xmlrpc and rtorrent >=0.16.2

[allixx]

Please complete the following tasks.

• Web browser cache cleared
• Link provided to install script if applicable
• Not using broken rtinst install script
• Web browser, ruTorrent, PHP and OS version provided

Tell us about your environment

ruTorrent v5.2.10
rtorrent 0.16.1 (0.16.0 as well) built with tinyxml2

Tell us how you installed ruTorrent

Describe the bug

rTorrent is compiled with incorrect version of xmlrpc-c library, without i8 support. Version must be >= 1.11. Some functionality will be unavailable.
ratio: Plugin failed to start.

php error log receives the following error:

<?xml version="1.0"?><methodResponse><fault><value><struct><member><name>faultCode</name><value><i8>-500</i8></value></member><member><name>faultString</name><value><string>invalid parameters: target must be a string</string></value></member></struct></value></fault></methodResponse>

Deleting ratio.dat does not help.

Previously ratio plugin worked fine on rtorrent 0.15.7/tinyxml2, with the same rTorrent 5.2.10.

I've no expertise in rtorrent xml rpc interface so I'm at a loss here.

Steps to reproduce

No response

Expected behavior

No response

Additional context

No response

[allixx]

Unsure if related, but If i'm reading this correctly, rutorrent chooses group2 command prefix

ruTorrent/php/settings.php

Line 308 in e839191

$prefix = ($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds) ? "group2." : "group.";

while deprecated group2 was removed in rtorrent 0.16.0: rakshasa/rtorrent@48f82c1

EDIT: yeah, conditional handling rtorrent 0.16+ iVersion>4096 choosing group prefix is definitely required.

[allixx]

Regarding incorrect version of xmlrpc-c library message, the reason is in this api call from php/settings.php, which fails for reason unknown. to_kb command is still valid and should work.

[2025-10-18 06:50:26] <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><methodCall><methodName>to_kb</methodName><params>
<param><value><i8>1024</i8></value></param>
</params></methodCall>
[2025-10-18 06:50:26] Status: 200 OK^M
Content-Type: text/xml
Content-Length: 284
^M
<?xml version="1.0"?><methodResponse><fault><value><struct><member><name>faultCode</name><value><i8>-500</i8></value></member><member><name>faultString</name><value><string>invalid parameters: target must be a string</string></value></member></struct></value></fault></methodResponse>

Interestingly enough, the following rXMLRPCRequest call getting a batch system configuration details get_* succeeds just fine.

[allixx]

So even with correct group. command prefix, and the following deprecated command renamings:
ratio.min.set -> ratio.min
ratio.max.set -> ratio.max
ratio.upload.set -> ratio.upload

Ratio plugin's system.multicall batch configuration fails with <value><i8>-500</i8></value></member><member><name>faultString</name><value><string>invalid parameters: target must be a string</string></value> for each request entry.

And yet, despite the erroring call, one of configured ratios is applied to all torrents, not just the ones that had it assigned.

Bottomline: the reason is deprecation of old style "no target" commands by rtorrent.

[kouze]

I tried to dirty-fix it, might not work properly, to be tested. I did not check if it would work with rtorrent version < 0.16.1 and I did not perform intensive testing on my side.

file php/settings.php

to fix the to_kb issue:
from
$req = new rXMLRPCRequest( new rXMLRPCCommand("to_kb", floatval(1024)) );
to
$req = new rXMLRPCRequest( new rXMLRPCCommand("to_kb", array('',floatval(1024))) );

from:
public function getRatioGroupCommand($ratio,$cmd,$args)
{
$prefix = ($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds) ? "group2." : "group.";
return( new rXMLRPCCommand( $prefix.$ratio.".".$cmd, $args ) );
}

to:
public function getRatioGroupCommand($ratio,$cmd,$args)
{
$prefix = ($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && ($this->iVersion < 0x1001) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds) ? "group2." : "group.";
if (!is_array($args))
$args = array('', $args);
else
array_unshift($args, '');
return( new rXMLRPCCommand( $prefix.$ratio.".".$cmd, $args ) );
}

it seems that commands that were working with parameters not linked directly to a torrent are potentially (not sure if it's all) expecting an empty string as first parameter. Don't know if it was an expected behavior, honestly I don't know if it makes sense, but this is the way to fix the problem.

in addition, group2 was still used for few commands while not available anymore - don't know exactly the purpose of the $ratioCmds to be honest. I fixed this by checking the version of rtorrent (0x1001 should be equivalent to version 0.16.1)

thanks

[allixx]

I tried to dirty-fix it

Hey, good finding! Thanks. This new args requirement makes zero sense to me as well, but it works so I call it a win!

--- a/php/settings.php
+++ b/php/settings.php
@@ -229,8 +229,10 @@ class rTorrentSettings
                                if($req->success())
                                        $this->apiVersion = $req->val[0];
                        }
-
-                        $req = new rXMLRPCRequest( new rXMLRPCCommand("to_kb", floatval(1024)) );
+                       $req = new rXMLRPCRequest(new rXMLRPCCommand(
+                               "convert.kb",
+                               $this->iVersion >= 0x1000 ? array('',floatval(1024)) : floatval(1024)
+                       ));
                        if($req->run())
                        {
                                if(!$req->fault)
@@ -305,7 +307,13 @@ class rTorrentSettings
        }
        public function getRatioGroupCommand($ratio,$cmd,$args)
        {
-               $prefix = ($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds) ? "group2." : "group.";
+               if (($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && ($this->iVersion < 0x1000) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds)) {
+                       $prefix = "group2.";
+               } else {
+                       $prefix = "group.";
+                       if (!is_array($args))
+                               $args = array('', $args);
+               }
                return( new rXMLRPCCommand( $prefix.$ratio.".".$cmd, $args ) );
        }
        public function getEventCommand($cmd1,$cmd2,$args)```

[W-Hamra]

Does this actually work for you after that patch? My 0.16.1 rtorrent is refusing to perform most group.rat_x.ratio commands that the plugin tries to perform :/ I even tried them manually in rtorrent and they failed.

[allixx]

Sure, it works correctly. One thing to mention, that I'm using tinyxml2. xmlrpc-c experience was not great starting from 0.15.x: #2852

[W-Hamra]

Sure, it works correctly. One thing to mention, that I'm using tinyxml2. xmlrpc-c experience was not great starting from 0.15.x: #2852

That's exactly what I'm facing! Thanks for the tip. I'll adjust.

[rakshasa]

Why have you been using commands that have been marked as deprecated for 15+ years?

No frontend or plugin should be using the short / aliased versions of commands, like to_kb, execute or group..

They were deprecated 15+years ago, with the ultimate plan to reinstate them as proper versions after a long enough time passed that everyone had migrated.

Now was when a long enough time had passed.

[ranirahn]

Installed the rtorrent 0.16.1 and I saw many issues in rutorrent. Portcheck also did not work. Did the code changes to get ratio plugin to load, but changing group ultimately failed. So i go back to rtorrent 0.15.6 where everything still working. So there are probably many more issues in rutorrent with rtorrent 0.16+ versions. Dont have time for now to figure everything out to get new rtorrent work so i just go back to older version.

[rakshasa]

"convert.kb",
$this->iVersion >= 0x1000 ? array('',floatval(1024)) : floatval(1024)

convert.* has always required targets, so the version check is wrong afaicr.

if (($this->iVersion >= 0x904) && ($this->iVersion < 0x1000) && in_array($cmd,$this->ratioCmds))
$prefix = "group2.";

Just use group2. to avoid this mess, and why are you bothering to support <= 0x904? Are anyone still using that?

[allixx]

Just use group2. to avoid this mess

group2 doesn't work without unknown additional modifications (ratio commands has to be renamed or grouped differently I suspect), with or without target.

rutorrent code has a fair chunk of version checks not relevant anymore, perhaps it will be dealt with if (or when) work on next major version starts, bumping minimal rtorrent compatibility level to 0x1000+. I have zero knowledge about rtorrent xml rpc interface and its rutorrent implementation, I'm speaking from practical side of solving own problems.