Many messages that look alarming are not errors at all: the site is telling you something is not allowed or not there. This page sorts them out.
Contents
Messages that are not errors
| The message says | In plain words | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The requested page could not be displayed. (1), Your account does not have the proper privileges | You may not open this page | Ask your administrator, if you need it |
| The requested page could not be displayed. (20), The requested address or module could not be found | The address is wrong, or that part is not on this site | Check the address; use the menus |
| Access denied! | Your account is fine, but your role may not use this | Ask your administrator |
| Possible edit conflict | A draft of this item already exists | When someone else is editing |
| This link has expired. (password reset) | The reset link is older than allowed | Ask for a new one |
| This installation is a public demo | A trial site whose administrator password is public | Never enter anything private there (Demo mode) |
Messages in the edit form
When you press Send for publishing and something is wrong, the form comes back with a message at the top and at the field. Typical reasons:
- a required field (red star) is empty;
- a value has the wrong form, for example an e-mail address without
@, or a date in the wrong format; - a picture lacks its alternative text where the site requires one.
Fix the field and publish again. Your other changes are kept.
A real error
A real error of the site shows a page such as Something went wrong on our side, with a reference at the
bottom, for example ERR-0123456789. The error has already been logged; the reference lets an administrator find
exactly that moment (When something really went wrong).
- Copy or photograph the reference.
- Try once more. If it works now, still mention that it happened once.
- Pass the reference on, with your notes.
What to note
| Note | Example |
|---|---|
| The reference, if any | ERR-0123456789 |
| The time | Tuesday, 10:42 |
| The address of the page | copied from the address bar |
| What you did, step by step | Opened the article Summer fair, pressed Edit, uploaded a photo, pressed Send for publishing |
| What you expected, and what happened | Expected the article to publish; got the error page |
A screenshot helps, as long as it shows no passwords or other people's personal data. Then follow How to ask for help.
Related pages
- When you are stuck
- Something looks wrong
- When something goes wrong
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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