weird problem: html_header is ignored...

[weif]

On Zen-Cart 1.5.0 I have a template that has started ignoring it's html_header.php file in a custom template that has been working for quite some time. You can view the site at http://www.montanagems.net/

There are no errors, no log files created, and even when I enable

define('STRICT_ERROR_REPORTING', true);

temporarily, that doesn't give any error other than that it is enabled.

I've even deleted the html_header.php file from the server and its customizations remain in place (I have since replaced it from backup). I have also changed the template and changed it back...

Does anyone have any ideas what may be going on here?

[kobra]

Can you describe what we should be looking for???

[weif]

I just went back in and added the letter "p" before the open

<?php

tag at the very beginning of the file. In my other Zen-Cart installations this will result in the letter "p" being displayed at the top of the page. In this case it is not there...

Also, forgot to mention this, but I have also restarted the server just in case there was some weird caching going on somewhere.

[weif]

And, if I edit other files of the template, the changes appear as expected...

[stevesh]

I think kobra was asking, "What do you mean by 'ignoring the html_header.php file?" What happens on the page?

[weif]

I think kobra was asking, "What do you mean by 'ignoring the html_header.php file?" What happens on the page?

Absolutely nothing. Seriously.

I can add html, php, includes, css, or text to html_header.php and there is no change on the site.

I can delete code from html_header.php and there is no change on the site.

I can even delete the entire html_header.php file from the server and there is no change on the site.

If I edit other files in the template, such as tpl_header.php, those changes are reflected immediately and as expected.

There are several modifications to this file, such as the Google +One code, that are not in the default html_header.php file in the template_default directory, so when that code is removed the site should generate errors, which it doesn't (and when that code is removed, even after reload, you can still view that code when you view source...).

So... what could possibly be going on?

[kobra]

Path to the html_header.php file you are referencing??

A Link to a page where you expect some change

As there are many additional ones in /includes/modules/pages/some page

[weif]

Path to the html_header.php file you are referencing??

/includes/templates/new/common/html_header.php

A Link to a page where you expect some change

any and every page on www.montanagems.net

As there are many additional ones in /includes/modules/pages/some page

[kobra]

Guess I need to ask exactly what you are attempting to accomplish in order to assist you

[weif]

(NOTE: at the moment, the site seems to have started responding as expected again, but I am unwilling to get into changes at midnight when I need sleep.)

Guess I need to ask exactly what you are attempting to accomplish in order to assist you

There are a number of things they want done to the site, all of which involve adding fairly simple code to html_header.php, including:

1) embed a google map

2) add mobile detection script to allow mobile users to back out of a responsive/mobile ready layout (not yet live) to a traditional desktop layout if desired by the user.

I have done these on other Zen-Cart sites without any problems. This is the first one where editing the html_header.php file does not affect the site at all. But editing the html_header.php file on April 7, 2015 (one month, five days ago) did change the site...

So, the question is, regardless of what we are trying to do with the site, either:
How is Zen-Cart ignoring changes to html_header.php?
or
Why is Zen-Cart ignoring changes to html_header.php?

Like I said, I went as far as *DELETING* html_header.php from the server yesterday, and the site acted like it was still there... And I checked it on multiple browsers and on different computers, some of which had never visited the site.