Question Attachment not found

I'm running the current version of Joomla and Kunena (5.1.15). Recently the site went down when we exceeded the allowed disk space. I'm not sure that's what caused our recent loss of attachments but in any case many, though not all, of the attachments can no longer be found. In their place there is simply a notice that says "Attachment Not Found". I've explored the attachments folders and found that some attachments have the original file names while other file names seem to have been converted into a 32 digit string with no file extension. If I rename the 32 digit string by adding ".jpg" to the end of the string I can open the file.
Is there any way I can determine which file names have been converted into which strings?
Why are some attachments converted while others are stored with their original file names?
Is there any way to reconnect the attachments to the posts they were intended for?
I'll appreciate any help you might offer.
Thanks
Bill

It seems, you have sometime chosen in the configuration (tab Attachments) "Protect Attachments = Yes". With this option the files will veiled, that's why you've attachments with 32 characters. You can find the original name only in the database table *_kunena_attachments column filename_real
But thats not the problem, Kunena display this files without problems unless it are pdf files. PDFs make still problems if this option is enabled.

Have you used in the Kunena Diagnostic Tool and removed orphaned attachments? This could be the problem too.

Hi Rich and thank you for your response.
As I look at the various posts using my Admin permissions to edit/view the posts. I've seen posts with four attachments three of which have the actual file name within the attachment tags and one that has a 32 digit string within the attachment tags. You're correct that I've got the "protect attachments" setting to Yes. But why would only some attachments get converted? All are in the format of: somefilename.jpg.
Still, you're correct, that's not my problem. I've got to figure out why Kunena lost track of the attachment in the first place and somehow reconnect them.
Yes, I've used the diagnostic tool to remove orphaned attachments. Actually, that may be part of the problem. I may have asked Kunena to delete them by asking Kunena to remove them when they were not truly orphaned. Does Kunena really purge them upon removal? Or do they go into some sort of trash bin?
Bill

As I look at the various posts using my Admin permissions to edit/view the posts. I've seen posts with four attachments three of which have the actual file name within the attachment tags and one that has a 32 digit string within the attachment tags. You're correct that I've got the "protect attachments" setting to Yes. But why would only some attachments get converted? All are in the format of: somefilename.jpg.

When this option is on, all files should be veiled. Maybe the user use older attachments which he has uploaded before this setting? When an user edit an older message and copied the attachment code, he can use the same image in more then one message.
You can check it, if you in his attachment folder the uploads sort by last changes.

rich wrote: Have you used the Kunena Diagnostic Tool and removed orphaned attachments? This could be the problem too.

When I know it, then I could limit the problem. If you did not perform this action, then go to Kunena -> Tools -> Diagnostics and check the number of orphaned attachments and post the tally here. But do not delete the broken items!

Thanks Rich,
I've used the diagnostic tool in the past and while I do not know how the attachments became orphaned, I now know not to remove them. I spent a couple of hours last evening re-inserting attachments that Kunena previously lost track of. I had to ask the member to upload several hundred images to a folder on the internet so that I could have access to them.
Is there any way to identify which attachments are orphaned?
Thanks for your help!
Bill

Orphaned attachments also are displayed in the diagnostic, when users upload attachments sloppy. It means, that the user had uses the browser back button and again the forwards button before save. Kunena register this as abort and enter no message ID for this image in the table row during save. (Blue Eagle templates have nevertheless some of this time displayed the image in messages, so I think, you use Blue Eagle.)

Have you a test page and also a database backup before you've removed the orphaned attachments?
Then import this database backup in your test page and click on the table #_kunena_attachments. Sort this table rows by mesid. The result is probably now such as on the image. You see on top of the rows, that the mesid is 0. Such rows will deleted if you use the option remove orphaned attachments.



You see at the folder number, which user has uploaded this image and on the right side of a row also the real image name.
I don't know your database knowledge, but this rows you must copy back in your live database.
If you are lucky, then the images are displayed again also without mesid. But I still recommend that you enter the mesid, otherwise the problem can occur again.
The mesid you can find in the frontend right at the messages (with click on message number)

Thank you Rich,
That's very helpful. I'll work on digesting it. My database knowledge is very limited but I do have support folks I can call on.
Bill

Hi Rich,
I'm working on the information you provided. Thank you.
In the mean time I've come to realize that there are seemingly two different problems with my site. The "Attachment Not Found" is most likely caused by my having removed orphaned attachments however, even within the last 24 hours a member made a post with two attachments that gave him "You do not have permission to access this page." Do these different messages have different causes?
I was able to retrieve his attachments from his attachment folder and successfully re-add them to his post.
Thanks
Bill

"You do not have permission to access this page."

In principle is it the same issue when users upload attachments sloppy. It's only a wrong error message. You can test it on our test category here: www.kunena.org/forum/163-Feature-Playgro...4935-attachment-test
1. Upload a image and insert this image in the message.
2. Use the browser back button and then go with the browser forwards button to the editor again.
3. Click in the editor on Preview (admittedly you see the image in the preview but when you save the message, it lacks the mesid)
4. Save the message

Now you see the message "You do not have permission to access this page."

When you remove now the orphaned attachments, changes this message to "Attachment not found"

Hi Rich,
I've got a long way to go to learn enough about databases to reach in and pluck out the orphaned attachments, but I'm working on it. In the mean time I'd like to suggest that a great improvement for Kunena would be to enhance it to the point where it identifies the orphaned attachments so that users could retrieve them and restore them to their proper places.
Thanks for all your help!
Bill