Internal server error: Cannot get property 'inputStream' on null object

Alexei_Mironov · November 22, 2024, 9:01am

This happens 100% when going into the settings (cog icon) then General settings->Customize (under locale)

after clicking this button Dashbord opens with all items losing their localized names

Fixes itself after service openboxes restart

jmiranda · November 22, 2024, 3:41pm

This is most likely caused by the same issue preventing you from downloading the templates (Tomcat is unable to access certain files within the application).

Either there’s a simple file permission issue behind it OR there’s a fundamental problem with the way the standalone WAR (running the application within an embedded Tomcat process) handles resource files within the WAR file.

I can’t make any recommendations without seeing the output from the other thread, but eventually we might want to think about recreating your production environment using the “latest” version of the installation docs, which uses the standard approach of deploying the application to a standalone Tomcat instance.

I will try to replicate the issue locally when I get a chance.

Alexei_Mironov · November 22, 2024, 4:20pm

Thanks

since i`m currently just evaluating the app, maybe you could share your opinion on what is the most trouble-free method of installation? I naively thought that Grails v3 version on the Ubuntu is the best option to go but seems that it might not be the case with the embedded Tomcat etc.

Is more recent Ubuntu server version not officially supported, only 18.04 - i have seen members of the community having some issues with 22.04?

Thanks for all the support and efforts answering all those questions in such a detailed and easy to understand manner - this is rare and very valuable nowadays.

jmiranda · November 23, 2024, 4:44am

since i`m currently just evaluating the app,

Ok phew.

maybe you could share your opinion on what is the most trouble-free method of installation?

I recommend using the installation instructions in the “beta” version of our v0.9.x docs.

The instructions should be close to complete and valid, but please review the following ticket for feedback that we received from a community member regarding errors they found.

github.com/openboxes/openboxes

Incorporate feedback from community member re: 0.9.x installation docs

opened 04:38AM - 23 Nov 24 UTC

jmiranda

> Thank you so much. Here's a list of things I have found in no particular orde…r. running 22.04.05 LTS > > Not clear whether ubuntu 22.04 is the requirement or if you can use 24.04.1 LTS, It is referenced in the URL though as ubuntu2204. Choose OS uses e.g. instead of i.e. allowing ambiguity. > > On https://docs.openboxes.com/en/obpih-6197-evan-docs/admin-guide/installation/ubuntu2204/database/ > I would add information to say "replace <database> with your own defined database EG openboxes" > > On same page, I was unable to proceed on ubuntu 22.04 without issuing the create database command with sudo. > > On https://docs.openboxes.com/en/obpih-6197-evan-docs/admin-guide/installation/ubuntu2204/deployment/ 'sudo cd /var/lib/tomcat9/webapps' is not valid, just 'cd', no sudo. > > chown on same page needs sudo. > > overall easier to fresh install than 8.23, have not tested stability yet. > > outside of the scope of the installation: > > http://openboxes:8080/assets/openboxes_logo_40x40.jpg is a broken image > > previous version had : > http://openboxes:8080/openboxes/images/logo/openboxes_logo_40x40.jpg

I plan to incorporate that feedback as soon as I can. And I have been trying to polish and publish these docs for months but haven’t had time to make the final push to clean up the remaining holes and create videos for some migration workflows.

But this is what I would recommend to anyone trying to install a v0.9.x release.

Is more recent Ubuntu server version not officially supported, only 18.04 - i have seen members of the community having some issues with 22.04?

Yes, the instructions mentioned above target Ubuntu 22.04.

Note: I tried to install on Ubuntu 24.04, but OpenBoxes does not deploy on Tomcat 10, so I would avoid starting with 24.04 until we can test and add proper instructions. But, from what I understand, upgrading from 22.04 to 24.04 (after you have installed OpenBoxes) does not cause any problems.

Thanks for all the support and efforts answering all those questions in such a detailed and easy to understand manner - this is rare and very valuable nowadays.

It’s my pleasure. Interacting with the community, brainstorming solutions, and answering questions are my favorite parts of this project. So, thank you for your interest, thoughtful questions, and patience in dealing with the bugs and quirks.

Alexei_Mironov · November 23, 2024, 9:22am

I was so close on 1st try but saw the pop-up and steered clear of it, mehhh

Thanks a lot, i will reinstall from scratch. Who knows, probably some of the bugs i have giscovered attribute to the specifics of integrated Tomcat

Alexei_Mironov · November 23, 2024, 3:38pm

Had no issues installing according to this guide. This solved the issue with not being able to download templates (have commented in the original topic).

One question re this guide though: there is timezone in the datasource url - shouldn`t it be matched with the server timezone?

url: jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/<database>?allowPublicKeyRetrieval=true&useSSL=false&serverTimezone=UTC

Original bug ( “Internal server error” after clicking General settings->Customize (under locale list) ) is still present. What should this “Customize” button do anyway - switch to custom localization? Then it could be expected behavior since i have no custom localization made.

Alexei_Mironov · November 23, 2024, 4:00pm

Thought it is worth mentioning: using standalone Tomcat installation path solved the issue with inconsistent page load times i have mentioned here when 1st load took like 5-6 seconds and subseqent loads took 0,001 seconds

Solved the issue with non-unicode characters shown as “?” in most parts of the app as well.

Looks like Grails v3 with integrated Tomcat should be avoided in the current state
Sorry for wasting your time on wild goose chase.

PS:
There was a bunch of warnings during startup similar to
[2024-11-23 15:16:12] [warning] Unable to add the resource at [/WEB-INF/classes/requisition/_requisitionItems2.gsp] to the cache for web application [/openboxes] because there was insufficient free space available after evicting expired cache entries - consider increasing the maximum size of the cache
Do they have to be addressed or can be ignored?

Alexei_Mironov · November 23, 2024, 4:34pm

sorry for spamming with replies, but found couple issues in the closing part of the guide

“…” in the VirtualHost config below produce error during check if pasted as a whole to the end of cfg file (the instruction explicitly says “add to the end of file”, not section). As far as i can see, it is Ok to have two <VirtualHost *:80> sections in the file, they pass the check and pasting would have worked without “…”
I understand what was meant, but since it is about guide for people not familar with Apache configuration like myself…

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ...
    # Redirect requests for root context to /openboxes
    RedirectMatch ^/$ /openboxes/

    # Forward /openboxes requests to Tomcat
    ProxyPreserveHost On
    ProxyPass /openboxes http://127.0.0.1:8080/openboxes
    ProxyPassReverse /openboxes http://127.0.0.1:8080/openboxes
</VirtualHost>

command for checking the configuration contains a typo - “t” instead of “e”
apachtctl configtest → apachectl configtest