tools.usps.com - Unable to access the site

[webcompat-bot]

URL: https://tools.usps.com/rcas.htm

Browser / Version: Firefox 96.0 Operating System: Windows 10 Tested Another Browser: Yes Edge

Problem type: Site is not usable Description: Page not loading correctly Steps to Reproduce: entering site by pasting url: https://tools.usps.com/rcas.htm , the page never stops "initializing services", on edge it loads right away

View the screenshot

Browser Configuration

• gfx.webrender.all: false
• gfx.webrender.blob-images: true
• gfx.webrender.enabled: false
• image.mem.shared: true
• buildID: 20211105214712
• channel: nightly
• hasTouchScreen: false
• mixed active content blocked: false
• mixed passive content blocked: false
• tracking content blocked: false

View console log messages

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[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

Thanks for the report, but I'm not able to reproduce the issue. For me the page loaded in a few seconds, similar to Chrome.

Tested with: Browser / Version: Firefox Nightly 96.0a1 (2021-11-07) Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Reporter could you try clearing cache/data/cookies, disable Ad-blocker (if available), or use a clean profile, and check again? Also if there are any changes made to default settings of the browser (e.g. in about:config) please revert to the default settings.

[alexanderlin]

I tried the site in a brand new profile and it's still stuck as shown in the screenshot for me. Refreshed the brand new profile and tried again with same results.

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

@alexanderlin can you check the Console and add the screenshot with it here, so we could investigate further?

[alexanderlin]

Here's the console, it was big so i had to take 3 screenshots @softvision-oana-arbuzov

[alexanderlin]

expanded uncaught exception

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

Thanks @alexanderlin

@karlcow can you look over the provided logs?

[karlcow]

uncaught DOM Exception is with another site pinterest. Why would there be a call to pinterest from usps website. This is strange. Ah no not strange… They have pinterest in their footer.

The rest of the issues looks like CSP issues. I have the same and the site displays normally.

So basically the console log doesn't show anything abnormal.

As for the performance this is working for me. https://share.firefox.dev/3D3jU3u

You could take a performance profile.

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

@alexanderlin could you record a performance profile while the issue occurs? https://profiler.firefox.com/

[alexanderlin]

Here is the performance profile: https://share.firefox.dev/3I5TAtm @softvision-oana-arbuzov

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

Thanks @alexanderlin @karlcow could you check the provided performance profile?

[karlcow]

@alexanderlin I don't see anything in the profile that would make a difference. I still can't reproduce myself.

@julienw do you identify anything suspicious in this profile? https://share.firefox.dev/3I5TAtm

[alexanderlin]

I think I just fixed my problem with the site by going to the network tab in developer tools and toggling "Disable Cache" on and reloading the page. Now I can interact with the page.

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

Thanks @alexanderlin for the extra info. Glad it works now.

[alexanderlin]

Thank you everyone for your help!

[julienw]

@alexanderlin I don't see anything in the profile that would make a difference. I still can't reproduce myself.

@julienw do you identify anything suspicious in this profile? https://share.firefox.dev/3I5TAtm

I don't see anything obvious :/ This looks like a website error.

Interestingly I'm reproducing the problem on my Firefox 🙈 This is reproducing while I don't have the devtools open, but if I reload with the devtools, then the page loads properly. Reloading without tracking protection nor ublock doesn't make it work. I'm using Nightly 20211127092810 currently, on Linux. I'll try to update my nightly and see if this changes. Update I still see it with Nightly 20211207040938.

[julienw]

With Shift+Reload button this works properly, so this looks definitely cache-related.

[julienw]

With cache, I have 138 requests. Without cache I see 109 requests. With cache it sometimes works. Then it's probably a timing issue.

[karlcow]

Going to https://tools.usps.com/rcas.htm redirects me to https://www.usps.com/root/global/server_responses/anyapp_outage_apology.htm

which says

This service is currently unavailable.

invalid?

[softvision-oana-arbuzov]

@karlcow I was able to reproduce the issue on my side.

Console:

I've recorded a performance profile: https://share.firefox.dev/3u2jd8j

Note: On Chrome it loads correctly.

Tested with: Browser / Version: Firefox Nightly 100.0a1 (2022-03-15), Firefox Release 98.0.1 Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Reopening and moving back to Needsdiagnosis.

[inv_11/2022]

[karlcow]

Ah I have access today!

The modal spinner is hidden by

  $('#processingInitModal').hide();

in https://tools.usps.com/scripts/rcas/schedule-jquery.js

and it's always called! I set a log to be sure.

BUT, it's not always hiding the div and this is weird. when this is happening if I call it a second time manually in the console, it disappears.

I have no idea why sometimes it fails and sometimes it doesn't.

[karlcow]

I tried to run mozregression but it reproduces on some reloads on Firefox 70. Firefox 60 can't load the page because of WebGL

[denschub]

We're seeing a lots of duplicates... I'll try to find a contact, maybe we can get some insight here.

[denschub]

I've poked around a bit and couldn't get this to break. I haven't found a good tech contact, but their support twitter account has public DMs, so I sent them a message and I hope I'll get forwarded!

[sv-calin]

It seems to work fine on the latest Nightly both normal and private, regardless of the ETP status.

Tested on: • Browser / Version: Firefox Nightly 112.0a1 (2023-03-07) • Operating System: Windows 10

[inv_10/2023]

[wisniewskit]

This seems to just be a race condition in the scripts, not related to ETP. Sometimes, the code to hide the loading indicator runs before the code to show it, because they are using jQuery and mixing which loading events they are listening for:

$(document).ready(
  function () {
    $('#processingInitModal').show();
    showInitLoader();

$(window).on(
  'load',
  function () {
    $('#processingInitModal').hide();

This is the same thing we saw in issue https://github.com/webcompat/web-bugs/issues/109861, and is technically site error. They should not expect jQuery's ready to be a separate event from window.load, because jQuery can use window.load for it (and then the order of the load events is not guaranteed).

It seems that they wanted to guarantee that jQuery will run the show code during DOMContentLoaded, before window.load fires. They should probably just do this:

$(document).on(
  'DOMContentLoaded',
    $('#processingInitModal').show();

The site is loading consistently for me with that change.