markgrigsby:
RodG -
Thanks for the input. I have a couple of questions. First, are all of the files associated with the admin panel in the admin directory?
Most, but not all.
markgrigsby:
If not, what other files are touched by the admin panel?
The admin configure.php file is the best guide to let you know which folders (and therefore files) are not located in the /admin/ folder.
markgrigsby:
Next, if I stop PayFlow Pro, won't it stop accepting customer orders causing more confusion for customers?
Possibly, but the idea is to identify/confirm the source of the error. The suggestion isn't meant to be a cure.
markgrigsby:
Then, I do have backup admin panel files in another directory under the catalog.
Although it isn't something I'd personally recommend, as long as this isn't one of ZenCarts own folders/directories this won't be the cause of your problem(s).
markgrigsby:
I can move these outside the catalog directory,
For security purposes backup files are best stored outside of the /www/, /public_html/ or /htdocs/ folders.
markgrigsby:
but want to make sure that doing so will not cause the "Zencart will automatically load all files with the .php extension from some folders,
The "some folders" I was referring to are the Zencart folders (those defined in the configuration files). These are the ones you should avoid keeping backup files in.
markgrigsby:
and this will cause problems, including the 'blank screen'." you mentioned.
The backup files can only cause a problem if they are are store in certain folders used by ZenCart itself (and only if they have the .php extension).
markgrigsby:
I have had these backup admin files under the catalog directory for years without any problems, so I really don't think this is the issue,
But you haven't been trying to install the payflow mod for years and I have no way of knowing when doing this you found a existing payflow mod in one of the folders, and simply renamed it like "payflow_backup.php" so that you could install a later/newer payflow.php file. I mentioned it because this is quite a common scenario. If it doesn't apply to you then you don't need to worry about about it.
(Note 'payflow.php' is merely an example. The same applies with any .php file)
markgrigsby:
but I'm willing to try anything at this point. My admin panel is highly customized by a coder who is no longer available to me. I don't know all of what he's done.
You don't need to know. All you need to know is that it was working OK until you tried to install this mod, so the 1st thing to do is uninstall it to get the admin side of things working again.
Once you've got it working again THEN you can consider re-installing and trying to identify exactly what is causing the error. I've already given one possibility (a backup file stored in the same folder that you are trying to install the new/updated mod). The problem could also be caused by an incomplete upload of one or more of the files, and even the file being uploaded into the wrong directories. This is why you need to backout of the module installation so that you can start afresh, and hopefully not make the same mistakes (assuming you did make a mistake).
markgrigsby:
Finally, on purging the cache directory every night - I wrote this cron job to do this because the cache directory kept getting massive - nothing was deleting anything in this directory.
All you've really done here is hide the symptoms of a problem. It is far better to fix the problem itself (you may even need to contact/work with your host to take care of this).
markgrigsby:
I can certainly change the cron job to delete files older than a couple of days,
That's still not really fixing the problem.
markgrigsby:
but I've never had a customer complain about losing the contents of their cart overnight.
That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It just means that they've gone to another store to purchase the items. It isn't your customers responsibility to report problems they find with your site. Only a very small minority of customers will do this.
Cheers
RodG
