Error 500 + non-responsive website report log

We are aware that some users are experiencing usability issues with the website, including unexpected errors and functionality problems. We understand how frustrating this can be and appreciate your patience as we investigate and try to improve the experience.

Our ability to make general improvements depends on available funding and development time, in addition to the ongoing general maintenance of the site. However, we want to prioritize investigating 500 errors and instances where the website becomes unresponsive.

The website runs on an older codebase that is not highly optimized, making it challenging to ensure smooth performance. However, we are committed to investigating these issues and doing what we can to improve stability.

How You Can Help

If you encounter a 500 error or the website becomes unresponsive, please complete the form below. Gathering these reports will help us identify patterns and potential causes.

**1. Date & Time of Issue:**
*(When did the issue occur? Please include your time zone.)*

**2. Device & Browser:**
*(Example: Windows 10 - Chrome, iPhone 13 - Safari, etc.)*

**3. Page URL:**
*(Which page were you on when the issue occurred?)*

**4. Actions Taken Before the Issue:**
*(What were you doing just before the issue occurred? Example: Submitting a form, navigating between pages, logging in, etc.)*

**5. Error Message (if any):**
*(If you saw an error message, please copy and paste it here.)*

**6. Browser Console/Network Logs (if possible):**
*(If you can, please check for errors in the browser console or network logs. You can access these by pressing F12 (Developer Tools) and clicking on the "Console" or "Network" tab. A screenshot of any errors would be helpful.)*

**7. Screenshot (if possible):**
*(Screenshots of the issue can be useful for debugging.)*

**8. Additional Information:**
*(Anything else relevant, such as whether the issue happens repeatedly or just once.)*

āš ļø Important: āš ļø This Thread is for Reporting Only

Please do not start discussions or post anything outside of the form above. This thread is strictly for logging issues, and we will not be responding to questions or providing individual feedback here.

Our goal is to collect data to identify patterns in these errors. So far, we (the developers) have only observed some general slowness but have not been able to replicate the reported issues, which makes debugging difficult. Your detailed reports will hopefully help us pinpoint the cause and work toward a solution.

Thank you for your cooperation!

1711 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; an observation; attempting to add an identification; error 500
Iā€™d overtyped and lost the alternatives from the scientific name drop box; while backing up to get the alternatives back the drop box hung. In case Iā€™d confused the drop box I attempted to refresh the page; this resulted after a period of time in an error 500 (seen at 1714).

04/02/2025 17:10
Desktop Linux/firefox

Screen refresh following a slow down.
500 error

Itā€™s all very well to have this form - but my errors occur regularly usually at late pm - maybe when offices are packing up and late night just before midnight.
The same pattern - Iā€™m uploading an observation and suddenly some bits no longer link (eg drop down ID).
My test - I try logging in on a new tab and iSpot is unresponsive.
My solution has been to complete my entry and hibernate - sometimes overnight - on resumption what I have completed is not lost so allā€™s well that ends well. I just need to NOT PANIC - Iā€™ve stayed with iSpot for many a year - it has so many benefits.
TODAY I was hoping to add an interaction - a fly visiting a flower posted in 2921 - coming back the link was found in seconds. Thanks iSpot - see for yourself

I had tried to include replies to the questions above but it has not worked, would be helpful to produce something where it is easy to reply to those exact questions

Itā€™s impossible for me to access anything if the site is just hanging - Iā€™m using Windows 10 - I think. Just the same as Iā€™ve always used - since the upgrade years ago.

526 error
when just trying to click Like button on marlandzaā€™s post above.
17.00 hours.
using Chrome and Firefox.
Been trying to access the Main site for an hour. No errors being recorded, just the circular loading icon.

2 Likes

Iā€™ve been able to access the main site this afternoon - but sometimes very slow to download images - so that my concentration goes and I start making errors - time for a good cup of tea

Iā€™ve been trying to put habitat into obs where I donā€™t have them (MikeD sent me a list). But itā€™s slow progress due to the ā€˜hangingā€™ issue.
(I have a feeling that some of them may have been there originally and then got lost but my memory isnā€™t good enough to be sure, and itā€™s probably irrelevant now.)

05/02 18:01
Same as in post#3

There was a timeā€¦ when this wasnā€™t obligatory - I still have problems choosing from the list and some ZA ones are still confusing, so I may be incorrect.
My special one is TIDAL THAMES - where does it fit?

Replying to a few things.

Your habitat would be marine I think if it is in UK and below high water.

The Forum seems to be having issues, it may be there is a bug or similar in this version of the forum so we may have to update it, not got a time for that yet.

This thread is supposed to be for filling in the non-responsive website issues in the way the programmer mentioned. Might be good to have a parallel thread for all the other items related to that but which donā€™t fit in exactly with what the programmer is asking for. I will start that.

1 Like

2213 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; changes tracker; error 500
Previously while attempting to add a 3rd observation 4 attempts to upload images ā€œhad a problemā€. (This would have been at around 2205 GMT.) When I abandoned this, and went back to the changes tracker I got ā€œno changes availableā€ on the first refresh. The second refresh resulted in error 500.
The failed image uploads also negatively affected my computer performance - a background task slowed down by a factor of ten.

0022 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; observation; error 500
On opening an observation from the main carousel I first got a page with all the data missing, and on a refresh error 500. I had managed to add a 3rd observation during the short period the site was up.

Is replying the only way to add to this thread? Sorry not to be sure.

Today at about 16:10 GMT. Hanging up, no end to the spinning blue circle. Tried to log out, gave failure to log out (red panel). Then the black screen with 500 - Internal Error.
Tried to get into the forum - spinning thing, no access so could not report this at the time.

Was using a new iPad with Safari. When the spinning started I was looking at the List View of observations in the Current project * :heart:iHabitats - Focus.

Just before the hanging up, I was viewing/adding to some of the observations in the project, and had been doing so for maybe about 40 minutes or so.
I was trying to open an observation snot | Observation | UK and Ireland | iSpot Nature but the photo did not come up, and then the spinning began.

As stated above, I tried to get into the Forum to complete the form/report the issue but that was also impossible.

This is happening repeatedly: a good spell when lots can be reviewed, followed by the sequence of events given above at what appears a random point.

This is really off-putting. It only occurs on this site. It occurs on other iPads, on my iPhone and on desktop iMac.

1835 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; home page; error 500
On opening the main page to look for new observations I got ā€œspinningā€ followed by error 500.

1528 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; error 500 at
ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/observation/891425/e-horizon

Finally managed to get a 500!

I was trying to log onto the site in Chrome. Nothing happened for several minutes and then the 500 message appearedā€¦ ā€˜something has gone seriously wrongā€™. So I tried on Edge and it seems to be working OK.

Time 1747h on 20250212
Windows 11 on PC.
Home page
Sorry, donā€™t know how to get the other info.

1

2023 GMT; Windows 11; MS Edge; backed into ā¤ļøiHabitats - Focus | Project | UK and Ireland | iSpot Nature from a linked observation and got a dataless page. Error 500 on refresh.

13/02/2025 1830 UTC. Chrome, Windows 10. Trying to load Burdock | Observation | UK and Ireland | iSpot Nature from Observations | UK and Ireland | Page 1 | iSpot Nature.


Iā€™ve seen this repeatedly when looking at a series of observations. I usually give up and clear the cookies before the error message appears: this immediately solves the problem.