WordPress sites are usually straight-forward and not too complicated to build. However, when you start building your own themes and really digging into the core, you’re bound to run into a few issues. The most common issues are oftentimes the easiest to troubleshoot. This list should help you solve the most common WordPress errors.

1.WP_DEBUG By enabling WP_DEBUG in your wp-config.php file, you’re able to see what WordPress is doing behind the scenes. This is my go-to solution for most issues I encounter. Is the footer suddenly missing? Maybe you’ve forgotten to close a loop. Part of an included template missing? Maybe there’s an error in the embedded template causing it to not display. To call this function, simply:

<?php define('WP_DEBUG', true'); ?>

2.PHP memory Sometimes I get an error when parsing through large amounts of records, or when trying to upload larger files through a post, page or custom post type. Generally, increasing the memory WordPress is allowed to use solves this problem. Add this to your wp-config.php file.

<?php define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M' ); ?>

3.Permalinks Sometimes a simple change affects how WordPress handles pages. Did you create a new custom post type that’s not displaying? What about changing a category? Sometimes, setting up a new environment or deploying to Staging/Production will break a site. In these situations, it’s best to reset the permalinks. To do so, in the WordPress admin area, click on Settings -> Permalinks. Then, choose your URL structure and click Save Changes.

4.error_reporting(); Maybe your problem is a little more complicated and using plain PHP. If WP_DEBUG isn’t helpful enough, then it’s time to use native error handling, built in to PHP. You have a few options. By setting error_reporting(0), you’re disabling all errors. Setting it to E_ALL, you’ll notice you’ll see all errors and warnings. There are other options, but these are the ones I use most often. Check out PHP’s documentation for more options.

5.Plugins The most basic and simplest step, disabling all plugins. It’s trivial determining which plugin is causing your site to break, however sometimes a plugin isn’t compatible with your version of WordPress or another plugin. By enabling them one-by-one, you’ll be able to determine which plugin is the culprit.