Why so many bugs?

Software Support
1

Although I am a novice programmer, I have installed various open-source software successfully and start using them basically without any major bugs. Leave alone customization of installation in the next level, I have a big doubt about OJS.
Why does OJS is too buggy? although its documentation is so detailed illustrating the well structured process, the installation is not behaving as the documentation says?
Mails are not going, setups are too buggy. processes are incomplete.
Does this mean one can not install OJS’ as it is’ and start using? Are we forced to buy some hosting? I have installed OJS 3.0.2 through my cpanel. Since from installation, never a process is completed without bugs.
For example, Moodle also is a opensource, anyone can oneclick install and start using without any difficulty. but OJS which is portrayed as community development, its too buggy to start with.
Apologies to criticize but this is my experience!

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2

Hi,

I agree that there are many bugs in OJS3 at the moment. However, it is a software that was released just a few months ago and probably has a far smaller developer group than for example Moodle. But since 3.0.2. I have not come across to any major OJS bugs. Nothing that would prevent me from sending emails or completing processes all the time. I would like to help, but I do not have experience in installing OJS through cpanel. Based on the bried description of problems you gave, I would guess that you are getting some php related errors and those errors are breaking the setup pages and other processes.

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3

Thanks for your thoughyful reply. i indeed installed successfully. whatever
I do still registration emails are not going And after sending
submissions to copyeditor the files not appearing in the copyeditors tab.
Atleast these two are main ones i am encountering now.

4

By registration emails, do you mean registartion of new users (just to be sure)?

When sending submission to copyeditor are you sending the submission to copyediting from the submission stage or the review stage? If from the review stage, do you have a revision file sent by the author when you proceed to the copyediting phase?

5

Hi
thanks for your quick response.
yes
registration emails very first time not going
although send email
option send mails successfully.

regarding second issue, yes reveiwer stage works properly and get strucks
in next copy editor stage

6

I am actually not sure if there should be a emails sent after registration? @asmecher?

Issue 2: so do you mean that you are in review stage and click Send to copyediting, but the system gets stuck somehow? It does not move to the copyediting stage at all?

7

Yes. exactly. is nt it common to receive an email after registration with
usernamr n password?
Issue 2: yes. the submitted file does not move to copy editor.

8

Hmm, I did not have similar problems.
Have you checked php error logs and your email sender logs? Or you don’t have access to them?

1 Like
9

I hv complete access
should i enable logs or something? plz guide me


10

about issue 2: when you are in review stage, do you have an author revision? If you have a file in the revisions listing, then that version of the article should be sent to copyediting stage. If you do not have a revision file and have accessed the copyediting stage, you can select a submission while by clicking Upload/select file from “Draft files” and then choosing “Show files from all accessible workflow stages.”

About issue 1: I do not have a opportunity to test this right now.

11

issue 1 is discussed here: Registration emails not going

12

Thanks for pointing me. Hope that will lead to get a solution

13

I think that it was already said there that the system does not send an email when user registers.

14

Hope now I am correct in telling where I started this thread!!

1 Like
15

Hoping for a solution at least for second issue:
Regarding Issue 2: Why files are not automatically moved to copyediting stage? When it moved from submission to reviewing stage, why not to copyediting stage?
Your solution of ‘show files from all accessible workflow stages’ show all files even from other submissions. Is this the correct way of doing?
:anguished:

16

Add one more issue!
email validation is not working!
if we enable validation from config.inc email validation breaks the process and it stops!

17

Hello,

I also have installed OJS (starting from 2.X and now on 3.02) from cPanel and everything is fine.
Many things depends on various settings of server, which is not accessible from cpanel.
But sometime things gets ugly, need to find the cause and correct it. After all, there is a small team dedicated for the good of all of us. They have been doing a decent job.

@anupent

18

There is a checkbox somewhere in setting which says ‘does user need to confirm email’ or something like that. Maybe if that is checked, user will get an email.

Our system is sending email for new registered user which thay have to confirm before getting activated.

regards, anupent

19

Regarding issue 1:

The solution @anupent pointed out is also mentioned by @asmecher here Registration emails not going - #4 by asmecher

Basically OJS does not seem to send a “wellcome” message for registered users. This is a feature and I guess that if you think this should be changed then I suggest posting a feature request.
OJS does send a message in two cases: 1) new user account is created by the editors 2) if the validation/confirmation message is enabled

Regarding issue 2:

The workflow PKP has probably thought of is as follows:

  • In submission stage editor clicks Send to review, the submitted files are transferred to Review files listing and are used for the review process
  • Peer-review process begins, reviews are returned and editorial decision is made. Usually always some sort of revisions are requested from the author.
  • The author sends a revised version, which is shown in the Revisions listing
  • If the revisions are fine, the editor chooses Send to copyediting and the revised file is suggested to be sent to copyediting.

So, if you do not get a file to the copyediting stage, it is probably because you do not have a file in the Revisions listing in the review stage. Basically the only scenario where you would not have a revised file in the Revisions listing is a situation where no revisions are asked from the author. You can also bypass the review stage by choosing Send to copyediting already from Submission stage.

If for some reason you do not have a revised author version and want to proceed to copyediting stage from the review stage, then you can choose the other way of adding a file to the copyediting stage I mentioned above.

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20

Dear Sir/Madam,

OJS3 is a big release of PKP and software is running like a charm.

We have hosted various journal wesites and all are running very well.

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