TYPO3 - BUG There is no entry in the $TCA array

Question

I have a bug in my TYPO3 4.5 website :

Core: Exception handler (WEB): Uncaught TYPO3 Exception: #1283790586: There is no entry in the $TCA array for the table "pages_language_overlay". This means that the function enableFields() is called with an invalid table name as argument. | InvalidArgumentException thrown in file /t3lib/class.t3lib_page.php in line 1150

I don't understand what happens, but my backend is still available. How to fix it ?

Answer 1

The usal answer: TYPO3 4.5 is outdated. Upgarade your installation to a newer version. Maybe the Bug is allready solved.

If an Update is not possible then the question is what you have doing that the error is thrown. What changes were done at latest? What extension was shortly installed or updated?

Answer 2

I assume you do not know much about TYPO3 so I try to make clear how TYPO3 is working (with regards to the old version).

TYPO3 has definitions of the tables and fields in the database.
First part are the MySQL definitions (since 8 it might be other databases than MySQL).
The second part (TCA = TYPO3 Configuration Array) are the definitions how these tables build the BackEnd(BE) Interface for an editor.

As these informations can be enhanced by extensions, each extension can add it's information to a (cached) pool and this pool is considered a reference.

The database definitions are located in files ext_tables.sql. The TCA was generated in ext_localconf.php and ext_tables.php. Today TCA modifications should be done in Configuration/TCA/tablename.php (for new tables) or Configuration/TCA/Override/tablename.php (for modification of existing tables).

Before all these files are included and executed for every call they are collected and stored as one resulting PHP-file.

Your problem might occur because there is a syntax error in the collected file and up to the error all information is build up, but everything after the error is missing.
Try to clean up your installation and remove these caches: in pre 6 versions there are files temp_CACHED_<hash>_ext_tables.php and temp_CACHED_<hash>_ext_localconf.php in your typo3conf/ folder. Remove them all. The next call to TYPO3 (FE or BE) will rebuild two files. Make sure these have no syntax errors.

In the install-tool (<domain>/typo3/install/) you can clear all caches and compare the existing database with the gathered definition from all active(!) extensions. If there are differences the database can be 'corrected'. Be sure to have a database backup before you change anything.