[Partially Solved] Cannot create blog in Ikiwiki

Support
1

Problem Description
I cannot create a blog in ikiwiki by plinth module.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Login to FreedomBox.
  2. Go to Ikiwiki application page.
  3. Click on the install button.
  4. Click Create Wiki or Blog
  5. Fill in form in send.

Expected Results
Find the new blog in the list in the app.

Actual results
The app displays an success message that blog were created while syslog shows

Mar 26 01:33:00 localhost /usr/bin/plinth[1307]: # ikiwiki create-blog --blog_name 'Charlie på Tur' --admin_name Charlie
Mar 26 10:43:51 localhost slapd[1799]: slap_global_control: unrecognized control: 1.3.6.1.4.1.4203.666.5.16
Mar 26 01:33:00 localhost ikiwiki: [Charlie på Tur] erstellen des Depots mit ikiwiki-makerepo ist fehlgeschlagen
Mar 26 01:33:00 localhost ikiwiki: [Charlie på Tur] /etc/ikiwiki/plinth-blog.setup: erstellen des Depots mit ikiwiki-makerepo ist fehlgeschlagen#012
Mar 26 01:33:00 localhost /usr/bin/plinth[1307]: $ ikiwiki get-sites
Mar 26 01:33:01 localhost /usr/bin/plinth[1307]: $ ikiwiki get-sites

and the list under the “Create Wiki or Blog” button is still empty.

Information

  • FreedomBox version: 20.4
  • Hardware: odroidxu4
  • How did you install FreedomBox?: ‘apt install freedombox’ on Debian10

Guess
There’s no hint what went wrong … might be a privileges problem again?
Might

Mar 26 10:43:51 localhost slapd[1799]: slap_global_control: unrecognized control: 1.3.6.1.4.1.4203.666.5.16

be a hint? I don’t know what it does, but it appears every time I try to create a blog. Is this about the rights of my account to create directories and repos?

2

What response do you get if you run this command as a root user:

printf 'password\npassword' | /usr/share/plinth/actions/ikiwiki create-blog --blog_name 'Charlie på Tur' --admin_name Charlie

3 
b'Setting up Charlie p\xc3\xa5 Tur ...
Importing /var/lib/ikiwiki/CharliepTur into git'
b'Use of uninitialized value in string eq at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki.pm line 669.
Use of uninitialized value in string ne at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki.pm line 688.
Use of uninitialized value in string ne at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki.pm line 688.
Use of uninitialized value in string ne at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki.pm line 693.
Use of uninitialized value in string ne at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki.pm line 693.
/usr/bin/ikiwiki-makerepo: 84: /usr/bin/ikiwiki-makerepo: git: not found
/etc/ikiwiki/plinth-blog.setup: erstellen des Depots mit ikiwiki-makerepo ist fehlgeschlagen

Aufruf: ikiwiki [Optionen] Quelle Ziel\n       ikiwiki --setup my.setup [options]'

Ouh! Do I understand, that git isn’t available yet?! That might be the problem. Maybe I should install git by hand? Or is the Gitweb app mandatory for ikiwiki to work?

4

OK, I installed Gitweb and: Tadaaa!
Ikiwiki works as it should

Thanks for your help! @vexch ~~

Unfortunately my joy was a be premature:

Can't locate Date/Parse.pm in @INC (you may need to install the Date::Parse module) (@INC contains: /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl/5.28.1 /usr/local/share/perl/5.28.1 /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl5/5.28 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl/5.28 /usr/share/perl/5.28 /usr/local/lib/site_perl /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl-base) at (eval 126) line 1.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at (eval 126) line 1.
/etc/ikiwiki/plinth-blog.setup: ikiwiki --refresh --setup /var/lib/ikiwiki/CharliepTur.setup failed at /usr/share/perl5/IkiWiki/Setup/Automator.pm line 150.
Aufruf: ikiwiki [Optionen] Quelle Ziel\n       ikiwiki --setup my.setup [options]"

As implied by the message I
apt install libdatetime-format-dateparse-perl

NOW everything is finally working and I have a working blog.
Daaaamn! This is what happens, when I click preferences in the blog:

Error: Can't locate CGI/Session.pm in @INC (you may need to install the CGI::Session module) (@INC contains: /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl/5.28.1 /usr/local/share/perl/5.28.1 /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl5/5.28 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl/5.28 /usr/share/perl/5.28 /usr/local/lib/site_perl /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/perl-base) at (eval 65) line 1. BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at (eval 65) line 1.

after installing also libcgi-session-driver-chi-perl and libcgi-formbuilder-perl I get the signin form. Seems like there are several perl dependencies missing?

Maybe someone want to reproduce this with a fresh box? Could be that there’s a general flaw in the config routine?

5

I couldn’t reproduce this issue on fresh FreedomBox install. Does this command return anything for you:
grep -R Install-Recommends /etc/apt/

6

It returns

/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/71-armbian-no-recommends:APT::Install-Recommends "0";
7

You can try to #comment out this line and then reinstall ikiwiki:
apt remove ikiwiki
apt install ikiwiki

But commenting out this line may break other things in your Armbian distro.

8

Well, after installing the mentioned dependencies by hand ikiwiki wokrs smoothly. Better not risk anything :grin:
Thank you!