FamilySearch Wiki:Known Issues

'''Below is a list of known issues in the FamilySearch Wiki. The most recent issues are at the top of the list:'''

Pictures and PDF Images Missing from Wiki
During the upgrade of MediaWiki from version 1.32 to 1.34, some images were inadvertently deleted. These images had an error associated with them when they were uploaded many years ago. We are working to get them restored. Until then, you will see some strange red links where pictures used to be. Example can be found at the top of this page in the right hand corner. The image normally in the Archives template is missing. Please do not replace these images. We will have them restored soon. Thanks for your patience. Batsondl (talk) 09:36, 23 October 2020 (MDT)

Some Wiki Articles Are Not Displaying In Search Results
This problem has resurfaced and engineers are currently working to solve the problem. To locate a new Wiki article you recently created, you will need to view your Contributions list found in the top right hand corner of the screen (near your username) or search for it using Categories. Batsondl (talk) 15:27, 26 September 2018 (UTC)


 * The search feature for the Wiki is not working properly. Some Wiki articles that exist in the Wiki will not display in the search results. However, if you know the exact title of the article, the system will automatically navigate to the page.  This appears to only affect articles created within the last 3 months.  It is expected that this issue will be resolved by Monday, June 25, 2018.  We apologize for this inconvenience.  Batsondl (talk) 16:28, 20 June 2018 (UTC)

Suggestions for finding missing articles:
 * If you can't find an article you created, review your Contributions list, which is found in the top right corner of the screen, below your name.
 * Categories can also be used to find the Wiki article you desire. To browse categories, click here.

Wiki Notifications contain broken links
Wiki notifications sent to patrons when changes have been made to their watched Wiki pages currently includes links that are broken. They contain a "127.0.0.1" instead of "www.familysearch.org" in the URL. To view your watched Wiki page and see the changes that have been made (and to continue to watch the Wiki page), use the "Watchlist" link found in the top right hand corner of the screen (near your username). Once on that page, locate the article and click on "Diff". This will display the differences between the two pages. It will also continue to leave the page on your Watchlist. Batsondl (talk) 15:27, 26 September 2018 (UTC)

Email a User Feature
The Email a User feature found on a person's user page is currently not working. Although it appears that the email was sent, the user never receives the email. Engineers are looking into the problem. Batsondl (talk) 16:28, 20 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Engineers have resolved the problem.Batsondl (talk) 16:01, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

Suggestions for workaround:
 * If you need to communicate with a user regarding an edit, we suggest putting a message on the user's Talk page. For more information, click here.

Upload File/Image
The link, Upload File/Image is currently not working. We apologize for this inconvenience. Batsondl (talk) 16:28, 20 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Engineers have resoled the problem. Batsondl (talk) 15:43, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

Suggestions for workaround:
 * If you would like to submit an image to be approved and added to the Wiki, please send the image directly to: [mailto:wikisupport@familysearch.org wikisupport@familysearch.org].

"Page not working" or Wiki page not displaying correctly
We are currently experiencing problems when navigating and saving Wiki pages. An error sometimes appears stating that the "Page is not Working" or that the page has timed out. Or, the Wiki page does not display correctly and looks as though it only loaded a portion of the page. Refreshing the page once usually resolves the problem. You can refresh the page by clicking on the Refresh button beside the URL address bar at the top of the Browser page. Additional instructions for refreshing a page are found here. UPDATE - This was resolved by Wiki engineers on June 5, 2018.

Email a User feature
The Email a User feature found on a person's user page is currently not working. When you try to send an email, you get the error, "Unknown error in PHP's mailfunction. Wiki engineers are currently working on a solution.

UPDATE - this feature is now working. Batsondl (talk) 18:01, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

Upload Image Problem
Currently, the Upload File/Image link is not working. It allows you to select and image and fill out all of the information but then gives the error, "An error has occurred, please contact the System Administrator.'' Wiki engineers are working on a solution.

If this happens to you, please send your image(s) to wikisupport@familysearch.org. Please include the image license that would be appropriate for the image.

UPDATE - this feature is now working. Batsondl (talk) 18:01, 3 July 2017 (UTC)

Missing Personal Sandbox Link
Because of some issues with the Personal Sandbox link previously found under the Volunteer and Helper menu, we attempted to make the link only show when users are logged in. (Multiple users were using the exact same sandbox instead of their own sandbox because they forgot to log in.) Unfortunately, we are having issues getting it to show for all editors. We are working on it presently. Batsondl (talk) 18:58, 28 March 2017 (UTC)

The Personal Sandbox link under Volunteer and Helper menu has been returned. You MUST be logged in to navigate to your user sandbox page. If you are not, it will go to the incorrect page. Until we can get the link to only appear when users are logged in, we are using this as the current solution.Batsondl (talk) 20:27, 4 April 2017 (UTC)

Preview Problems
An intermittent problem is occurring when you try to preview a page before saving. You get the error: "An error occurred while attempting to preview your changes: HTTP error: SyntaxError JSON parse unexpected character on line 1 column 1 of the JSON data" Often, if you continue to click on the preview button, eventually you will see a preview. Or, you can save the page to see what it looks like. This one has been very difficult for the engineers to diagnose but they are working on it.Batsondl (talk) 15:30, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

The solution to the uploading problem also appears to have fixed the preview problem. Batsondl (talk) 15:03, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

Can't upload image
For those with rights to upload directly to the wiki, the feature is not working and gives the error of: "The file you uploaded seems to be empty. This might be due to a typo in the filename. Please check whether you really want to upload this file." This has been reported to wiki engineers. Batsondl (talk) 15:30, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

This was resolved by wiki engineers. All those with uploading rights should be able to upload. Batsondl (talk) 16:46, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

Missing Wiki Navigation
At times, the wiki page loads without the left side navigation bar and the top navigation bar including the search box and edit tabs and pushes them to the bottom of the page. We can't figure out why it happens sometimes and not other times. Batsondl (talk) 20:21, 22 February 2017 (UTC) Workaround: refreshing the page, sometimes several times, seems to bring the navigation bars back into the correct position. Otherwise, scroll to the bottom of the page where the links are located.

Our wiki Engineer found something wrong with 2 of the servers (there are 7) that run the wiki. He reset the servers and everything is back to normal. Batsondl (talk) 15:51, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

Access Denied Exception
Some wiki pages are giving the error, "Access Denied Exception" instead of showing the content on the page. This is a result of an image appearing on the page that has been resized previously. This is a result of our permissions problem with some images. If the sizing is removed from the image, the wiki page will re-appear.

If you have trouble saving a page and get the "Access Denied Exception" error, it is because you have sized an image on the wiki page or template. If the sizing is removed, the page will save. Batsondl (talk) 15:43, 30 December 2016 (UTC) This has been resolved! Batsondl (talk) 20:45, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Sizing of Images
It has been reported that some images do not change in size when given the correct wikitext code. Once the Upload Images problems have been resolved, engineers will work on this problem and we can fill you in with more details. Thanks for your patience. Batsondl (talk) 17:35, 29 December 2016 (UTC) This problem has been resolved by wiki engineers. Batsondl (talk) 20:47, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Upload Images
As of Tuesday, December 20, 2016, we have been unable to upload any images to the wiki. The Upload File/Image link does work and we do receive the Salesforce case. However, the ability to upload an image directly to the Wiki does not work. Engineers are working on it but because of the holidays, it may not be fixed until after January 1, 2017. Batsondl (talk) 21:29, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

This problem has been resolved by wiki engineers. Batsondl (talk) 20:47, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Incorrect Font for Headings 3 and Headings 4
The FamilySearch website changed their font and it is overriding the css code for the wiki. Headings 3 and 4 now are different fonts and look smaller than the normal text on the page. Text in bullet lists also are smaller font. It is on the list for the wiki engineers to fix. Batsondl (talk) 15:42, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

Headings 3 and 4 have been fixed in the English wiki. However, we are still working on the font. Once engineers fix this, we will fix the other language wikis. Batsondl (talk) 05:09, 12 January 2017 (UTC)

All headings and font are now correct on the wiki. Batsondl (talk) 20:19, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

Upload File/Image
The Upload File/Image link to submit images to be uploaded to the wiki has not been working since November 1 and submissions made were not received by Wiki management. Any submissions made between November 1 to the present need to be re-sent to this [mailto:wikisupport@familysearch.org email.] Your request will be processed within 48 hours. Batsondl (talk) 22:45, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

UPDATE: As of 12/13/2016 the Upload File/Image link is now working! Please resubmit any images that you sent us after November 1, 2016. Batsondl (talk) 22:03, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

VisualEditor Inserting Images feature
The VisualEditor insert an image feature is not working at this time. Engineers believe it is related to the re-uploading problem in the Wiki. The current workaround is to use Wikitext code to add the image to the page. Instructions on how to do so are found in the Wiki University. Batsondl (talk) 18:09, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

Images missing on the wiki
Currently, there are images missing from the wiki. Engineers are actively working on the problem. We expect them to all return soon.

UPDATE: to resolve this issue, click on the "edit source" and immediately save the page. Somehow this renames the path of the image and it will display on the page.Batsondl (talk) 18:09, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

This has been resolved by wiki engineers.Batsondl (talk) 20:47, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Upload File/Image
The link to submit images to be approved and loaded on the wiki currently does not work. To submit images to the wiki in the meantime, send them to: [mailto:wikisupport@familysearch.org wikisupport@familysearch.org] Batsondl (talk) 16:55, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

Uploading Images
For those with Reviewer and Moderator roles in the wiki, the Upload File link only works with some images. Some give an error. Unfortunately, re-loading a version of an image does not work at all. The engineers are currently working on both issues and believe they are related.

Workaround: If you get an error when uploading an image, try renaming the image to a shorter version or even re-save the image to .jpg. Sometimes the system will let you upload the image. Batsondl (talk) 17:10, 9 November 2016 (UTC)