SEF No Longer Works [SOLVED}

[T.A. Garrison, LLC]

VirtueMart 4.4.2 11100
Joomla 5.2.2

Today, after switching SEF "from" enabled "to" disabled, the link to just 1 category no longer works. I've tried clearing cache everywhere, even turned off VM cache for the Category module. In the 5 hours I've spent on this, I'm out of ideas.

I continue to get the 404 error.

I even tried adding a new menu item with the non-SEF link. That didn't work. The only way "everything" now works is to have SEF disabled.

I had the problem before updating to what Max sent via Skype a few days ago, so I installed that today, but that did nothing to help either.

I'm certain it's a conflict somewhere, but even with debug, I got a little information and it didn't help me.

#    Function    Location
1    ()    JROOT/libraries/src/Component/ComponentHelper.php:296
2    Joomla\CMS\Component\ComponentHelper::renderComponent()    JROOT/libraries/src/Application/SiteApplication.php:218
3    Joomla\CMS\Application\SiteApplication->dispatch()    JROOT/libraries/src/Application/SiteApplication.php:261
4    Joomla\CMS\Application\SiteApplication->doExecute()    JROOT/libraries/src/Application/CMSApplication.php:306
5    Joomla\CMS\Application\CMSApplication->execute()    JROOT/includes/app.php:58
6    require_once()    JROOT/index.php:32



I can only guess that the "Helper" file is not...helping...

On this page - https://store.schoolfortheblonde.com/shop - of the staging site, there are 3 categories listed on the left.
Of the 3, the one that does not work is in the middle - Key Blank Search.
Yet, the others work fine.

I'm sure there is a quick fix, but I'm at a loss as to where to look next. Any thoughts?

Click on the image with the keys (Key Blank Search), or the text link in the Product Categories on the left and both take you to the 404 error page.

The only way to get to the list of keys is through the top menu "Shop > Key Blank Search" which is hard-coded in order to work, or in the footer where it's also hard-coded.

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12-10-2024

I've narrowed the problem down to the "Product Categories".
After enabling more categories, then switching SEF to no, all the categories work when SEF is enabled - except Key Blank Search - and when SEF is disabled, NONE of the categories work except Key Blank Search.

So for whatever reason, the module, "VirtueMart Category" is not complying with SEF.
I think the reason Key Blank Search does not work in SEF is because it was the only category I was messing with when I disabled SEF.
After I enabled SEF again, it no longer would switch - does not work in both SEF or no SEF.

Now I'm trying to either tear into that module, or, disable that module and create a copy to see if that works.

Disabling the categories and creating another module for them did not work...same results.

SOLVED:
In the "main" menu, I had created a non-SEF link for Key Blank Search just after I switched off SEF in Joomla - right after I found that the SEF had not changed for that item.
I had not cleared cache and done my "due-diligence" to see if the link would work without switching off SEF.

I had also created a non-SEF link as a menu item, so I was battling that and didn't know.
When I switched that menu item to a VM Category link, and, included the category ID, that resolved the issue.
After that is was only a matter of reassigning the other modules for that category and everything is back to normal. Even after testing by switching off SEF, testing, then switching to SEF, everything worked as it should.