Broken cache code added to functions_digest

[snakes1100]

So ran into an interesting issue for a customer:
vb 3.8.11
php 5.6.36
10.1.33-MariaDB

Subscribed Forums w/ daily email updates, in the first code box below you will see that the missing numbered lines is a forum of the same name for the next user:

Echo'd Results w/ default functions_digest.php before emails sent:

1 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
13 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
20 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
29 [email protected]"Classifieds" update
55 [email protected]"Questions & Suggestions" update
56 [email protected]"Free Parking" update
57 [email protected]"Flooring" update
60 [email protected]"Heating and A/C" update
63 [email protected]"Introduce yourself here!" update
64 [email protected]"Fabrication & Techniques" update
68 [email protected]"Lighting & Electrical" update
72 [email protected]"Wanted!" update
74 [email protected]"★★ Hot Deals ★★" update
179 [email protected]"Vintage Tool Discussion" update

MIssing:

1 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
2-12 is different user & they are subscribed to "General Garage Discussion" as well

13 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
14-19 is different user & they are subscribed to "General Tool Discussion" as well

20 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
21-28 is different user & they are subscribed to "Garage Gallery" as well

29 [email protected]"Classifieds" update
30-54 is different user & they are subscribed to "Classifieds" as well

55 [email protected]"Questions & Suggestions" update
56 [email protected]"Free Parking" update
57 [email protected]"Flooring" update
 is different user & they are subscribed to "Lighting & Electrical" as well

60 [email protected]"Heating and A/C" update
61-62 is different user & they are subscribed  to "Lighting & Electrical" as well

63 [email protected]"Introduce yourself here!" update
64 [email protected]"Fabrication & Techniques" update
65-67  is different user & they are subscribed to "Fabrication & Techniques" as well

68 [email protected]"Lighting & Electrical" update
69-71 is different user & they are subscribed to "Lighting & Electrical" as well

72 [email protected]"Wanted!" update
73 is different user & they are subscribed to "Wanted" as well

74 [email protected]"★★ Hot Deals ★★" update
75-178 is different user & they are subscribed to "★★ Hot Deals ★★" as well

179 [email protected]"Vintage Tool Discussion" update
180-182 is different user & they are subscribed to "Vintage Tool Discussion" as well

If i remove the thread_cache & forum_cache call from includes/functions_digest.php, this issue goes away, the cache code was added in 3.8.11
Commented out line #'s
72
115-120
133-134
198
217-222
234-235

This is the list without the caches being called:

1 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
2 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
3 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
4 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
5 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
6 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
7 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
8 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
9 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
10 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
11 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
12 [email protected]"General Garage Discussion" update
13 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
14 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
15 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
16 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
17 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
18 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
19 [email protected]"General Tool Discussion" update
20 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
21 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
22 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
23 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
24 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
25 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
26 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
27 [email protected]"Garage Gallery" update
etc................

I've purposely nuked the datastore table & rebuilt it, verified web server & forum dates, user date settings, dst in their accounts, rebuilt postcache etc etc etc to try & find out whats breaking the daily digest cache.

Anyone have any ideas?

[snakes1100]

Any staff from vbulletin want to respond to this bad code added by the vbulletin team into 3.8.11?

[Mark.B]

I would recommend using your fix if it works.
There will not be any further updates now to vBulletin 3 or vBulletin 4.

[snakes1100]

It does work, thats sad, probably why so many sites have converted to other forum software, this client is also moving away from vb & going to xenforo in a month, i dont blame him.

[Mark.B]

It does work, thats sad, probably why so many sites have converted to other forum software, this client is also moving away from vb & going to xenforo in a month, i dont blame him.

I'm sure there are other considerations besides this specific issue.

vBulletin 3 was first released over fourteen years ago. Few software companies continue to develop software of that age. We did update it for php 7.1 however. That will keep it running for many years to come.

The software is however still supported to the best extent possible.

[snakes1100]

I didnt mean to imply that this issue is why he is converting.

On the other hand, the simple fact that vb wont fix a bug it created when it updated to 3.8.11 & added this code, is a little bit of a joke.

Is this one of the reasons that he is moving, yes, because he did issue a support ticket for the issue.

[Mark.B]

I didnt mean to imply that this issue is why he is converting.

On the other hand, the simple fact that vb wont fix a bug it created when it updated to 3.8.11 & added this code, is a little bit of a joke.

Is this one of the reasons that he is moving, yes, because he did issue a support ticket for the issue.

Development on vB3 has ended though. That means, unfortunately, no more bug fixes. The only thing that would be looked at, on a case-by-case basis, would be security issues.

A line has to be drawn somewhere and if we keep saying 'just one more bug fix release' we will never move on.

Appreciate this doesn't help your situation though.