[Bug]: PUT requests to /site fail if application_question is not provided, even if the question has already been configured for the site

[kartikynwa]

Requirements

• [X] Is this a bug report? For questions or discussions use https://lemmy.ml/c/lemmy_support
• [X] Did you check to see if this issue already exists?
• [X] Is this only a single bug? Do not put multiple bugs in one issue.
• [X] Is this a backend issue? Use the lemmy-ui repo for UI / frontend issues.

Summary

If I try to update the rate limit from the UI, the PUT request fails with this error:

{"error": "application_question_required"}

This code is only checking whether application_question is a valid value in the request body and not if the application question has already been set:

https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/blob/63d3759c481ff2d7594d391ae86e881e2aeca56d/crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs#L72-L78

As such a request with this body fails:

{
	"auth": "jwt",
	"rate_limit_comment": 999,
	"rate_limit_comment_per_second": 600,
	"rate_limit_id": 1,
	"rate_limit_image": 999,
	"rate_limit_image_per_second": 3600,
	"rate_limit_local_site_id": 1,
	"rate_limit_message": 999,
	"rate_limit_message_per_second": 60,
	"rate_limit_post": 999,
	"rate_limit_post_per_second": 600,
	"rate_limit_published": "2023-06-24T09:34:21.426600",
	"rate_limit_register": 999,
	"rate_limit_register_per_second": 3600,
	"rate_limit_search": 999,
	"rate_limit_search_per_second": 600
}

Steps to Reproduce

1. As an admin, try to change the rate limit of your instance.
2. The request fails with a 400 response.

Technical Details

Backend log

2023-06-24T10:12:03.041631Z  WARN Error encountered while processing the incoming HTTP request: lemmy_server::root_span_builder: application_question_required: application_question_required
   0: lemmy_api_crud::site::update::perform
           with self=EditSite { name: None, sidebar: None, description: None, icon: None, banner: None, enable_downvotes: None, enable_nsfw: None, community_creation_admin_only: None, require_email_verification: None, application_question: None, private_instance: None, default_theme: None, default_post_listing_type: None, legal_information: None, application_email_admins: None, hide_modlog_mod_names: None, discussion_languages: None, slur_filter_regex: None, actor_name_max_length: None, rate_limit_message: Some(999), rate_limit_message_per_second: Some(60), rate_limit_post: Some(999), rate_limit_post_per_second: Some(600), rate_limit_register: Some(999), rate_limit_register_per_second: Some(3600), rate_limit_image: Some(999), rate_limit_image_per_second: Some(3600), rate_limit_comment: Some(999), rate_limit_comment_per_second: Some(600), rate_limit_search: Some(999), rate_limit_search_per_second: Some(600), federation_enabled: None, federation_debug: None, federation_worker_count: None, captcha_enabled: None, captcha_difficulty: None, allowed_instances: None, blocked_instances: None, taglines: None, registration_mode: None, reports_email_admins: None, auth: Sensitive }
             at crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs:39
   1: lemmy_server::root_span_builder::HTTP request
           with http.method=PUT http.scheme="http" http.host=localhost:8536 http.target=/api/v3/site otel.kind="server" request_id=8b5f500e-228f-42fe-8c7d-6f9bca7c8d35 http.status_code=400 otel.status_code="OK"
             at src/root_span_builder.rs:16
LemmyError { message: Some("application_question_required"), inner: application_question_required, context: SpanTrace [{ target: "lemmy_api_crud::site::update", name: "perform", fields: "\u{1b}[3mself\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0mEditSite { name: None, sidebar: None, description: None, icon: None, banner: None, enable_downvotes: None, enable_nsfw: None, community_creation_admin_only: None, require_email_verification: None, application_question: None, private_instance: None, default_theme: None, default_post_listing_type: None, legal_information: None, application_email_admins: None, hide_modlog_mod_names: None, discussion_languages: None, slur_filter_regex: None, actor_name_max_length: None, rate_limit_message: Some(999), rate_limit_message_per_second: Some(60), rate_limit_post: Some(999), rate_limit_post_per_second: Some(600), rate_limit_register: Some(999), rate_limit_register_per_second: Some(3600), rate_limit_image: Some(999), rate_limit_image_per_second: Some(3600), rate_limit_comment: Some(999), rate_limit_comment_per_second: Some(600), rate_limit_search: Some(999), rate_limit_search_per_second: Some(600), federation_enabled: None, federation_debug: None, federation_worker_count: None, captcha_enabled: None, captcha_difficulty: None, allowed_instances: None, blocked_instances: None, taglines: None, registration_mode: None, reports_email_admins: None, auth: Sensitive }", file: "crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs", line: 39 }, { target: "lemmy_server::root_span_builder", name: "HTTP request", fields: "\u{1b}[3mhttp.method\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0mPUT \u{1b}[3mhttp.scheme\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m\"http\" \u{1b}[3mhttp.host\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0mlocalhost:8536 \u{1b}[3mhttp.target\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m/api/v3/site \u{1b}[3motel.kind\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m\"server\" \u{1b}[3mrequest_id\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m8b5f500e-228f-42fe-8c7d-6f9bca7c8d35 \u{1b}[3mhttp.status_code\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m400 \u{1b}[3motel.status_code\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[2m=\u{1b}[0m\"OK\"", file: "src/root_span_builder.rs", line: 16 }] }

Version

BE 0.18.0

Lemmy Instance URL

No response

[kartikynwa]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the instance needs to have been configured to require registration application but that is the default nowadays.

[kartikynwa]

This is the fix I am using temporarily:

diff --git a/crates/api_crud/src/site/create.rs b/crates/api_crud/src/site/create.rs
index 2a51309a4..8252e299a 100644
--- a/crates/api_crud/src/site/create.rs
+++ b/crates/api_crud/src/site/create.rs
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ impl PerformCrud for CreateSite {
       data
         .registration_mode
         .unwrap_or(local_site.registration_mode),
+      &local_site,
     )?;
 
     let actor_id: DbUrl = Url::parse(&context.settings().get_protocol_and_hostname())?.into();
diff --git a/crates/api_crud/src/site/mod.rs b/crates/api_crud/src/site/mod.rs
index d0c09b935..793a671eb 100644
--- a/crates/api_crud/src/site/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/api_crud/src/site/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use lemmy_db_schema::RegistrationMode;
+use lemmy_db_schema::{source::local_site::LocalSite, RegistrationMode};
 use lemmy_utils::error::LemmyError;
 
 mod create;
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ mod update;
 pub fn check_application_question(
   application_question: &Option<Option<String>>,
   registration_mode: RegistrationMode,
+  local_site: &LocalSite,
 ) -> Result<(), LemmyError> {
   if registration_mode == RegistrationMode::RequireApplication
     && application_question.as_ref().unwrap_or(&None).is_none()
+    && local_site.application_question.is_none()
   {
     Err(LemmyError::from_message("application_question_required"))
   } else {
diff --git a/crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs b/crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs
index fadde0a0b..433126e0d 100644
--- a/crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs
+++ b/crates/api_crud/src/site/update.rs
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ impl PerformCrud for EditSite {
       data
         .registration_mode
         .unwrap_or(local_site.registration_mode),
+      &local_site,
     )?;
 
     if let Some(listing_type) = &data.default_post_listing_type {

Feel free to suggest changes to it. I can file a PR after that.

[samifinge]

@kartikynwa I noticed that modifying Taglines also shows this same error. Does your current fix resolve that as well?

Like you mentioned, changing the registration setting is a workaround. Setting Registration Mode to Close Registration temporarily allows you to change both the rates and taglines.

Here is the error log for the tagline for reference.

LemmyError { message: Some("application_question_required"), inner: application_question_required, context: SpanTrace [{ target: "lemmy_api_crud::site::update", name: "perform", fields: "self=EditSite { name: None, sidebar: None, description: None, icon: None, banner: None, enable_downvotes: None, enable_nsfw: None, community_creation_admin_only: None, require_email_verification: None, application_question: None, private_instance: None, default_theme: None, default_post_listing_type: None, legal_information: None, application_email_admins: None, hide_modlog_mod_names: None, discussion_languages: None, slur_filter_regex: None, actor_name_max_length: None, rate_limit_message: None, rate_limit_message_per_second: None, rate_limit_post: None, rate_limit_post_per_second: None, rate_limit_register: None, rate_limit_register_per_second: None, rate_limit_image: None, rate_limit_image_per_second: None, rate_limit_comment: None, rate_limit_comment_per_second: None, rate_limit_search: None, rate_limit_search_per_second: None, federation_enabled: None, federation_debug: None, federation_worker_count: None, captcha_enabled: None, captcha_difficulty: None, allowed_instances: None, blocked_instances: None, taglines: Some([\"Welcome to Lemmy.zip!\"]), registration_mode: None, reports_email_admins: None

[kartikynwa]

@samifinge Yeah it should fix that too. :)

[Nutomic]

Please make a pull request.

[kartikynwa]

Filed https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/pull/3372

[Nutomic]

Was actually fixed in https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/pull/3146