Shipping Module Is Working, but Does not Appear in Backend

[todoonada]

Hello,
I recently tried to install a new shipping module and it went wrong. Suddenly no shipping module worked anymore.
I overwrote the database with a backup and now in the shop the shipping modules are working again (not the new one though). The strange thing is that i can not see the installed shipping modules in the backend. Files seem to be in the corrct place (includes/shipping/modules/ and the language file is also there).
i do not understand how the shipping system works in Zen Cart. i could not find anything in the database which seems to be connected with the shipping modules.
How can I make my existing and working modules make appear again in the backend?

Thank you

[RodG]

Hello,
I recently tried to install a new shipping module and it went wrong. Suddenly no shipping module worked anymore.

Which shipping module?

Cheers
RodG

[todoonada]

It is the Yamato shipping module of the Japanese Zen Cart version.

[RodG]

It is the Yamato shipping module of the Japanese Zen Cart version.

I can't be of much help with this specific module, but I can offer some general suggestions.

First and foremost is that your problem is not likely to be related to the database.

The most common cause of this type of problem is something is amiss with one of the .php files in the /includes/modules/shipping/ folder, so the 1st thing to do is identify which one. This is generally quite easy. 1st make a backup of all the files in the folder (don't keep the backups in this folder). Next, *delete* all of the files in this folder and then copy the backups back to the /modules/shipping/folder one at a time, until you find the offending file.

It is then a matter of identifying the actual cause of the problem. Quite often this problem is caused by having a backup of one of the files in the folder itself. Either remove the backup or rename it so that it doesn't end with ".php".

If you are lucky that is all you'll need to do. If unlucky it means that the file itself has a syntax or similar error (usually the result of it being edited for some reason).

Hope this helps.

Cheers
RodG

[todoonada]

Hi Rod,
thank you. It worked
I had a copy of a changed shipping module in the /modules/shipping/folder. I removed it and it worked. Seems like zen cart is reading all the files in this folder and if something is wrong, it might cause some unpredictable harm.

Cheers
Tim

[RodG]

Hi Rod,
thank you. It worked
I had a copy of a changed shipping module in the /modules/shipping/folder. I removed it and it worked. Seems like zen cart is reading all the files in this folder and if something is wrong, it might cause some unpredictable harm.

Thanks for the update that the problem has been resolved.

FWIW, zen-cart doesn't load *all* of the files in this folder, only the ones that have the .php suffix. This means if you are going to be editing any of these files and wish to make a backup before doing so (as you always should) you should call the backup file something like filename.bak or filename.php_bak, and this will avoid the issue that you had.

The results of naming them like filename_bak.php (or similar) has a very predictable result. The module won't show in the admin settings, neither will any other shipping module that are to be loaded after the offending one.
The same results will occur if one of the files has an error in its code, which is why it is impossible to say for sure which it will be.

If you are technically inclined, the actual cause of the error when creating a backup using a .php extension is because PHP doesn't allow two functions of the same name, which is what happens when it tries to load both the original and the backup file residing in the same folder.

The issue isn't limited to just the shipping modules either. The same can/will occur with any of the folders who's contents are automatically loaded.

This is one of those 'traps for young players'. It's not really a flaw with the way zencart functions, but some people do perceive it as such.

Cheers
RodG