"Updating affected posts for changes" jobs are stuck, never resolving

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client was experiencing a slow back office due to stuck background tasks in WPML, which were not resolving even after leaving a tab open overnight as previously suggested by support. These tasks were related to post_metas and ACF content.

Solution:
1. We confirmed that the problematic tasks were related to changing translation preferences for fields, which are important for ensuring translations display correctly.
2. We advised that, although not recommended, the client could remove the entries from the

icl_background_tasks

table in the database to stop the tasks if they were causing significant issues.
3. We offered to assist with the removal of the background tasks if the client provided database access or allowed us to install the PHPMyadmin plugin.
4. The client managed to resolve the issue by deleting the entries in the

icl_background_tasks

table and closed the ticket.

Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your case. If you're experiencing similar issues, we highly recommend checking the related known issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket with us.

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Tagged: Bug

This topic contains 10 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Kor 6 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Kor.

Author	Posts
February 19, 2024 at 2:52 pm #15319217
julienD-10	Hi, I contacted the support already some time ago about this problem. They advised me to leave a tab open and let the job resolve itself. I did leave a tab open for a whole night and not an single update happen. The main problem with this behavior is that it slows down the back office so much, it's barely usable (page loads for atleast 20s before rendering anything). Would you happen to have another solution, to either remove these tasks (because they are not useful to the site) or a way for them to finally resolve? Have a nice day
February 20, 2024 at 9:26 am #15321298
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Hi there, Thanks for reaching us. Kindly backup and navigate to WPML > Settings > Job Tab. Search for the pending jobs and cancel them. Then, try translating it again and see if it works.
February 20, 2024 at 11:29 am #15322324
julienD-10	Hi, thanks for your reply! Is the job tab you were mentionning wp-admin/admin.php?page=tm%2Fmenu%2Ftranslations-queue.php or there was another one? Unfortunately in that tab, there is only ~20 jobs about translating posts. The stuck jobs are about post_metas, we are using ACF to populate the content of our posts. Have nice day
February 20, 2024 at 1:33 pm #15323065
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thanks for your reply. I'm referring to the Jobs tab in the Translation Management page as shown in the attached screenshot.
February 21, 2024 at 5:59 pm #15329899
julienD-10	Ah thanks! Unfortunately when I try to cancel any of the jobs I'm having "This action does not apply to any of the selected translation jobs" message Is there an other way to cancel them? Have a nice day
February 21, 2024 at 6:14 pm #15329955
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thanks for your reply. I will need to closely examine your website. Therefore, I will require temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP) to a test site where the problem has been replicated, if possible. This will enable me to provide better assistance and determine if any configurations need to be modified. Please note that it is important to have a backup for security purposes and to prevent any potential data loss. You can use the UpdraftPlus plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/) to fulfill your backup requirements. Your upcoming reply will be treated with confidentiality and will only be visible to you and me. ✙ To resolve the issue, I may need your consent to deactivate and reactivate plugins and the theme, as well as make configuration changes on the site if necessary. This emphasizes the significance of having a backup.
February 22, 2024 at 3:04 pm #15334264
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thanks for your reply. I've checked and cannot locate any jobs pending translation in the Jobs tab. hidden link Could you list the names of the post_meta's that you're having issues translating so that I can check? It would be better to include a screen recording using this free tool hidden link so that I could see what you're getting over there.
February 23, 2024 at 9:56 am #15336837
julienD-10	Hi, I don't really have problems translating elements, it's more about those jobs that are displayed in the admin bar that never complete: hidden link - I have no clue which post they concern and really doubt they are relevant to site since they have been been here for at least a year. When opening Query Monitor, they are the reason the admin section so slow. Have a nice day
February 23, 2024 at 2:22 pm #15338258
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thanks for your patience. Please allow me to escalate this to our 2nd Tier Support for further assistance.
February 26, 2024 at 4:49 pm #15345540
julienD-10	Hi, Yes sure! Have a nice day
February 26, 2024 at 4:52 pm #15345541
Kor Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thanks for your reply. I have feedback and this is what our 2nd Tier Support mentioned. These are background tasks for changing translation preferences for fields. It is good to let them be, because not running those and respectively not updating certain posts, could lead to translation not being properly visible. Alternatively, you know (but extremely not recommended!!!) - we had issues with background tasks, perhaps if you wish to completely stop those, you can remove the entries from the icl_background_tasks table in the db Would you still like me to remove the background tasks for you? If you agree, please share database access or allow me to install the PHPMyadmin plugin on your Website. Let me know.
February 29, 2024 at 11:14 am #15357512
julienD-10	Hi, I tested deleting the entries in icl_background_tasks it just solves the problem on my side. Thanks for your patience and solutions. Closing the ticket now Have a nice day 🙂

julienD-10 confirmed that the issue was resolved on 2024-02-29 11:14:26.
This ticket is now closed. If you're a WPML client and need related help, please open a new support ticket.