Stupid Errors

[yourfis2]

Why is it that when trying to make a simple post on my site i get this error when i click the button to complete the post. ?

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /index.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

 

[essellar]

It's likely to do with what you were trying to post. By default, there is a four-link limit to limit spam, so if you were trying to create a posting that had more than four links, you will get a 403 error. Also, posting JavaScript is a no-no by default, since it can be used (by your forum's users) to do mean, nasty, ugly things. You can get around most of the restrictions as the site's owner by going through the back end (creating files and database entries directly using the back-end tools provided), but there are still some things that will always be forbidden, such as using ad servers/services that are known to be malware sources.

 

[yourfis2]

That must have been it, i rearranged the post according to your suggestions and all went well. By the way, im none of the nasty things you mentioned, just a poor ole country boy trying to run a hobbyist discussion forum. Thanks

 

[mcmmsagh]

It's likely to do with what you were trying to post. By default, there is a four-link limit to limit spam, so if you were trying to create a posting that had more than four links, you will get a 403 error. Also, posting JavaScript is a no-no by default, since it can be used (by your forum's users) to do mean, nasty, ugly things. You can get around most of the restrictions as the site's owner by going through the back end (creating files and database entries directly using the back-end tools provided), but there are still some things that will always be forbidden, such as using ad servers/services that are known to be malware sources.

On a side note, that's what I've always been wondering about in terms of the "four-link limit" - in terms of if we write said "links" on forms, is this referring to external site links mainly? Because I know that on my site (the main one), I still do linking, but their mostly inside my site itself. (I know that they still have to be used in a responsible matter because of certain "cases" where it can get abused.

 

[essellar]

I can't be absolutely certain, but as far as I know, anything that's POSTed in a form field that looks like a link is treated equally. Obviously, that may be problematic with long-form content, particularly academic content that carries a lot of cross-references, and you can request that the limit be waived for your account if necessary. (Do note that you'd be responsible for policing user content, and if a page is found to accept prime spam, you can bet that the word will be spread to every single Mechanical Turk "bot" operation on the planet in minutes.) On the other hand, it's only an issue with form submissions; you can go crazy on static files, and the number of links you wind up with when a page is assembled is not limited (so navigation, footers and so on will work no problem).

 

[essellar]

That must have been it, i rearranged the post according to your suggestions and all went well. By the way, im none of the nasty things you mentioned, just a poor ole country boy trying to run a hobbyist discussion forum. Thanks

I just want to emphasize that nobody was accusing you of anything. It's just a problem with forum software and blogs that accept comments where random users can munge up a site in no time at all. When you're using the front end of the site (the site's software/script), the server has no way of telling you from any other user, but when you go through the back end (the cPanel tools), you're either you or someone who looks an awful lot like you, so there are fewer restrictions.

 

[yourfis2]

Thanks essellar, i knew what you meant, and i think that restriction is a great idea, kind of protects us from ourselves so to speak, on a side note, i have experienced absolutely no spammers as of yet, maybe it my cologne. But at any rate, thanks so much for the detailed explanation.

 

[spacepr2]

I want to clarify this, so any thread/post on my forum containing 4 or more links will get an error to prevent spam? Or 4 of the same links will generate an error?

 

[essellar]

Any more than four links; they don't need to be the same URL. (Spammers figured out that aliases could get around a simple search for identical links a long, long time ago.) Again, that's a default rule, and is only in effect when you're submitting form data through your front-end script. There's no restriction on the back end (uploaded file contents or direct database entry), and if it's reasonable and necessary to do so, you can request that the link limit rule be disabled on your account.