I have 623 entries in an album, all with lengthy comments.
If i try and add another image and comments it doesn't work. Throws a server error:

"Can´t load data for folder "

console shows:

jalbum-album.js Error: Objects could not be loaded for "data1.json?1742221003": error, Internal Server Error
I @ all.min.js?v=6.6:9

Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 500 (Internal Server Error)
Manifest: Line: 1, column: 1, Syntax error.

It doesn't matter if I add a different photo and different associated comments.
If I remove comments or even only had half of them it works but then I cannot add more photos and comments. Like I've hit a limit?

It's behind a login area of the site or 'd give you a link. I can PM the link and a login though

Edited by: ming666 on 17 Mar 2025, 15:27

Edited by: ming666 on 17 Mar 2025, 15:29

Thanks I have emailed you

Here's what Gemini told about this:

Yes, a file containing special characters, including those that might resemble or trigger an End-of-File (EOF) condition, can indeed lead to an Internal Server Error (500). Here's a breakdown of how this can happen:

1. Character Encoding Issues:

Invalid Encoding: If a file is encoded with a character set that the server or the application processing it doesn't recognize or handle correctly, it can lead to parsing errors. Special characters outside the expected encoding range can cause these errors.  
UTF-8 Problems: Even with UTF-8, which is very robust, malformed UTF-8 sequences can crash parsers or lead to unexpected behavior. Some special characters may be represented by a multi-byte sequence, and if that sequence is corrupted, it will cause errors.  

2. Parsing and Interpretation:

Scripting Languages: If the file is being processed by a scripting language (like PHP, Python, or Perl), certain characters might be interpreted as control characters or syntax errors. For instance, a character that breaks a string or prematurely terminates a script block can cause a 500 error.
Configuration Files: If the file is a configuration file (like .htaccess, web.config, or a JSON/YAML configuration), special characters that violate the file's syntax or structure can lead to parsing failures.
Data Files: If the file is a data file (like CSV, XML, or JSON), unexpected characters can disrupt the parsing process, especially if the parser is not designed to handle them gracefully.

3. EOF and Related Issues:

Premature EOF: While a literal EOF character is a system-level concept, certain characters or sequences might be interpreted as a premature end of the file by the application reading it. This can lead to incomplete processing and errors.
Control Characters: Some control characters, which are non-printing characters used for various purposes, can interfere with file processing. For example, characters that affect line endings or data streams can cause problems.  
Binary Data in Text Files: If a text file accidentally contains binary data, it might include characters that are not meant to be interpreted as text, potentially leading to parsing errors.

4. Server-Side Handling:

Insufficient Error Handling: If the server-side application doesn't have robust error handling, unexpected characters can cause the application to crash, resulting in a 500 error.
Security Vulnerabilities: In some cases, special characters could be used to exploit vulnerabilities in the server-side application, leading to unexpected behavior and potentially a 500 error.

Example Scenarios:

A PHP script that reads a text file and encounters an unexpected null character (\0) might crash.
A JSON file with an unescaped control character might fail to parse, causing an error in a web application.  
A malformed UTF-8 sequence in a configuration file could prevent the server from starting.
In summary: While a literal EOF is more of a system level indicator, special characters that break parsing rules, encoding rules, or application logic, can absolutely result in a 500 Internal Server error.

If it works locally but breaks only on the server, then your server reads the JSON file into the memory and fails at a certain point. I have never seen such behavior on Apache servers, even with much larger JSON files, but your server is running Microsoft IIS7.0. You might need to find the setting to avoid caching JSON files or give the server larger memory. It seems it can't serve JSON files larger than 4 MB. (Or perhaps move to an Apache server.)

Ding, ding, ding! We have the winner!!

There is no reason to stick with a balky Microsoft IIS server, unless you're running a bunch of .NET applications.

OK I've just compiled it with a different skin, the json is still over 4mb and it works

I mean lots of other things are broken due to the swap but the server is not having a problem

Edited by: ming666 on 31 Mar 2025, 10:48

ah ok thanks

Not only can the size trigger Internal Server Error 500, but a special character, for example, that the server cannot decode can also do that. If the site works locally but fails when it runs on IIS, then it's a server software or server configuration error. Try to upload the album to another type of server as a test!