[ZBX-9598] XML import containing 0x1B character (ASCII escape character) is failed Created: 2015 May 28  Updated: 2019 Dec 10

Status: Reopened
Project: ZABBIX BUGS AND ISSUES
Component/s: API (A)
Affects Version/s: 2.4.5
Fix Version/s: None

Type: Incident report Priority: Trivial
Reporter: Oleksii Zagorskyi Assignee: Unassigned
Resolution: Unresolved Votes: 1
Labels: encoding, import, xml
Remaining Estimate: Not Specified
Time Spent: Not Specified
Original Estimate: Not Specified

Issue Links:
Duplicate

 Description   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_character

The character is here:



(copy-paste works for me)

When I try to import such XML - it ends with 

XML file contains fatal error 9:PCDATA invalid Char value 27 [ Line: 417 | Column: 17 ] [conf.import.php:190 ? CFrontendApiWrapper->import() ? CApiWrapper->__call() ? CFrontendApiWrapper->callMethod() ? CApiWrapper->callMethod() ? CFrontendApiWrapper->callClientMethod() ? CLocalApiClient->callMethod() ? call_user_func_array() ? CConfiguration->import() ? CConfigurationImport->import() ? CXmlImportReader->read() in /zab/www-dev/2.4/include/classes/import/CConfigurationImport.php:132]

It's possible to insert this character manually, into host name for example, using zabbix frontend (I used Opera12 browser).

I discovered this issue for a "software_full" inventory field which was populated automatically by server.
It was specific description of software/hardware of a linux-based box.

So, it may be stored, exported to XML but cannot be imported later.

 Comments   
Comment by Oleksii Zagorskyi [ 2015 May 28 ]

Not sure how it should be fixed - allow import, disallow export or disallow storing the character.

Not very related, but we have such page, just in case - https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/2.4/manual/appendix/items/encoding_of_values

Comment by Ivo Kurzemnieks [ 2015 Jun 11 ]

(1) No translation string changes.

sasha CLOSED

Comment by Ivo Kurzemnieks [ 2015 Jun 11 ]

RESOLVED in svn://svn.zabbix.com/branches/dev/ZBX-9598

Comment by Ivo Kurzemnieks [ 2015 Jun 11 ]

The problem is that XML format forbids ASCII control characters and when exported it becomes invalid. We decided to make a special conversion for those non-printable characters. For example the character  will be converted to hex-like string \x1b. If some field already contains a string with \x, it will be esacped with a preceding backslash. The convertion will work both ways. Meaning importing data back, will convert hex-like strings to ASCII control characters and remove the extra backslash. This will be done in 2.5.0 (trunk). Importing an older XML version (for example 2.4), chain converter will transform the normal string \x to expected format for 3.0 importer.

Comment by richlv [ 2015 Jun 16 ]

(2) let's document this. our xml docs are sad, but let's at least mention this detail

Comment by Alexander Vladishev [ 2015 Jul 01 ]

(3) It works incorrectly with backslashes before a control char.

For example:

  abc\ => controlCharsToHex() => abc\\x1b => hexToAscii() => abc\x1b

iivs RESOLVED in r54306

Comment by Alexei Vladishev [ 2016 Mar 07 ]

This case is extremely rare. I think that the best solution is to validate export and fail if such prohibited characters exist.

Comment by richlv [ 2016 Mar 07 ]

so if a host has such characters auto-populated in the inventory, it would be impossible to export it ?

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