Installation and Activation Issues

This guide helps you troubleshoot common problems encountered during ShahiLandin installation and activation.

Plugin Won’t Install

Symptom

You cannot install ShahiLandin through the WordPress admin interface or receive an error message during installation.

Possible Causes and Solutions

1. Insufficient File Permissions

Problem: WordPress cannot write to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.

Solution:

1. Connect to your server via FTP or cPanel File Manager
2. Navigate to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Set folder permissions to 755 or 775
4. Try installing the plugin again

For Linux/Unix servers (via SSH):
`bash
chmod 755 /path/to/wp-content/plugins/
`

2. PHP Memory Limit Too Low


Problem: The plugin file is large and exceeds your PHP memory limit.

Solution:

5. Check your current memory limit in ShahiLandin → System Info (if plugin is partially installed) or Tools → Site Health
6. Increase PHP memory limit to at least 256MB by adding to wp-config.php:

`php
define(‘WPMEMORYLIMIT’, ‘256M’);
`

7. If that doesn’t work, contact your hosting provider to increase the limit

3. Upload File Size Limit


Problem: The plugin ZIP file exceeds your server’s upload limit.

Solution Method 1 (Increase Upload Limit):

8. Edit your .htaccess file (in WordPress root directory)
9. Add these lines:

`apache
phpvalue uploadmax_filesize 64M
phpvalue postmax_size 64M
phpvalue maxexecution_time 300
phpvalue maxinput_time 300
`

Solution Method 2 (Manual Upload):

10. Extract the plugin ZIP file on your computer
11. Connect via FTP/SFTP
12. Upload the ShahiLandin folder to /wp-content/plugins/
13. Go to Plugins in WordPress admin and activate ShahiLandin

4. Corrupt ZIP File


Problem: The downloaded plugin file is corrupted or incomplete.

Solution:

14. Delete the previously downloaded file
15. Download ShahiLandin again from a reliable source
16. Verify the file size matches the expected size
17. Try installing again

5. WordPress Version Incompatibility


Problem: You’re running an outdated version of WordPress.

Solution:

18. ShahiLandin requires WordPress 6.0 or higher
19. Go to Dashboard → Updates
20. Update WordPress to the latest version
21. Important: Backup your site before updating
22. Install ShahiLandin after updating WordPress

Plugin Won’t Activate


Symptom


The plugin installs successfully but shows an error when you try to activate it.

Possible Causes and Solutions


1. PHP Version Too Old


Problem: Your server is running PHP 7.3 or older.

Error Message:
`
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘?’, expecting variable (T_VARIABLE) in …/shahilandin.php
`

Solution:

23. ShahiLandin requires PHP 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.0+ recommended)
24. Check your PHP version in Tools → Site Health → Info → Server
25. Contact your hosting provider to upgrade to PHP 8.0 or higher
26. Most hosts allow PHP version changes through cPanel or hosting dashboard

2. Missing PHP Extensions


Problem: Required PHP extensions are not installed on your server.

Error Message:
`
Fatal error: Class ‘DOMDocument’ not found
`

Solution:

27. ShahiLandin requires these PHP extensions:

– dom (for HTML parsing)
– json (for data handling)
– mbstring (for character encoding)
– curl (for HTTP requests)

28. Contact your hosting provider to enable these extensions
29. For cPanel servers, extensions can be enabled via Select PHP Version → Extensions

3. Plugin Conflict


Problem: Another plugin is conflicting with ShahiLandin.

Solution:

30. Deactivate all other plugins
31. Try activating ShahiLandin alone
32. If it works, reactivate other plugins one by one to identify the conflict
33. Common conflicting plugins:

– Other landing page builders
– Security plugins with strict rules
– Caching plugins with aggressive optimization

34. Once identified, keep the conflicting plugin deactivated or contact support

4. Theme Conflict


Problem: Your active theme is incompatible with ShahiLandin.

Solution:

35. Switch to a default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty-Four)
36. Try activating ShahiLandin
37. If successful, the issue is with your theme
38. Contact theme developer for compatibility
39. Alternatively, use ShahiLandin’s Canvas Mode which bypasses theme templates

5. Insufficient Database Privileges


Problem: WordPress database user lacks necessary permissions.

Error Message:
`
Cannot create table ‘wpshahilandinanalytics’
`

Solution:

40. ShahiLandin needs to create database tables during activation
41. Your database user needs CREATE, ALTER, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and SELECT privileges
42. Access phpMyAdmin or cPanel MySQL
43. Check user privileges for your WordPress database
44. Grant necessary permissions or contact hosting support

6. Multisite Installation Issues


Problem: Plugin won’t network activate on WordPress Multisite.

Solution:

45. Verify you’re logged in as a Super Admin
46. Go to Network Admin → Plugins
47. Click Network Activate (not regular Activate)
48. If still failing, check .htaccess and wp-config.php for multisite configuration errors
49. Ensure all subsites meet minimum requirements

Plugin Activates But Shows Errors


Symptom


ShahiLandin activates but displays warnings or errors in admin.

Possible Causes and Solutions


1. Database Tables Not Created


Problem: Activation completed but database tables are missing.

Solution:

50. Deactivate the plugin
51. Run the database cleanup:

– Install “WP Database Reset” plugin temporarily
– Reset only ShahiLandin tables (if they exist)

52. Reactivate ShahiLandin
53. Check if tables were created by going to phpMyAdmin and looking for:

– wpshahilandinanalytics
– wpshahilandinexperiments

54. If tables still missing, run manual migration:

– Upload run-migrations.php from plugin folder to WordPress root
– Visit https://yoursite.com/run-migrations.php
– Delete the file after completion

2. File Permission Issues


Problem: Plugin cannot write to its directories.

Error Message:
`
Warning: fileputcontents(…): failed to open stream: Permission denied
`

Solution:

55. ShahiLandin needs write access to these directories:

– /wp-content/plugins/ShahiLandin/assets/
– /wp-content/uploads/shahilandin/

56. Set directory permissions to 755 or 775
57. Set file permissions to 644 or 664
58. Via SSH:

`bash
chmod -R 755 wp-content/plugins/ShahiLandin/
mkdir -p wp-content/uploads/shahilandin
chmod 755 wp-content/uploads/shahilandin
`

3. White Screen of Death (WSOD)


Problem: WordPress admin shows blank white screen after activation.

Solution:

59. Immediate fix: Deactivate via database

– Access phpMyAdmin
– Go to wp_options table
– Find row where optionname = activeplugins
– Edit option_value and remove ShahiLandin reference
– Save changes

60. Enable WordPress debugging in wp-config.php:

`php
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGLOG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGDISPLAY’, false);
`

61. Check /wp-content/debug.log for specific errors
62. Address the specific error found
63. Try activating again

Post-Activation Issues


No Menu Item Appears


Problem: ShahiLandin activated successfully but no menu appears in admin.

Solution:

64. Check user role and permissions

– You need at least Editor role
– Super Admin for multisite

65. Clear browser cache and cookies
66. Try a different browser
67. Check if menu was hidden:

– Go to Screen Options (top right)
– Ensure ShahiLandin items are checked

68. Deactivate and reactivate the plugin

Settings Not Saving


Problem: Changes to plugin settings don’t persist.

Solution:

69. Check database write permissions
70. Disable security plugins temporarily
71. Check for JavaScript errors:

– Open browser Console (F12)
– Look for red error messages
– Take screenshot and contact support

72. Verify wp_options table isn’t corrupted:

– Run database repair: Add to wp-config.php:
`php
define(‘WPALLOWREPAIR’, true);
`
– Visit: https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php
– Remove the define line after repair

Can’t Create Landing Pages


Problem: “Add New Landing Page” button doesn’t work or shows errors.

Solution:

73. Verify post type was registered:

– Go to Tools → Site Health → Info
– Check if shahi_landing appears under Post Types

74. If missing, deactivate and reactivate plugin
75. Check user capabilities:

– User needs createshahilandings capability
– Administrator and Editor roles have this by default

76. Flush permalinks:

– Go to Settings → Permalinks
– Click Save Changes without changing anything

77. Clear all caches (plugin, theme, server, CDN)

Reactivation After Deactivation


Lost Settings After Reactivation


Problem: Plugin settings reset to defaults when reactivated.

Solution:

• ShahiLandin preserves settings in database even when deactivated
• Settings only delete on uninstall
• If lost, check:

1. Database for shahilandin% options in wpoptions table
2. Backup/restore functionality
3. WordPress revisions (for page content)

Lost Landing Pages


Problem: Landing pages disappeared after reactivation.

Solution:

• Landing pages remain in database as custom post type
• Check if they’re in trash:

– Go to Landing Pages → Trash

• Check database:

– In phpMyAdmin, run:
`sql
SELECT * FROM wpposts WHERE posttype = ‘shahi_landing’;
`

• If found, they’re just hidden – flush permalinks
• If truly deleted, restore from backup

Getting Additional Help


If these solutions don’t resolve your issue:

• Check System Status:

– Go to ShahiLandin → System Info
– Review all system requirements
– Note any warnings in red

• Collect Error Information:

– Error message (exact text)
– PHP version
– WordPress version
– Active theme
– Active plugins list
– Hosting provider

• Enable Debug Mode:

`php
// In wp-config.php
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGLOG’, true);
define(‘WPDEBUGDISPLAY’, false);
`

• Review Debug Log:

– Check /wp-content/debug.log
– Look for ShahiLandin-related errors

• Contact Support:

– Include all information collected above
– Attach debug log (if available)
– Provide steps to reproduce the issue

Prevention Tips


To avoid installation and activation issues:

• ✅ Always backup before installing new plugins
• ✅ Keep WordPress, PHP, and plugins updated
• ✅ Use reputable hosting with adequate resources
• ✅ Test on staging site first (if available)
• ✅ Maintain adequate server resources (memory, disk space)
• ✅ Regular database optimization and cleanup
• ✅ Monitor error logs periodically

—

Related Articles:

• Requirements and Compatibility
• Installation Guide
• Cache and Plugin Conflicts