Plugin Troubleshooting Guide

Presentation slides used at WordCamp Iloilo 2019.

Transcript

1. Plugin 
 Troubleshooting 
 Guide
2. This is my profile page on WordPress.org. I'm a WordPress plugin developer, 
 and also engaged in many other activities in the community.
3. Fukuoka, Japan I'm from Fukuoka, Japan. Fukuoka is known as the birthplace of Wapuu.
4. This is the world's first Wapuu cake. We made it for WordCamp Fukuoka 2011.
5. This is Contact Form 7's plugin page on WordPress.org. 
 I have been maintaining this plugin for more than 10 years.
6. According to BuiltWith.com, Contact Form 7 has a 71% market share 
 in the “Feedback Forms and Surveys on the Entire Internet" category.
7. Because of its popularity, I constantly receive a lot of support requests. 
 Today, I tell you the secret of troubleshooting.
8. Troubleshooting 
 in General
9. Troubles caused by 
 WordPress core are 
 very rare. 
 Most troubles are 
 caused by its plugins 
 and themes.
10. To find out which plugin 
 is the culprit:
 •Try deactivating all plugins 
 at one time. •If the problem disappears, 
 re-activate them 
 one by one.
11. If you click on the "delete" link, the plugin will try to wipe out all data related to it. 
 If this is inconvenient for you, access the server via FTP and delete the plugin files manually. Be careful 
 when you 
 delete plugins
12. Cache might be connected 
 to the trouble. 
 Try deleting all browser cache and page cache, and 
 check to see if the behavior changes.
13. Some troubles are seen only when you are logged-in, or when you are logged-out, 
 and this information will be 
 a useful hint to troubleshoot 
 in many cases.
14. Getting Support from Community-based Forums
15. Don't send a direct message 
 to developers to get support. Many developers don't like 
 to answer questions privately. Use public support forums instead.
16. Each plugin has a dedicated support forum on WordPress.org. 
 This screenshot image points to the "Support" link on a plugin page.
17. This is an example of a support forum for a plugin.
18. At the bottom of the plugin support forum, there is a form to create a new topic. 
 Detailed information is necessary to get helpful support.
19. WP.org Support Forums are:
 •Volunteer-based
 Be polite and kind to others.
 •Public forums 
 Providing information publicly is needed.
20. Before using support forums, look through the Forum Guidelines 
 and FAQ on WordPress.org. Let's have a look at some of the topics.
21. Do Not Spam Don't do spammy activities on the forum. Don't post comments 
 for the purpose of promoting something. If you do that, you'll get a penalty.
22. No "Bump" Some users just post "Bump" with an attempt to get attention for their forum posts. 
 This will never work, and is prohibited.
23. No "Me Too" Don't hijack others' topics with a "Me too" comment. It is rude to the original poster, 
 and your problem is different from theirs in almost all cases.
24. Do Not Offer to Pay for Help Do Not Offer to Work For Hire WordPress.org support forums are not a place to look for jobs or paid services.
25. If you are looking for jobs or paid services, use jobs.wordpress.net instead.
26. Do Not Post About 
 Commercial Products Posting about commercial products is prohibited. 
 The responsibility of support lies with the vendor of the product.
27. Do Not Post 
 Sensitive Information Login ID and password, email addresses, 
 or any kind of keys or secrets should not be posted.
28. There are many other topics in the guidelines and FAQ. 
 Read them carefully and be a good forum participant.
29. Preventing Troubles 
 from Happening
30. You can avoid troubles if you use trustworthy plugins only
 ✓ hosted on wordpress.org (100% GPL and free) ✓ maintained by 
 experienced developers ✓ updated to the latest WordPress versions
31. Feedback is the most important factor in maintaining a quality of software. Most commercial plugin and theme vendors can't get enough feedback 
 in quality and quantity. 
 Avoid them if you want to avoid troubles.
32. Thank you!