PHTML when loading site or admin

[greg_beyer]

In the middle of creating new products, we suddenly got browser errors asking how we wanted to handle a PHTML file, save or open. I saved the PHTML file to disk and looked at it with a text editor. It seems to be the Z-C main admin file or the main website file. Each time I attempt to load the site or admin a new 8 char <random_alphanumeric_name>.PHTML is created, with the same contents, below. They don't look like malware. I'm searching the site now to see if I find any .PHTML files, but I've never seen them before. Site is australianbakery.com. Anyone know what is going on?

Here are snippets:

When attempting the website customer facing:

<?php
/**
* index.php represents the hub of the Zen Cart MVC system
*
* Overview of flow
* <ul>
* <li>Load application_top.php - see {@tutorial initsystem}</li>
* <li>Set main language directory based on $_SESSION['language']</li>
* <li>Load all *header_php.php files from includes/modules/pages/PAGE_NAME/</li>
* <li>Load html_header.php (this is a common template file)</li>
* <li>Load main_template_vars.php (this is a common template file)</li>
* <li>Load on_load scripts (page based and site wide)</li>
* <li>Load tpl_main_page.php (this is a common template file)</li>
* <li>Load application_bottom.php</li>
* </ul>
*
* @package general
* @copyright Copyright 2003-2005 Zen Cart Development Team
* @copyright Portions Copyright 2003 osCommerce
* @license http://www.zen-cart.com/license/2_0.txt GNU Public License V2.0
* @version $Id: index.php 2942 2006-02-02 04:41:23Z drbyte $
*/

<snip>


When trying to access the admin:


<?php
/**
* @package admin
* @copyright Copyright 2003-2016 Zen Cart Development Team
* @copyright Portions Copyright 2003 osCommerce
* @license http://www.zen-cart.com/license/2_0.txt GNU Public License V2.0
* @version $Id: Author: DrByte Fri Feb 19 22:01:13 2016 -0500 Modified in v1.5.5 $
*/
$version_check_index=true;
require('includes/application_top.php');

$languages = zen_get_languages();
$languages_array = array();
$languages_selected = DEFAULT_LANGUAGE;
for ($i = 0, $n = sizeof($languages); $i < $n; $i++) {
$languages_array[] = array('id' => $languages[$i]['code'],
'text' => $languages[$i]['name']);
if ($languages[$i]['directory'] == $_SESSION['language']) {
$languages_selected = $languages[$i]['code'];
}
}

if (STORE_NAME == '' || STORE_OWNER =='' || STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS =='' || STORE_NAME_ADDRESS =='') {
require('index_setup_wizard.php');
} else {
require('index_dashboard.php');

<snip>

[DrByte]

Zen Cart doesn't use the .phtml extension for anything.
That was an old convention used in PHP 2 decades ago. Granted, Magento has opted to use it for their template files.

Nothing official in Zen Cart would do/create/use/cause the need for your server to support the .phtml extension on files.

Seems like something in your hosting company's server is re-translating .php to .phtml and then is failing to actually serve .phtml properly.

Get your hosting company to fix it.

[greg_beyer]

Thanks, Doc! In the meantime I learned that our hoster decided, yesterday, with no notice to customers, to discontinue, no going back, support for PHP5.6. Hostmonster, part of the "Endurance Group" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endura...national_Group. They did it across the whole corp.

The kid on the phone flippantly said the solution is to just optimize my code for PHP7.3 -- clueless.

We know we need to upgrade and already engaged a pro to do it for us in a few weeks. But the rug-jerk was unconscionable. We've moved the site to a new hoster, will proceed with our upgrade in an orderly manner.

But this should be a warning to storeowners/sites still on PHP 5.x -- it's going away, and quickly -- get upgraded.

[DrByte]

Thanks, Doc! In the meantime I learned that our hoster decided, yesterday, with no notice to customers, to discontinue, no going back, support for PHP5.6. Hostmonster, part of the "Endurance Group" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endura...national_Group. They did it across the whole corp.

Good to know. Thanks.

[DrByte]

But this should be a warning to storeowners/sites still on PHP 5.x -- it's going away, and quickly -- get upgraded.

Yup. I've been preaching the same for years.

https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php

[swguy]

But the rug-jerk was unconscionable.

https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php

PHP 5.6 has been out of support for over two years.

[greg_beyer]

OW! I made a mea culpa! But still, send customers an email before ya do it.