How to Fix Common WordPress Errors
While WordPress is one of the easiest CMS you can use, there are various WordPress errors that can make you panic. The good news is that there are solutions for most of these problems and you don’t even have to hire an expert for that. In this post, we will be discussing the common errors and how you can fix them.
Syntax Error
This is a very common WordPress error. It occurs when you try to add code snippets in WordPress. The error occurs when you miss something or write a code that has an incorrect syntax. This leads to the PHP parse error and you get a notice like the one below:
Parse error- syntax error, unexpected $end in /public_html/site1/wp-content/themes/my-theme/functions.php on line 278
The error message will let you know the location of the problem in your script. To correct this issue, you just need to find and correct the syntax. Often times, the error is caused by something as simple as a missing bracket or an unexpected character in your code.
Error establishing a database connection
The error message lets you know that there is a problem establishing a connection to your database. Even so, this issue can be a bit hard to fix for the beginners. The error will occur when you enter or modify the database credentials such as the database password, database username or database host. At times the error may result because the database is corrupted or unresponsive. The main cause of the error is incorrect database login credentials. The solution is to enter the right credentials and you are set.
White Screen of Death
This is when you get a plain white screen without any error message. This makes the error quite puzzling. In most cases, this WordPress error results when a script exhausts the available PHP memory limit. Configuration on the server can also cause problems. The first solution to this problem is to increase the memory limit. You can do this by disabling the plugins on your website and replace the theme with the default theme. Another solution is to use the WordPress debug function to identify the type of error. You can also consider clearing the cache if the White Screen of Death is on the long pages alone.
Internal Server Error
This can also appear as ‘500 Internal Server Error’. The error occurs when there is something wrong but the server cannot identify the problem. To solve this problem, you need to consider doing the following:
- Check for corrupt .htaccess File
- Increase the PHP memory limit
- Deactivate all the plugins
- Re-upload the core files
- Check with the hosting provider
You will come across all manner of WordPress errors as your website grows. You should not panic. There are so many resources you can use to fix those errors.