Recovering From The Corrupt Template / "Error 500"

We're seeing a few reports, this week, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about blogs with broken templates.

I tried to log on to my blog, and it shows up an error message. I've done it several times on different browsers, but no change: the error code is bX-uukqqu.

It appears that the "bX-uukqqu" is from the owner attempting dashboard access. Trying to view the same blog, I see the ubiquitous "bX-v2vqfh".

Both codes reference blogs which show up, in an HTTP trace, with the monolithic message "500 Internal Server Error" - and tells us that this is one more blog with a broken template.

If you, the owner of a blog with a broken template, can access the Template dashboard page, you may be able to recover the template.

Some blog owners report that adding a Template Backup / Restore has helped to resolve their own bX code / "Error 500".

1. Backup the template ("Download full template").
2. Get a clean Blogger standard template.
3. Restore the template ("Upload" the template that you just downloaded).

If you're lucky, your version of the "bX-uukqqu" (dashboard) / "bX-v2vqfh" (public) can be resolved, by a quick template download then upload.



You may need direct access to the Template page, bypassing the dashboard menu - though if you can view the blog, the "Design" navbar link will provide you that ability. If you can't access the Template page at all, you may be able to clear some bX codes, by using the Template Editor aka "Edit HTML".

If any of this works, your blog will be back in service. If not, you will at least have a backup copy of the template.

If the template is still broken, you now have three choices.

1. Leave the blog as it is now, broken - until Blogger Engineering finishes diagnosing and fixing the actual cause of the template corruption.
2. Get a fresh new template. When Blogger Engineering finishes diagnosing and fixing the actual cause of the template corruption, you can try restoring the template copy that you just backed up.
3. Try a persistent solution.

And whether this works - or not - or even if you can't use it, right now, you can have a template backup. And one day, this backup may be useful.

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A few Blogger blog owners, reporting bX codes when trying to access their dashboards, have found that accessing the Template page directly, then doing a quick back / restore, may clear the bX codes. This suggests that Blogger Engineering is beginning to test solutions to the ubiquitous "Error 500" broken template problem, that have been afflicting blog owners for some time.

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bX Codes, Diagnosing "Error 500", Being Reported

We're seeing a few reports from blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, with blogs being inaccessible.

My blog can't be seen at all, it just says error when I'm trying to open my blog. I also can't edit anything, like HTML or Template.

When the blog is viewed, it will issue one of several bX codes. So far, I've identified bX-3o92c2, bX-ppgc07, bX-tqn3zr, bX-v2vqfh, bX-vg1g6a. When the blog is viewed, using an HTTP trace, the trace will terminate, showing an old friend.

Error 500 Internal Server Error

What we appear to be seeing is multiple bX codes, being used to diagnose the various causes of the "Error 500", which has long plagued Blogger blog owners.

The "bX-v2vqfh" and other errors appear to be "500 Internal Server Error".

Here, we see a "bX-vg1g6a".

And an HTTP trace, for the same blog, shows the ubiquitous "Error 500 Internal Server Error".



So, the blog owner should get a new template - or restore from backup.

The simplest solution, to the "Error 500" has been to restore the template, from a recent backup - hoping that you have a usable backup. If a backup is not available - or if the blog, with the backup applied, also returns a bX code - you must get a new template.

The fortunate blog owner, able to login to Blogger with the right account, will have a relatively simple task.

1. Click on the "Design" link in the navbar.
2. Choose a new template - or restore from a previous backup.
3. Use "Edit HTML", and reset the post template.

If the blog has a custom template, that cannot (should not) be trashed, and the Template page can be accessed, a backup before getting a new Blogger template - and a restore after - may provide relief.

In either case, you will need to use the dashboard Template page - then reset the post template, using Template "Edit HTML".

In some cases, the dashboard can't be accessed. In this case, we must (with some effort) access the Template page, directly.

Possibly a little effort may be required.

1. Extract the BlogID, from the navbar "Design" or "New Post" link.
2. Build a Template page access URL.
3. Access the Template page, using the direct URL.
4. Choose a new template - or restore from a previous backup.
5. Use "Edit HTML", and reset the post template.

If the navbar link can't be used, a little more work is involved.

1. Find a cached copy of the blog, before the template broke.
2. Extract the BlogID, from the cache source code.
3. Build a Template page access URL.
4. Access the Template page, using the direct URL.
5. Choose a new template - or restore from a previous backup.
6. Use "Edit HTML", and reset the post template.

Finally, if possible, recall what changes you made, immediately before the problem was observed - and avoid repeating those changes.

Note that some blogs absolutely won't provide access to the Template page - but they may, to the Template Editor aka "Edit HTML".

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It appears that #Blogger Engineering, in an effort to diagnose the annoying "Error 500 Internal Server Error", has recently activated or added a series of bX codes - which are being reported by various blog owners.

We were some time ago advised to have the owner get a new template, when encountering the "Error 500".

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The Mysterious "Deleted blogs" Dashboard Link

Occasionally, we see signs of confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

Where is the "Deleted blogs" link?

or

How can I recover my blog, if there's no link on the dashboard??

These blog owners don't understand that "Deleted blogs" only appears, when there are deleted blogs that can be recovered.

Not all blogs, having vanishing from the dashboard, will be recoverable by the owner.

• A blog deleted / locked after hacking activity was detected won't be recoverable.
• A blog owned under another Blogger account won't be recoverable.
• A blog that does not exist won't be recoverable.

If the Blogger account owns no blogs that are recoverable, there won't be a "Deleted blogs" link on the dashboard.

If the Blogger account owns other blogs, that are not currently deleted, those blogs will be listed. If the Blogger account owns no recoverable blogs, the blog owner sees a monolithic message

You are not an author on any blogs.

In some cases, the blog owner will be advised to clear cache, cookie, and sessions - then restart the browser, and login to Blogger. In other cases, the solution will be to wait 24 to 48 hours, and check again. Just don't waste time looking for a link that may not be there - and try to understand why the link may not be there.

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How To Unmap Google Sites To Solve "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address."

The literal cause of the error "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address." is that the Google Sites service is mapped to the address in question, in the Google domain services mapping database.

Some help articles published on the Internet imply that Sites mappings are the only cause of this error. This misconception creates some of the confusion associated with the error. Sites is not the only service in the services mapping database - but it is the only service with web address mappings.

The Sites service contains both service address, and web address, mappings - and both mappings can cause this problem. This oddity creates complexity, and makes a linear check list impossible, when using Google Apps to clear the error - as well as diagnosing the error, in a typical dialogue in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

When the Sites service is suspected as the cause of "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address.", one must check both the Service Address Mapping, and the Web Address Mappings, in the Sites service.

Note that the presence of the mappings is not directly affected by the presence of the service wizards, on the desktop of the Google Apps account which you are using. Neither deleting the Apps account, nor uninstalling a given service wizard from the desktop, will immediately reset the mappings for that service, from the database.

If not present on the desktop, the Sites service must be first installed and activated, using the dashboard "Get more apps and services" link.

The Sites service address mapping, like all other services, can be examined and reset using the CustomURL form in Google Apps, as well as "Change URL" in the "General" tab, in the Sites Settings menu. The web address mappings can only be examined and reset using the "Web Address Mapping" tab, in the Sites Settings menu.

1. Select the "Web Address Mapping" tab, in the Sites Settings menu.
2. Select all addresses mapped, and click on "Delete Mapping(s)".
3. Click on "Yes" in the "Are you sure" popup.

If a Sites mapping is not the cause of your problem, Sites won't have a mapped address, in "Web Address Mapping". You will then need to check other settings, in Control Panel / Google Apps.

A Sites service address mapping, like other service address mappings, can sometimes be diagnosed in a simple "302 Moved Temporarily" redirect, in a typical HTTP trace.

Sending request:

GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: www.letthykingdomcome.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:18.0)
 Gecko/20100101 Firefox/18.0
Referer: http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html
Connection: close

• Finding host IP address...
• Host IP address = 74.125.129.121
• Finding TCP protocol...
• Binding to local socket...
• Connecting to host...
• Sending request...
• Waiting for response...
Receiving Header:
HTTP/1.1·302·Moved·Temporarily(CR)(LF)
Content-Type:·text/html;·charset=UTF-8(CR)(LF)
Location:·http://sites.google.com/a/letthykingdomcome.com/
 sites/system/app/pages/meta/domainWelcome(CR)(LF)

A Sites web address mapping is not always so easy to diagnose - and may be the reason behind the fact that some HTTP traces end with the blog owner reporting "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address.", and an HTTP trace simply showing the generic 404 Not Found.

Sending request:

GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: www.markhamdesign.co.uk
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0
 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:19.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/19.0
Referer: http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html
Connection: close

• Finding host IP address...
• Host IP address = 216.239.32.21
• Finding TCP protocol...
• Binding to local socket...
• Connecting to host...
• Sending request...
• Waiting for response...
Receiving Header:
HTTP/1.1·404·Not·Found(CR)(LF)

A Sites "Web Address Mapping" can include an address which is mapped outside Google Apps. This creates a mapping which can't be managed using Google Apps.

If you own a domain and have access to change the CNAME record, you can map any site created in Google Sites outside of Google Apps (for example, sites.google.com/site) to a custom URL

Sending request:

GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: www.medtechpedia.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:19.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/19.0
Referer: http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html
Connection: close

• Finding host IP address...
• Host IP address = 74.125.129.121
• Finding TCP protocol...
• Binding to local socket...
• Connecting to host...
• Sending request...
• Waiting for response...
Receiving Header:
HTTP/1.1·200·OK(CR)(LF)

<body·xmlns="http://www.google.com/ns/jotspot"·id="body"·class="·en············">(LF)
<script·src="//www.gstatic.com/caja/5246m/caja.js">·</script>(LF)
<script·src="http://www.gstatic.com/sites/p/926884/system/js/jot_caja.js">·</script>(LF)
<div·id="sites-page-toolbar"·class="sites-header-divider">(LF)
<div·xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"·id="sites-status"·class="sites-status"·style="display:none;"><div·id="sites-notice"·class="sites-notice"·role="status"·aria-live="assertive">·</div></div>(LF)
</div>(LF)
<div·id="sites-chrome-everything-scrollbar">(LF)
<div·id="sites-chrome-everything">(LF)
<div·id="sites-chrome-page-wrapper"·style="direction:·ltr">(LF)
<div·id="sites-chrome-page-wrapper-inside">(LF)
<div·xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"·id="sites-chrome-header-wrapper"·style="">(LF)
<table·id="sites-chrome-header"·class="sites-layout-hbox"·cellspacing="0"·style="">(LF)
<tr·class="sites-header-primary-row"·id="sites-chrome-userheader">(LF)
<td·id="sites-header-title"·class=""><div·class="sites-header-cell-buffer-wrapper"><h2>
  <a·href="http://sites.google.com/site/medtechpedia/"·dir="ltr"·id="sites-chrome-userheader-title">MedTechPedia</a></h2></div></td><td·class="sites-layout-searchbox·"><div·class="sites-header-cell-buffer-wrapper"><form·id="sites-searchbox-form"·action="/system/app/pages/search"><input·type="hidden"·id="sites-searchbox-scope"·name="scope"·value="search-site"·/><input·type="text"·id="jot-ui-searchInput"·name="q"·size="20"·value=""·aria-label="Search·this·site"·autocomplete="off"·/><div·id="sites-searchbox-button-set"·class="goog-inline-block"><div·role="button"·id="sites-searchbox-search-button"·class="goog-inline-block·jfk-button·jfk-button-standard"·tabindex="0">Search·this·site</div></div></form></div></td>(LF)
</tr>(LF)
<tr·class="sites-header-secondary-row"·id="sites-chrome-horizontal-nav">(LF)
<td·colspan="2"·id="sites-chrome-header-horizontal-nav-container">(LF)
<div·class="sites-header-nav"><ul·class="sites-header-nav-container-tabs"><li·class="current"><a·class="sites-navigation-link·current"·href="/home">Home</a></li><li·class="unselected"><a·class="sites-navigation-link·unselected"·href="/introduction-to-medical-technology">Introduction·to·Medical·Technology</a></li></ul><div·style="clear:·both;"></div></div>(LF)
</td>(LF)
</tr>(LF)
</table>·(LF)
</div>·

A Sites mapping won't always be present - but when it is, it's not difficult to solve - as long as you can access Google Apps aka "Control Panel".

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How To Solve "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address."

Of all of the problems that are typically reported, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, surely the most frustrating has to be

Another blog or Google Site is already using this address.

or possibly

Key already exists for domain ...

One of the reasons for the frustration is that this is not a descriptive error - it's more of a symptom - and this symptom has a number of causes. Since many Blogger blog owners don't understand the principles of problem solving, the solutions for this error may not be obvious.

The monolithic message "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address." is actually a symptom of a number of possible problems.

Some time ago, I identified three categories of problems, which cause the message to be displayed.

1. The URL in question is actually in use, with another blog already published to that domain URL.
2. The DNS addresses are improperly setup, and not pointing to the correct Google servers.
3. There are broken / duplicate pointers, which affect the domain, in the Google internal database.

Check For A Blog Already Published To The Address

If there is a blog already published to the URL, and you control both blogs, make a simple decision - which blog to publish, to the URL in question. If necessary, a second blog can be published to a different host in the domain, and setup a domain cluster. In some cases, a previous domain owner may have published a blog, which you won't control, to the domain.

Check The DNS Address Setup

Having eliminated or solved the possibility of multiple blogs, check and - if necessary - correct the DNS addresses setup for the domain. There are three DNS address models - with one, asymmetrical, being involved with over 99% of the blogs reported with this problem. There is simply no alternative to "CNAME" forwarding, when publishing a blog to a custom domain.

Check For Service Redirections

With the DNS addresses corrected - and DNS propagation latency allowed for - diagnose the problem using a series of HTTP traces. Here, we'll generally see a number of possible redirections.

1. Calendar.
2. Drive and Docs.
3. Email.
4. Sites.
5. Start Page.

If the HTTP traces do not indicate a specific service, you may have an indeterminate case of database corruption.

When dealing with service redirections, start by establishing access to the Google Apps domain administrator desktop. If the domain was purchased in 2013 or later, you'll have use of a basic function Apps account. You'll use two Apps desktop wizards - "Organization & users" and "Settings".

1. Use "Organization & users", to install and activate any service.
2. Use "Settings" to disable mappings, and to uninstall any service.

Named Service Redirection

For a named service redirection:

1. If necessary, install and activate the service.
2. Delete the mappings for the service.
3. Uninstall the service.

Database Corruption Or Unknown Service Redirection

If a specific service is not identified in the HTTP traces, check the "Change URLs for multiple services" display, which is accessible from any "Change URL" service wizard.

1. Select any service, in the "Settings" wizard, and the "Change URL" link for that service.
2. Click on "Change URLs for all domain services".
3. Examine the "Change URLs for multiple services" display, and select the custom mapping, for any service with the default mapping (top) address selected. If any service entry is changed, click "Continue".
4. For each service with mapping which was just changed:
   • If necessary, install and activate the service.
   • Uninstall the service.

Just read about the details, take it one step at a time - and allow time to complete the entire task, carefully.

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How To Use Google Apps To Solve "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address."

The Google domain services database lets one or more Blogger blogs, and / or various Google services, be packaged as part of a domain - giving your organisation its own virtual web server.

Google Apps is used to manage this virtual web server, as you install and un install various domain services. Sometimes a domain, newly setup in Google after the domain has been purchased from a registrar, will have one or more addresses unexpectedly mapped to various Google services. This will be inconvenient to the blog owner, who may wish to use a given URL for a Blogger blog.

The most common cause of the error "Another blog or Google Site is already using this address." involves unexpected mappings, in the Google domain database.

When your domain has unwanted mappings, you'll need to use the Google Apps domain administrator desktop, and various utilities there, to remove the mappings and reset the services. To start, you'll need access to the Google Apps desktop for the domain administrator. For domains recently purchased using Blogger or Google wizards, you'll have a limited function domain administrator desktop.

You'll use two Apps desktop wizards - "Organization & users" and "Settings".

• Use "Organization & users", to install and activate a service.
• Use "Settings" to disable / remove mappings, and to disable / uninstall a service.

Install And Activate Services

Use "Organization & users" - "Services", to activate the various services.

• To install a service, click on "Dashboard", find "Common tasks" at the bottom left, and click on "Get more apps and services". Click on "Add it now", for the needed service.
• To activate a service, go to "Organization & users" - "Services", and look under "Core Google Services" or "Additional Services", for the service in question - and click on the coloured toggle switch as necessary. Then click on "Save changes".

Remove Mappings

Use the Settings wizard, for the service in question - to add and remove address mappings, and to deactivate services. Each different service, listed in Settings, has a different set of menus, and different options.

We currently know of 5 services which can be mapped to a domain, which may interfere with publication of a Blogger blog to a domain address. Any problem service, currently mapped to the default (top) address, will need to be changed to map to the custom (bottom) address.

1. Calendar.
2. Drive and Docs.
3. Email.
4. Sites.
5. Start Page.

To remove address mappings for Calendar:

1. Click on "Calendar", then the "General" tab, then "Change URL" for "Web address".
2. If necessary, select the custom mapping (bottom) address, and click "Continue".
3. If you change the Calender mapping, remember to uninstall Calender.

To remove address mappings for Drive and Docs:

1. Click on "Drive and Docs", then the "General" tab, then "Change URL" for "Web address".
2. If necessary, select the custom mapping (bottom) address, and click "Continue".
3. If you change the Drive and Docs mapping, remember to uninstall Drive and Docs.

To remove address mappings for Email:

1. Click on "Email", then the "General Settings" tab, then "Change URL" for "Web address".
2. If necessary, select the custom mapping (bottom) address, and click "Continue".
3. If you change the Email mapping, remember to uninstall Email.

To remove address mappings for Sites, some extra effort may be required:

1. Click on "Sites", then the "General" tab, then "Change URL" for "Web address".
2. If necessary, select the custom mapping (bottom) address, and click "Continue".
3. Select the "Web Address Mapping" tab.
4. Select all addresses mapped, and click on "Delete Mapping(s)".
5. Some Sites mappings can only be diagnosed, and reset, outside Google Apps.
6. If you change any Sites mapping, remember to uninstall Sites.

To remove address mappings for Start Page:

1. Click on "Start Page", then "Change URL" for "Web address".
2. If necessary, select the custom mapping (bottom) address, and click "Continue".
3. If you change the Start Page mapping, remember to uninstall Start Page.

The CustomURL Wizard

Besides the multiple Sites mappings (in "Web Address Mapping"), it may be possible to use the "CustomURL" wizard, which will list all active services and current mappings. The CustomURL wizard is accessed from any "Change URL" wizard.

1. Click on "Change URLs for all domain services".
2. Examine the "Change URLs for multiple services" display, and disable any references to the default mapping. Select the custom mapping (bottom) address, for any service with the default mapping (top) address selected. If any service entry was changed, click "Continue".
3. For each service with mapping which was changed:
   • If necessary, install and activate the service.
   • Uninstall the service.

Disable / Uninstall Services After Changing Mapping

If you did change or delete any mappings, whether using CustomURL ("Change URLs for multiple services") or an individual service wizard ("Change URL" / "Web Address Mapping"), the final step is to disable or uninstall each service for which you changed or deleted mappings. If you do intend to use any named service, re install it later - after you get your custom domain working.

To uninstall Calendar, click on "Calendar", then the "General" tab. Click on "Uninstall Calendar", next to "Uninstall service".

To uninstall Drive and Docs, click on "Drive and Docs", then the "General" tab. Click on "Uninstall Drive and Docs", next to "Uninstall service".

To uninstall Email, click on "Email", then the "General Settings" tab. Click on "Uninstall Email", next to "Uninstall service".

To uninstall Sites, click on "Sites", then the "General" tab. Click on "Uninstall Sites", next to "Uninstall service".

To disable Start Page, click on "Start Page", then on "Disable Start Page", next to "Disable service".

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