When you run into an issue, the first step is most often to test to see if anything on your site is interfering with Formidable to cause the issue. This guide provides a step-by-step process to troubleshoot theme or plugin conflicts.
How to find a conflict
To determine if the issue you are experiencing is due to theme or plugin conflicts, follow the steps below.
- Deactivate all plugins except Formidable (deactivate addons too).
- Remove all custom code, including PHP and Javascript.
- Switch to the default WordPress theme.
- Update Formidable to the current version, if it isn't already.
- Update WordPress to the current version, if it isn't already.
- Clear all caching on your site and in your browser.
- If you use a service like CloudFlare, put it in developer mode while testing.
If the issue doesn't show up under these circumstances, you can add each item back in, one at a time, and test after adding each one until you find the culprit.
If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, try reverting to the previous version for Formidable Forms (Lite) and Formidable Forms.
Test on a staging site
If this is a live site, you can do the test for theme or plugin conflicts on a copy of the site (a staging site) instead. You won't need an extra license if you put the staging site on a specific subdomain or test it on a local site. The URL options for the staging or development site include:
- staging.yoursite.com
- dev.yoursite.com
- yoursite.dev
- test.yoursite.com
- local.yoursite.com
- yoursite.local
- yourdomain.wpengine.com
- beta.yoursite.com
If you have a WP multi-site install, our support covers the main site if you have support for a single site.
Some hosts have an easy way to create a staging site. If yours doesn't, you can copy your site using free plugins like All in One WP Migration or Duplicator or any other plugin or system you like. Your host may be willing to create a staging site for you if you ask.
Known theme or plugin conflicts
- Admin Menu Tree Page View: When changes are made to the page orders, the form actions in Formidable are moved to the wrong forms.
- Custom User Registration Form Builder: Causes a JavaScript error in the WordPress Dashboard that prevents the default field icons from saving when toggled.
- Disable Blog: Disallows the use of custom posts and may prevent Views from functioning properly.
- Divi theme: Returns a 500 error on the form preview page. The smooth scrolling functionality may prevent Calendar View and Bootstrap 5.0.2 from working properly.
- Download Manager by Shaon: Causes functionality issues with the Bootstrap Modal AddOn.
- Duplicate / Clone Pages and Posts: May prevent views and forms from duplicating correctly.
- Facebook Chat: May interfere with the reCAPTCHA working on your site.
- Fast Velocity Minify may prevent File Upload fields from working properly.
- GDPR Cookie Consent: May cause issues with the Views listing display.
- LiteSpeed Cache: May prevent Views from displaying properly. A possible fix would be to turn off caching for logged-in users.
- Login with Ajax: Prevents WordPress posts from getting created from forms setup to create posts.
- Ultimate Member: Can make file uploads take significantly longer, and show a 'Hello, Spam Bot' message.
- User Meta: Forces all emails to either HTML or plain text, depending on what is selected in their settings
- W3 Total Cache: With some W3 settings, an incorrect link to uploaded files will be included in the email notification, reCAPTCHA and Math Captcha may not work, and entries will not always be submitted. The W3C database cache function causes uploaded files to not attach to the email.
- WPFront User Role Editor will sometimes lose the ability to un-check capabilities while Formidable is active. This can be circumvented by deactivating Formidable, making your changes, and then reactivating Formidable.
- WPRocket may prevent File Upload fields from working properly.
- The WP reCaptcha plugin may prevent Formidable reCAPTCHAs from functioning.
- WP User Avatar cuts off the CSV export file at 130 KB
- Any plugin or theme that causes JavaScript errors. Themes are the most common offenders by loading a version of jQuery other than the one included with WordPress. Known Plugins: CM Tooltip Glossary
Bypass cache and optimization
To temporarily disable cache for various caching plugins, you can add the following query string to the end of the URL. Although turning off the plugin completely is an option, the method outlined below is often quicker and more effective.
- W3 Total Cache. Use the ?nocache=true parameter to bypass W3 Total Cache on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?nocache=true
- WP Super Cache. Use the ?wp-super-cache=1 parameter to bypass WP Super Cache on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?wp-super-cache=1
- WP Fastest Cache. Use the ?wpfc=1 parameter to bypass WP Fastest Cache on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?wpfc=1
- LiteSpeed Cache. Use the ?lscache=off parameter to bypass LiteSpeed Cache on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?lscache=off
- SG Optimizer (SiteGround). Use the ?nocache=1 parameter to bypass SG Optimizer (SiteGround) on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?nocache=1
- Autoptimize. Use the ?ao_noptimize=1 parameter to bypass Autoptimize on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?ao_noptimize=1
- WP Rocket. Use the ?nowprocket parameter to bypass WP Rocket on a specific page.
ww.mysite.com/page/?nowprocket
- Perfmatters. Use the ?perfmatters=1 parameter to bypass Perfmatters on a specific page.
www.mysite.com/page/?perfmatters=1
Use the ?nocache parameter to test the page without cache.
www.mysite.com/page/?nocache
Use the ?perfmattersoff parameter to test the page without cache and disable all kinds of optimization.
www.mysite.com/page/?perfmattersoff
Use the ?perfmatterscssoff parameter to test the page without cache and disable CSS optimizations.
www.mysite.com/page/?perfmatterscssoff
Use the ?perfmattersjsoff parameter to test the page without cache and disable JS optimizations.
www.mysite.com/page/?perfmattersjsoff
