"Error loading lookups" - `Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException` due to Gallery site down

BlogEngine.NET/BlogEngine/BlogEngine.Core/Services/Packaging/Gallery.cs

Lines 74 to 92 in 11b9f17

    
           /// <summary> 
        
           /// Gets extra filds from remote gallery if gallery supports it 
        
           /// </summary> 
        
           /// <param name="id">Package ID</param> 
        
           /// <returns>Object with extra package fields</returns> 
        
           public static PackageExtra GetPackageExtra(string id) 
        
           { 
        
               try 
        
               { 
        
                   var url = BlogConfig.GalleryFeedUrl.Replace("/nuget", "/api/extras/" + id); 
        
                   WebClient wc = new WebClient(); 
        
                   string json = wc.DownloadString(url); 
        
                   return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<PackageExtra>(json); 
        
               } 
        
               catch (Exception) 
        
               { 
        
                   return null; 
        
               } 
        
           }

Sadly, the url http://dnbe.net/v01/nuget is down.
Therefore, JsonConvert.DeserializeObject throws a Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException, and causes an Error loading lookups (GET /api/lookups returns 502), makes the whole blog unstable - e.g. Unable to load and change settings, unable to set categories for a new blog post etc.

My solution is removing all 3rd party themes in Custom\Themes. Just keep RazorHost and Standard themes.
I have no idea if you'll still fix this, but this is a serious problem and I should leave my solution here for other users.

I was able to recover some themes through the Internet Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20210701014032/https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=blogenginethemes

The archive Blogenginethemes.zip itself contains an zipfile on the following location releases\0\97f8f351-45d7-4358-b51b-ba6c9d32339a. This zipfile contains several themes, some of them are working on v3.3.8.0, some might require a little change in the site.master, some of them got some little CSS issues.

The following themes are quite OK (might have some minor issues)

angel
Automotive
BusinessTime
ClearBrown
Cogitation
DarkBlog 1.0.0
desk-mess
Envision.1.0
EvilCorporate
Extensive
Fresh
freshcitrus
fruity
funkygrunge
GreyShadow
inove
Interlude
LCARS
LiquidNautica
metamorph_darkside
n3oEco
oldschool
portraitpress
ProfessionalLight
RoyalBlue
SapiensNet
Scruffy
StableStart
stardust
TechJunkie
Underwater
XtremeBlogg

	/// <summary>
	/// Gets extra filds from remote gallery if gallery supports it
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name="id">Package ID</param>
	/// <returns>Object with extra package fields</returns>
	public static PackageExtra GetPackageExtra(string id)
	{
	try
	{
	var url = BlogConfig.GalleryFeedUrl.Replace("/nuget", "/api/extras/" + id);
	WebClient wc = new WebClient();
	string json = wc.DownloadString(url);
	return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<PackageExtra>(json);
	}
	catch (Exception)
	{
	return null;
	}
	}