Duplicate content - cPath issue - Bug?

[PiLLaO 35]

Hello,

I saw since v2.2rca until 2.3.4BS that cPath can be changed in url, this changed url works and show same content than valid url.

I saw this issue in almost two differents stores, and I find this issue beacuse I see Googlebot in "who's online" accesing this wrongs urls.

For example this url:

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10 (DVD -> Action) Exists

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1 (DVD -> Action - Hardware) Don't exists

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1_14 (DVD -> Action - Hardware -> Thriller) Don't exists

And you can nested categories "to infinity and beyond"

 

Probably anyone can say that only a crazy man find this wrong urls, but... If Google can find and indexed... And I see that he do....

Check in your store to look that you have this issue.

 

Best regards.

[burt 5,612]

This is what the Canonical URL module solves.  Does it not?

[PiLLaO 35]

2 minutes ago, burt said:

This is what the Canonical URL module solves.

The canonical url header_tags shows the wrong url, take a look

[azpro 145]

5 minutes ago, burt said:

This is what the Canonical URL module solves.  Does it not?

Nope ...

try https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1_14

And see the canonical :

<link rel="canonical" href="https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1_14" />

[burt 5,612]

How could Google find such URLs ?

 

[PiLLaO 35]

3 minutes ago, burt said:

How could Google find such URLs ?

 

No idea, I would like to know.

PD: Bingbot finds those urls too

[♥BrockleyJohn 312]

Likely something in your store is producing them - check webmaster tools for references

[azpro 145]

2 minutes ago, burt said:

How could Google find such URLs ?

This issue has been giving me headaches over time - saw it at least eight  years ago for the first time ... I never found an answer other then probably a mistake in an addon .. Really don't know ...

I kind of fixed it eventually with a new function (tep_get_canonical_path) that is always calculating the correct path for canonical.

[♥BrockleyJohn 312]

16 minutes ago, burt said:

This is what the Canonical URL module solves.  Does it not?

It ought to be - but within the module it's just taking the cpath and putting it in the link, so probably not. What we need is

5 minutes ago, azpro said:

tep_get_canonical_path

 

[burt 5,612]

I don't think that module has ever had much attention other than adding "view=all".

So...change these two lines:

https://github.com/gburton/Responsive-osCommerce/blob/master/includes/modules/header_tags/ht_canonical.php#L37-L38

To:

if (isset($cPath) && tep_not_null($cPath) && ($category_depth == 'products')) {
  $canonical = [];
  tep_get_parent_categories($canonical, $current_category_id);
  $canonical[] = $current_category_id;
          
  $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('index.php', 'view=all&cPath=' . implode('_', $canonical), 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);

And report back your findings.

[PiLLaO 35]

missing $current_category_id ?

canonicals show empty cPatch

<link rel="canonical" href="https://www . store . com/?cPath=" />

[burt 5,612]

and add $current_category_id as a global.

https://github.com/gburton/Responsive-osCommerce/blob/master/includes/modules/header_tags/ht_canonical.php#L32

[PiLLaO 35]

Works correctly if

($category_depth == 'products')

But it

$category_depth = 'nested'; // navigate through the categories

(extracted from index.php) are missing and if this category have subcategories don't show meta canonical

will this

if (isset($cPath) && tep_not_null($cPath) && ($category_depth == 'products')) {

need to be?

if (isset($cPath) && tep_not_null($cPath) && ($category_depth == 'products' || $category_depth == 'nested')) {
	$oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('index.php', ($category_depth == 'products' ? 'view=all&' : '') . 'cPath=' . $cPath, 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);

 

[burt 5,612]

I like this:

    function execute() {
      global $PHP_SELF, $cPath, $oscTemplate, $category_depth;
      global $current_category_id, $OSCOM_category;

      if (basename($PHP_SELF) == 'product_info.php') {
        $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('product_info.php', 'products_id=' . (int)$_GET['products_id'], 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);
      } elseif (basename($PHP_SELF) == 'index.php') {
        if (isset($cPath) && tep_not_null($cPath) && ($category_depth != 'top')) {
          $canonical = $OSCOM_category->buildBreadcrumb($current_category_id);
         
          $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('index.php', 'view=all&cPath=' . $canonical, 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);
        } elseif (isset($_GET['manufacturers_id']) && tep_not_null($_GET['manufacturers_id'])) {
          $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('index.php', 'view=all&manufacturers_id=' . (int)$_GET['manufacturers_id'], 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);
        } else {
          $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link('index.php', null, 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);
        }
      }
      else {
        $view_all_pages = array('products_new.php', 'specials.php');
        if (in_array(basename($PHP_SELF), $view_all_pages)) {
          $oscTemplate->addBlock('<link rel="canonical" href="' . tep_href_link($PHP_SELF, 'view=all', 'NONSSL', false) . '" />' . PHP_EOL, $this->group);
        }
      }  
    }

 

[PiLLaO 35]

Looks better, but... if this category don't have products and have subcategories, use view=all have no sense, don't you?

[burt 5,612]

Well maybe you can play around with it, or sponsor some coder to come up with the code and then give it back to the Community.

[burt 5,612]

If you want to, raise as an issue at https://github.com/gburton/Responsive-osCommerce/issues

It may then get looked at in the final round of hotfixes.

[PiLLaO 35]

I don't understand enough about git to make as you say 

[♥clustersolutions 104]

Damn, this is still popping up. I swear I seen it before and I had a fix, but my store is so hacked...gonna have to look and if I ever remember it I'll let you know.

 

On 4/26/2018 at 9:37 AM, PiLLaO said:

Hello,

I saw since v2.2rca until 2.3.4BS that cPath can be changed in url, this changed url works and show same content than valid url.

I saw this issue in almost two differents stores, and I find this issue beacuse I see Googlebot in "who's online" accesing this wrongs urls.

For example this url:

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10 (DVD -> Action) Exists

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1 (DVD -> Action - Hardware) Don't exists

https://demo.oscommerce.com/index.php?cPath=3_10_1_14 (DVD -> Action - Hardware -> Thriller) Don't exists

And you can nested categories "to infinity and beyond"

 

Probably anyone can say that only a crazy man find this wrong urls, but... If Google can find and indexed... And I see that he do....

Check in your store to look that you have this issue.

 

Best regards.

 

[Jack_mcs 1,115]

To be clear, google can't find them if there isn't a link to them. Check in your webmaster tools account and look at the links (they should be broken). Google will show how they got to the page. That should tell you where they are coming from.

[PiLLaO 35]

3 hours ago, Jack_mcs said:

To be clear, google can't find them if there isn't a link to them. Check in your webmaster tools account and look at the links (they should be broken). Google will show how they got to the page. That should tell you where they are coming from.

I Jack,

Search Console only show you a notice if the links get you a 404, these links works correctly and don't show any notice in search console, at least I never found those notices

[Jack_mcs 1,115]

In your first post, you said "Googlebot in "who's online" accesing this wrongs urls". When google visits a page, if they find it is a valid page, they list it unless told not to. If they list it, it will be in your webmaster tools. If it isn't there, especially if no such link is on your site, then the entry you saw in who's online was probably someone spoofing. If you see that again, check the IP to make sure it is a google IP.

[tgely 262]

https://github.com/Gergely/oscommerce2-addons/compare/cPath_validation

[♥clustersolutions 104]

hah, i was looking for it and i was just gonna say I think @tgely had solution...good man!

 

 

[Rwe 35]

My shop is with oscommerce since 2003 , i would like to stay and upgrade to the Edge version but i cannot find a clear Demo of it. (Always a 404 at Burt’s Site) . i think this is nessescary to have a clear address of a working demo if you want to attract new users and  to inform existing users about the improvements  of the Community Edge version.