Troubleshooting WordPress plugin problems
Troubleshooting WordPress plugin problems
How to start troubleshooting WordPress plugins
Possible symptoms: blank screen, error messages, pages half loading then freezing, page functions not responding as the should, plugins that fail updating or installing.
Answer:
Please follow these troubleshooting steps….
Was there an error message?
If there was, the message is likely going to lead you to the proper diagnosis. If there was an error message and you need it interpreted by an expert, contact WordPress support or the plugin author. Include details such as the error message, your WordPress version, the plugins you have installed, and what steps lead to reproducing the problem.
If that was not it…
Check if you have PHP5. Many have reported that their server was PHP4 and it caused problems. Upgrade to PHP5. PHP5 is more secure and more reliable. PHP4 was discontinued in 2008.
To see what version your PHP is, put this code inside a test.php page on your server.
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
Make sure to remove the page after testing, because it can be a low level security threat to allow this information to remain public. If it is PHP4, ask your web host for upgrade advice.
If that was not it…
Maybe another plugin is conflicting.
Look on the Admin – Plugins – menu.
Temporarily Disable (not uninstall) all your other plugins.
Does it work now? If yes, Activate the plugins one by one to determine which one conflicts.
If that was not it..
It could be the theme you are using is causing it…
Do this as a test:
In Admin, click on Appearance, Themes.
Temporarily change your theme to the “WordPress Default” theme(default for WP 2.0+), or “Twenty Ten” (default for WP 3.0+), or “Twenty Eleven” (default for WP 3.2+).
It does not cause any harm to temporarily change the theme and change back.
Does it work properly now?
If it does then the theme you are using is the cause.
If that was not it..
Some WordPress installs run out of available PHP memory because the memory limit is set too low.
This can cause random errors or white screens that show no error at all.
Install this WordPress plugin to see the PHP Memory Limit and Memory Usage in the WordPress admin dashboard:
WP-Memory-Usage
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-memory-usage/
If the memory limit is 32M or less, or is a high percentage of being used, try increasing it:
See this FAQ:
http://www.fastsecurecontactform.com/php-memory-limit
If that was not it..
There could be a PHP error on the page. Your server might have PHP error display turned off so it does not show what the error says, that is why the white page. Do you have PHP error logs? Look and see what the error says. You can also try this temporarily to possibly see the error.
Edit the wp-config.php file and add this line:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
Be sure to remove it later when done testing as some poorly written plugins and themes will display warnings that are not really hard errors just warnings. BTW I program my plugins well enough that there should be no errors or warnings.
Try reinstalling the plugin
Maybe the installation is corrupted, try reinstalling it.
Tip: How to uninstall or reinstall the WordPress version
Discuss this issue in the WordPress plugins forum
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Mike Challis
PO Box 819
Long Beach WA 98631
