I get several requests to help people troubleshoot problems after installing NAVT. Most of the time the problems are caused by plugins that are installed that do not play nice in the Word Press environment.
Plugin Interference
Plugin developers come from all walks of life and not everyone has the same level of understanding when it comes to Word Press and the Word Press environment. As a result, some very well-intended plugins sometimes do not work well together in the plugin community that you have put together for your Word Press Blog.
Plugins often include specialized Java Scripts that perform specialized functions needed by the plugin. Many developers build their Java Script routines using popular cross-browser Java Script frameworks like jQuery, Prototype, and Scriptaculous. jQuery is also used by Word Press. In addition, most plugins provide back end administration pages that allow you to enter options or turn on/off features related to that plugin.
Sometimes, developers either forget or don’t realize that they should only include their Java Script routines on back end pages that their plugin interacts with. More often than not a plugin will include it’s Java Script and the script’s dependencies on every single back-end page. Frankly, this is just bad behavior and it accounts for most of the problems on Word Press web sites. When a plugin injects it’s own copy of a popular framework such as jQuery.js or Prototype.js into a back-end page created for another plugin, there is a good possibility that the plugin will not work correctly.
To determine if a plugin is interfering with another plugin:
- deactivate all of the plugins you have installed.
- activate the plugin that stopped working and determine whether or not the problem went away.
- Begin reactivating plugins until the plugin stops working.
If you find the offending plugin, contact the plugin Author and ask them to fix it. Chances are their plugin is including Java Scripts or adding Java Script frameworks to every back end page of your blog.
Plugin Directory Structures
Plugins often create their own directory structures under the wp-contents/plugins directory. As a result, a plugin can keep all of its source files in one tidy location. Providing a directory structure enables the plugin to internally use relative paths to locate style sheets or Java Script files used by the plugin.
When you install a plugin, do not change the directory structure or rename the directories the plugin expects to be there. Changing the plugins directory structure, renaming directories or installing all of a plugins source files at the top level of the wp-contents/plugin directory will certainly break the plugin.
These are two areas you should investigate when your plugins stop working.
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