Ankihub Explore page disappearing decks: a real life mystery

:wave: First time poster, long time reader. Thank you in advance for any advice!

Background: I’ve been using AnkiHub for over a year without incident. In addition to AnKing Step v12, I’m currently subscribed to 4 or 5 other Ankihub decks. It’s all been working flawlessly UNTIL about a week ago.

Now whenever I visit the Ankihub Explore page, it’s a barren wasteland, an white empty space, (unless I toggle the theme to nightmode and then it’s a vast darkness). All the headers are there, I’m logged in, the search bar looks normal, but the actual decks you can click on and subscribe to and read about? Poof! Vanished. Not a single deck to be found.



The spoopiest part is: everything seems to be syncing just fine. I still getting that little pop-up showing the Ankihub updates when I click Sync. I haven’t gotten any error messages about missing decks, and haven’t found posts about anyone else having this problem. When I get the consumerist itch to buy things online, I look for an Ankihub deck to download or add-on to try, to soothe the capitalist craving. So not only is this a maddening mystery, it’s also impacting my pocketbook.

In case it’s helpful to know: I only use desktop Anki on one computer; I sync with Ankiweb but never use Anki in browser or app or on other devices.

What I’ve tried so far, without success:

  • restarting Anki (after each troubleshooting step)
  • restarting Chrome
  • logging out / back in to my Ankihub account
  • refreshing Sign In
  • typing things in the search bar and mashing the purple “Search” button
  • clicking all the the dropdown “Sort by” and “Filter by” options just in case
  • ignoring it and hoping it’ll fix itself
  • updating Chrome
  • updating Anki (current version: ⁨24.06.3)
  • syncing Anki with Ankiweb
  • syncing Anki with Ankihub
  • making sure all my Add-Ons are updated
  • verifying my last Ankihub payment went through & my Core plan is active
  • trying to access via AnkiHub > Deck Management > Browse Decks
  • searching the Ankihub community & Reddit for potential solutions
  • running Check Database, Check Media, Empty Cards
  • reseting local changes
  • taking a break to avoid exacerbating my bruxism

Thanks in advance for any leads!

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@abdo.nh @andrew @ProductTeam This is the 3-4th request regarding this issue

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It appears we have quite the conundrum on our hands! A case of vanishing decks, mysterious blank spaces, and the frustration of poet who is confronted with a barren wasteland or a vast darkness. Fear not, for I, Heitor, have delved into the depths of this perplexing puzzle.

After a thorough investigation, including entering your AnkiHub account myself and effectively impersonating you (don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me), I can confidently state that the problem does not lie within the AnkiHub system itself. No, my dear friend, the culprit is far more insidious and close to home.

Elementary, my dear @kva002.
The villain in this tale is none other than your browser cache! Like a cunning criminal, it has hidden the truth from your eyes, presenting you with a deceptive blank canvas where a vibrant marketplace of knowledge should reside.

To apprehend this digital miscreant and restore order to your AnkiHub experience, I propose the following course of action:

  1. Open your Chrome browser and navigate to the AnkiHub Explore page.
  2. Press the following keys simultaneously: Ctrl + Shift + R (on Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + R (on Mac).
  3. This keyboard shortcut will perform a “hard refresh”, bypassing the cached version of the page and fetching a fresh copy from the server.

If this method proves insufficient, we shall employ a more forceful approach:

  1. Open Chrome and press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows/Linux) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac).
  2. In the window that appears, set the time range to “All time.”
  3. Ensure that “Cached images and files” is selected.
  4. Click “Clear data.”
  5. Once complete, close and reopen Chrome, then revisit the AnkiHub Explore page.

I have the utmost confidence that upon following these steps, you will find the AnkiHub Explore page restored to its former glory, teeming with decks to satisfy your intellectual appetite and soothe your capitalist cravings.

Remember, my dear kva002, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. In this case, the truth was hiding in your browser’s cache all along.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend. Good day, and happy studying!

Yours truly,
Heitor, AnkiHub Developer/Troubleshooter and part-time Consulting Detective

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This is my favorite thread of all time

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Alas, @heitor the mystery persists!

I dutifully completed the first course of action, and upon seeing no change, employed the second approach. The empty Explore page persists! I’ve tried both methods multiple times, carefully double checking that I’m doing each step correctly.

I even tried clearing all browser data for all time, not just clearing the cache. I jettisoned cookies, download history, autofill forms, and everything else that’s possible to click in the advanced tab of “delete browsing data” window. No change. The closest I get is a split-second ghostly outline of where the decks should be, each time I refresh the page. Those momentary 4 grey boxes per row are a mirage that get my hopes up, before showing me the same nothingness as before. It appears and disappears so quickly that I can’t grab a screenshot to show you.

What approach can we attempt next?

Ah, so close to catch the perpetrator and it slips through our fingers! We might need more careful examination of the clues that are at our hands.

If my deductions are correct, the ghostly decks you talk about look a bit like these, right?

Unfortunately, as my deduction powers are more than excellent, I cannot peek into the inviolable privacy of your personal computer. @kva002, could you do me a favor to help solve this case? Please follow those steps carefully, and make sure no one sees you:

  • Open the explore page
  • Right click into the vast darkness/barren wasteland
  • Choose “Inspect”, this should open a super-duper-secret-side-panel
  • On this sidepanel on “Console”
  • Refresh the page (the panel will stay open)
  • Print anything that happens to appear in the console and send it here
  • Now click on the “Network” tab (you might need to press the secret button that looks like “>>” to see this option)
  • Make sure the “Disable Cache” checkbox is checked
  • Refresh the page again and print all of the information present on the network panel after that.
  • Stay hydrated

I shall wait for your information collection as I continue my attempts to decrypt this situation. Keep me informed of any developments. The smallest detail could be the key to unraveling this most curious affair.

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Indeed, @heitor , you have managed to capture a photo of the elusive ghostly decks!

The results of my exploring, inspecting, consoling, refreshing are:

In the secret “Network” tab, I checked the “Disable Cache” box and refreshed, resulting in the following information:

I will stay hydrated as I await further instruction.

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I’m inclined to think that the “ghost decks” seem to be hiding in the best place for it: plain sight. Actually, someone - or something is hiding them, but they are actually still there.

You see, if the decks weren’t there, the “What do you want to study” would be right below the “Explore” text. And judging by the evidence provided by you, that does not seem to be the case.

I’m theorizing that something is lurking in the shadows, interfering with AnkiHub while we run here in circles, being carried away by false leads, just like they planned.

I have a few more theories and questions for this case that I’d like to share:

  • Have you added something recently to your browser, such as an extension?
  • Could you try disguising yourself in incognito mode, and entering AnkiHub with an anonymous identity to see if the decks are still invisible?
  • Could you try a completely different browser, to see if we can trick the decks into showing their faces?
  • What chrome version are you using?
  • Do you prefer rainy or sunny days?

I have investigated your theories, @heitor – the results are below:

  • It’s entirely possible that I’ve downloaded a Chrome add-on or extension in the two weeks since this mystery began, though nothing stands out when I look through the list.
  • When I open an incognito Chrome browser, everything shows up when I log in!! :astonished:
  • Same thing when I try using a completely different browser (Arc) – everything shows up as it should!! :exploding_head:
  • I’m using Chrome Version 130.0.6723.58 (Official Build) (arm64), though when I clicked on settings to identify which version I’m using, it started updating so once I restart, I’ll have be the newest version.
  • Both! Sunny days for waking up more easily, for being outside, and for getting through more UPlanet questions. Rainy days for better sleeps, for getting cozy, for reading and videos. Hbu? Do you find it’s easier to do Anki when it’s rainy or sunny?
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When there is Anki, my heart is always warm and there is room for any weather

:sun_with_face::dash::leaves::cloud_with_lightning_and_rain::man_surfing:

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Hi again @kva002!

Sorry for the late reply. I got stuck in some problems that needed a 7% solution.

I confess that I’m more of a rainy day person. The noise of the water drops hitting my window is soothing and good for concentration.

But I digress! Back to your case, I believe we’re far enough to say that we’ve eliminated the impossible. So the improbable truth that remains is that some chrome extension is interfering with AnkiHub’s internal shenanigans. It’s going to be a boring endeavor, but could you try disabling your extensions one by one (try the most recent ones first) and checking if any of them is the culprit of ghosting your beloved decks?

If you find the extension and this solves the problem, please let me know which one was it. It would be good to keep internal record of the criminals we investigate.

If it does not solve your problem still, fear not, for I shall not rest until thy case is solved.

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