • PHP version: 8.1 (used by Apache)
  • Apache version: 2.4.41
  • OS: Ubuntu 20.04
  • MariaDB: 10.5.27

Could this missing “raphf” module be related to the reviewer’s inability to download the assigned file?
Thank you

5

Hi Roger,

I have an important update. After enabling PHP error logging, I found the warning I mentioned earlier:
[30-Apr-2026 16:06:53 America/Sao_Paulo] PHP Warning: Cannot load module “http” because required module “raphf” is not loaded in Unknown on line 0

When I reloaded Apache after enabling the log, the entire platform went down with HTTP ERROR 500. After reverting the change, the platform came back up.

This suggests that the missing “raphf” PHP module may be the root cause of both:

  1. The HTTP 500 error
  2. The reviewer’s inability to download the assigned file

Could installing the missing “raphf” module resolve the download permission issue?

Thank you,