🐛 Bug: elFinder not working on /admin/elfinder (JS error, 404 i18n, folders cannot be opened)

[TanNhatCMS]

🐛 Bug: elFinder not working on /admin/elfinder (JS error, 404 i18n, folders cannot be opened)

What happened?

On Backpack v7 with Laravel-Backpack/FileManager v4, elFinder does not work correctly on the default route:

/admin/elfinder

The page loads, but elFinder fails to initialize properly and the file manager becomes partially unusable.

---

Console errors

Uncaught TypeError: $ is not a function
    at elfinder:650

GET /admin/js/i18n/elfinder.vi.js 404 (Not Found)

Full browser log:

elfinder:650 Uncaught TypeError: $ is not a function
elfinder.min.js GET /admin/js/i18n/elfinder.vi.js 404 (Not Found)

---

What did you expect to happen?

• elFinder initializes correctly on /admin/elfinder
• Language file loads successfully
• Clicking on a folder opens the directory contents
• FileManager works normally

---

What actually happens?

• elFinder throws JavaScript errors during initialization
• Language file elfinder.vi.js is requested from a non-existing path
• Folders are displayed but cannot be opened
• Clicking on a folder does nothing (no navigation, no content update)

---

How to reproduce the bug

1. Install Backpack v7
2. Install Laravel-Backpack/FileManager v4
3. Login to admin panel
4. Open /admin/elfinder
5. Open browser DevTools
6. Click any folder → folder does not open, JS errors appear

---

Environment

• Laravel version: 12
• Backpack CRUD version: 7.0.15
• Laravel-Backpack/FileManager version: 4.0.1
• PHP version: 8.3
• Database: MySQL
• OS: Win10
• Browser: Chrome

---

Additional context

• jQuery seems to be loaded, but $ is not available when elFinder executes

• elFinder tries to load language file from:

  /admin/js/i18n/elfinder.vi.js
  

  but this path returns 404

• The actual language file exists in:

  vendor/studio-42/elfinder/js/i18n/elfinder.vi.js
  

• Because elFinder fails to initialize correctly, folder click events do not work

• This happens on the default /admin/elfinder route, without any customization

---

Possible cause (guess)

• elFinder requires global jQuery (window.$)
• Backpack v7 does not guarantee jQuery is globally available when elFinder initializes
• Incorrect asset base path for elFinder i18n files in FileManager v4
• JS execution order conflict (possibly related to Vite / asset pipeline)

---

Screenshots

👉 Attach screenshots here:

• /admin/elfinder UI

• Browser console errors

[backpack-ai-bot]

CrawlChat Answer:

I found references to the elFinder issue you're reporting. This is a known problem with Backpack v7 and FileManager. Here's what's happening:

Root Causes

Your bug report aligns with similar issues in the Backpack community. The core problems are:

1. jQuery loading issue: The $ is not defined error occurs because jQuery isn't globally available when elFinder tries to initialize. This is a known issue with asset loading in Backpack v7, particularly related to how Basset (the asset manager) loads dependencies.

2. Asset path problem: elFinder language files are being requested from an incorrect path (/admin/js/i18n/), but they exist in vendor/studio-42/elfinder/js/i18n/.

Temporary Workaround

Based on similar jQuery loading issues reported in the community, try:

BASSET_DEV_MODE=false
php artisan basset:cache
php artisan optimize:clear

If local caching doesn't work, you can also try modifying the jQuery CDN URL temporarily and then running cache commands.

Recommendation

This appears to be a known compatibility issue between Backpack v7, FileManager v4, and the asset pipeline. I recommend reaching out to the Backpack support team or filing an issue on the Laravel-Backpack/FileManager repository with this detailed bug report, as the team is actively working on resolving these asset and dependency loading issues.

ℹ️ Please note our AI Bot does not reply to follow-ups, this will be the only AI answer in this thread. If the AI helped you find the answer, please mark it as answered or write details below so it can learn. Then close the conversation. If not, please give more information for when a human reads this. ℹ️

Relevant sources:

[BUG] Elfinder Not Working on v7 · Laravel-Backpack/community-forum · Discussion #1366 · GitHub
Laravel-Backpack/community-forum Public Beta · Discussions · GitHub
Elfinder access related folder structure for each logged in user · Laravel-Backpack/community-forum · Discussion #1247 · GitHub
Progress Report - May 2024 :: Backpack for Laravel
jQuery is not defined · Laravel-Backpack/community-forum · Discussion #1322 · GitHub
Error https://unpkg.com/jquery@3.6.1/dist/jquery.min.js?2cf9781e142f · Laravel-Backpack/community-forum · Discussion #1321 · GitHub
Can I test translation-manager free ? · Laravel-Backpack/community-forum · Discussion #1293 · GitHub

[TanNhatCMS]

CC @tabacitu @pxpm – this issue happens on Backpack v7 + FileManager v4, related to admin elFinder.