ArchivedUri --> spacer.gif

pthpth Registered Users Posts: 49 Big grins
edited May 20, 2016 in SmugMug API Support & Integrations
So I have been working on a simple download script to make an offline copy of my photos. I thought hey use the new API and here I am :-)

My code is working for the vast majority of my photos, but for a few, when I retrieve the ArchivedUri property from an image, the link appears solid, but if I try to download it (from my code or the API browser) I get a copy of spacer.gif -- the image appears fine and if I look to the "!sizeoriginal" for the image it appears fine, but I am a bit troubled by the odd behavior.

Any ideas?

Comments

  • gabbiegabbie Registered Users Posts: 66 Many Grins
    edited May 11, 2015
    That does sound like some strange behavior. Can you give us more detail about the requests that you're making and link to some of the images that are acting strangely?
    gabbie
    SmugMug Product Manager
  • leftquarkleftquark Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,784 Many Grins
    edited May 12, 2015
    We saw some form of this earlier on the front end, where downloading images resulted in spacer.gif. It seems to have gone away. Is it still happening for you? As gabbie mentioned, can you link us to a few images?
    dGrin Afficionado
    Former SmugMug Product Team
    aaron AT aaronmphotography DOT com
    Website: http://www.aaronmphotography.com
    My SmugMug CSS Customizations website: http://www.aaronmphotography.com/Customizations
  • knykny Registered Users Posts: 33 Big grins
    edited June 3, 2015
    leftquark wrote: »
    We saw some form of this earlier on the front end, where downloading images resulted in spacer.gif. It seems to have gone away. Is it still happening for you? As gabbie mentioned, can you link us to a few images?

    I am seeing this odd behavior, too.

    I have used the API to get the OriginalURL for all 147,000 images I have in smugmug, and am using curl to download all of these for an offline copy. I did a batch of 50,000 with no issues. It finished earlier today.

    Now, as I start the next batch of 50,000, I learn that I am only downloading tiny spacer.gifs when I curl the OriginalUrl. Very odd. If I enter the OriginalUrl in the browser, it pops up a download box for spacer.gif. So, I go back and try it on some of the 50,000 that succeeded this morning, and now, spacer.gif.

    So, what on earth happened? Has something changed in the last few hours? Has my ip address somehow been flagged to not allow access to OriginalUrls after I did the first 50,000 of them?

    Urls for other sizes work fine, it's just the OriginalUrl which has started failing. This is frustrating; I'd like to get my remaining 97,000 originals downloaded so that smugmug is not the only place in the world they exist.
  • gabbiegabbie Registered Users Posts: 66 Many Grins
    edited June 4, 2015
    I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem. We'll look into it right away. Can you give me an example link to some of the image URLs that you're having this problem with? That will help us get a jumpstart on debugging.
    gabbie
    SmugMug Product Manager
  • knykny Registered Users Posts: 33 Big grins
    edited June 5, 2015
    gabbie wrote: »
    I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem. We'll look into it right away. Can you give me an example link to some of the image URLs that you're having this problem with? That will help us get a jumpstart on debugging.

    Ok, so all my galleries were set for X3Large to be the largest image to view, with Original disabled.

    With this setting, the OriginalUrl was in a format like this:
    http://tri-to-win-events.smugmug.com/Sports/2010GarrettCountyGranFondo/i-nMNkNzM/1/k6Wd%2BBVkMJS%2AeWUL3Ng8r3tVSQQ%3D-1433436401-O/4739736140_7629fd6227_o.jpg

    I was able to successfully curl this url to save the image locally. Until I wasn't. Something changed and attempting to view this url or curl it, resulted in spacer.gif.

    So, I changed my galleries to allow OriginalUrl as the largest image to view (a setting I do not want, but which I will persevere with while I download my backups), and the OriginalUrl changes to a format like this:
    http://tri-to-win-events.smugmug.com/Sports/2010GarrettCountyGranFondo/i-nMNkNzM/1/O/4739736140_7629fd6227_o.jpg

    And now I can again curl the original image.

    So, something definitely changed on me. Whether smugmug was operating correctly or in error when it initially allowed me to curl the OriginalUrl from a gallery that prohibits viewing of Original size, I do not know. But, a change happened between my first batch of 50,000 and my second batch (a matter of hours) that started redirecting those OriginalUrls for galleries that do not permit Originals to be viewed to spacer.gif.

    ps - Galleries must also have HideOwner set to false or the Urls are smugmug.com/.... and these also cannot be curled (but can be opened in the browser).
  • gabbiegabbie Registered Users Posts: 66 Many Grins
    edited June 8, 2015
    How long after generating the OriginalUrls did you curl them? For galleries with Originals disabled, the signed URLs that we return are only good for 24 hours. After that they expire and return the spacer.gif, which seems like the problem that you were seeing.
    gabbie
    SmugMug Product Manager
  • knykny Registered Users Posts: 33 Big grins
    edited June 9, 2015
    gabbie wrote: »
    How long after generating the OriginalUrls did you curl them? For galleries with Originals disabled, the signed URLs that we return are only good for 24 hours. After that they expire and return the spacer.gif, which seems like the problem that you were seeing.

    Yes, sounds like it.

    I generated the OriginalUrls for all 147K images via the API. I then started downloading a batch of 50K, which was successful and took overnight and then some. The next evening I attempted the next batch of 50K, but downloads failed, presumably because the OriginalUrls had expired. And I then went back to some in the first batch of 50K and was flummoxed to see that those OriginalUrls were now failing, which, of course, is because the Url had expired.

    So, I guess that explains it. Thanks.
  • lenkalandlenkaland Registered Users Posts: 4 Beginner grinner
    edited May 5, 2016
    same challenge
    Hello, I just wanted to add that three separate people have contacted me about this same error when they try to download images from Password Protected galleries today and yesterday. All of the galleries are different... I am trying to help clients through the muddle so I'll be watching here. Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I am now disabling passwords in the hope that will help.
  • lenkalandlenkaland Registered Users Posts: 4 Beginner grinner
    edited May 5, 2016
    Hmmm... I just read more carefully, I have my galleries set to X3Large as well. Maybe I need to make them Original.
  • mnshotzmnshotz Registered Users Posts: 1 Beginner grinner
    edited May 13, 2016
    Same issue - Spacer.gif
    I've had 3 of my clients, as well as myself when not logged in get this same error.
  • braveheartsphotobraveheartsphoto Registered Users Posts: 1 Beginner grinner
    edited May 18, 2016
    same issue
    client just reported the same issue to me. she is trying to download several of her photos. some work fine and download as .jpegs and some do not, they download as spacer.gif
  • gabbiegabbie Registered Users Posts: 66 Many Grins
    edited May 20, 2016
    Hi folks -- We've received other reports of the spacer.gif issue and are currently investigating. You should NOT need to set your gallery to Original.
    For those here currently getting reports from clients, are there any patterns about the particular galleries/photos that aren't downloading correctly as far as you can tell? If there are links to galleries/photos that are broken those could help us narrow down the cause of the problem. Feel free to message me directly or email our support heroes via help@smugmug.com with more details.
    gabbie
    SmugMug Product Manager
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