eStore – Unable to set cURL transfer options

[Jonathan Payne]

I have eStore on two sites. The one works fine. The other (www.ministeratlarge.org), when I click the encrypted link delivers the message:

“The secure download manager ran into a problem that it couldn’t handle, and is unable to process your download request. Please contact the site administrator.

Please tell the site administrator the problem was due to the following reason:

Unable to set cURL transfer options”.

I have deleted and reloaded the plugin but this has not improved it.

I have the default settings in place – not “Method 7” which is the problem given on one of the forum posts.

The last forum post on this issue was two years ago, and I’m not able to follow the conversation with any understanding.

[wzp]

Well, so if I understand you correctly, you are still getting this error; even after selecting a different download method (not Method 7)? If that is so, then something is wrong with the version of eStore you are using; and you should download a fresh copy of the plugin.

https://support.tipsandtricks-hq.com/automatic-update-request

Now then, in order for that specific error message to appear, several preconditions must be met:

1. Download “Method 7 – cURL” must be selected, in the eStore settings menu. If the cURL library is not installed on your server, eStore will not allow you to select this download method. The only way this safeguard can be bypassed is if you “cloned” an existing site to another server that does not have the cURL library installed.

2. The cURL library must be installed on the server, at the time the download link is used. Even if method 7 was selected in the eStore settings; the download.php script will test to ensure the curl_init() function exists. If it does not exist you should get a “cURL library not installed” error. The only way this safeguard would fail is if some other plugin or library were using a function name that conflicts with the “real” cURL library.

3. Assuming we get past #1 and #2, the only remaining “compelling reason” for why you would get this particular error, is if your hosting provider has PHP Safe Mode turned on. When PHP Safe Mode is turned on, the CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION option of cURL cannot be used. This cURL option is required, so that eStore can tell cURL where the download file is actually stored.

Following post maybe useful for you too:

https://support.tipsandtricks-hq.com/forums/topic/downloaded-file-size-is-0-zero-byte

[Jonathan Payne]

Non of the above has resolved the problem, including a fresh version of eStore. I am also assured that PHP safe mode is not on.

However, the domain in question [www.ministeratlarge.org] is a subdomain (multiple domain) to [www.jonathanpayne.co.za]. I have eStore installed also on [www.jonathanpayne.co.za] and it works fine. Could this be the issue? If so, is it possible to have eStore on both a primary and sub-domain selling two separate lists of items?

[wzp]

The URL ministeratlarge.org is not considered a subdomain. It would only be considered a subdomain if it were something like: ministeratlarge.jonathanpayne.co.za

As such, there should be no conflicts between the 2 domains; unless your hosting provider were doing “something weird.”

The error you see occurs outside the WordPress environment, during execution of the download.php script. It is therefore independent of eStore, WordPress, or any other “stuff” you may have personally installed on your server.

The error specifically occurs upon execution of the curl_init() function. This is a cURL library function that was installed by your hosting provider when the ministeratlarge.org server was provisioned.

All we can tell you is that; for whatever reason, the way in which your provider provisioned the ministeratlarge.org server is preventing you from using the CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION option during the curl_init() function call. And that mostly, it happens because the PHP Safe Mode was turned on.

Your provider must ensure the non-working server is provisioned ***EXACTLY*** the same way as the working server.

Apart from that, there is nothing further we can do about the situation, unless we were to “take over” your hosting provider’s business, in order to figure out what they did differently between the two servers.

One other question, just to rule out anything that you may have done… when you created the new site, did you start from scratch or did you copy files from the first site to the second?

[Jonathan Payne]

Thanks for your extensive response. I sent the conversation to my hosting provider, and the problem was with them. They fixed something on the PHP file and all is now fine.

[wzp]

Do you specifically know what it was that they changed?

[Author]

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