Check Links: Known errors
Some links may be marked as "broken" even though they work when accessed via your browser. If a link works in your browser, you can ignore the "broken link" tag for now.
The following unexpected errors are known and are currently being analyzed:
- "Timeout: The remote server possibly took too long to answer."
- "HTTP status code=502."
These errors can occur for various reasons, including issues with the linked website itself. A browser always sends data when a website is called up. Unlike a standard browser, the easyWeb link checker sends different data when accessing websites. This can cause some websites to behave differently when accessed by easyWeb, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Additionally, links from deleted content elements (often from link lists) are found as "broken links". This is a known error and is expected to be fixed automatically at the end of July.
If you encounter any other error messages or issues, please contact us at any time: support-its@clutterunibas.ch
The Check Links Tool
The Check Links extension was installed with release 5.2.2, making it easier to manage broken links. The extension replaces the link validator, which was previously located in the “Info” module.
If there are broken links on a page, the following message appears (image 1):
Site admins have the option of excluding certain links from the verification process. You can either click on the symbol at the bottom right of the error message in the Broken Links module (image 2) or enter the URL that should not be checked in the Manage Exclusions sub-module (image 3).
Link Review
In the Check Links module, you can see an overview of the broken links found, making it easier to manage and remove them. To check all pages at once, select the Pages element in the page tree and Infinite for the levels. However, only the pages are checked. Quick links etc. must therefore also be checked. The problems must be solved manually.
In the link overview, you may see various error messages displayed in red. However, if a link works when you test it in your own browser, you can ignore the "broken link" message. This can have various causes, one of which may have to do with the linked website itself. A browser always sends data when a website is called up. However, these differ in the easyWeb link check from a normal browser. Some websites then intentionally or unintentionally behave differently for easyWeb than when they are called up in your own browser.
Explanation of the usual error messages:
- "404 - Page not found": The link points to a page that does not exist (anymore).
- "SSL / TLS certificate not OK.": The link points to a page classified as insecure.
- "Couldn't resolve host": The target of the link could not be found.
- "The URL was not properly formatted": The URL contains an error in the syntax and therefore cannot be accessed.
Another frequent source of errors are links that point to hidden pages or hidden content elements. This can happen, for example, when content is prepared in advance but is still hidden. The error message for this is"Page is hidden".