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Common Issues

Solutions to common problems with ThemeRuby Multi Authors.

Installation Issues​

Plugin Won't Activate​

Symptoms:

  • Error message when activating
  • White screen after activation
  • Plugin deactivates immediately

Possible Causes:

  1. PHP version too old (requires 7.4+)
  2. WordPress version too old (requires 5.8+)
  3. Conflicting plugin
  4. Server misconfiguration

Solutions:

# Check PHP version
php -v

# Should be 7.4 or higher
  • Update PHP to 7.4 or higher
  • Update WordPress to latest version
  • Deactivate other plugins temporarily
  • Check error logs for details

Plugin Files Missing​

Symptoms:

  • Plugin shows in list but won't activate
  • Missing file errors

Solution:

  1. Deactivate and delete plugin
  2. Re-download fresh copy
  3. Re-install via WordPress admin

Meta Box Issues​

Authors Meta Box Not Showing​

Symptoms:

  • Can't find Authors meta box in post editor
  • Meta box disappeared

Solutions:

1. Check Post Type Support

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Supported Post Types

Ensure your post type is checked.

2. Check Screen Options

  • Click "Screen Options" at top right of post editor
  • Ensure "Authors" is checked

3. Check for JavaScript Errors

  • Open browser console (F12)
  • Look for JavaScript errors
  • Resolve conflicts if found

4. Clear Browser Cache

  • Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)

Can't Select Authors​

Symptoms:

  • Authors list is empty
  • Checkboxes don't work
  • Can't check/uncheck authors

Solutions:

1. Check User Roles

  • Only users with author-capable roles appear
  • Subscribers don't show by default

2. JavaScript Error

  • Check browser console for errors
  • Disable other plugins to find conflicts

3. Clear Cache

  • Clear browser cache
  • Clear WordPress cache
  • Clear object cache if using one

Saving Issues​

Authors Not Saving​

Symptoms:

  • Select authors but they don't save
  • Authors revert after saving post

Solutions:

1. Check Permissions

// Verify current user can assign authors
$can_assign = current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );

2. Check for JavaScript Errors

  • Open browser console
  • Save post
  • Look for errors during save

3. Disable Other Plugins

  • Deactivate plugins one by one
  • Find conflicting plugin
  • Contact that plugin's support

4. Check Nonce Verification

  • Usually automatic
  • May fail if session issues exist
  • Try logging out and back in

Authors Disappear After Update​

Symptoms:

  • Authors assigned but don't appear after updating post

Solution:

Clear cache:

// Clear plugin cache
delete_transient( 'ema_post_authors_' . $post_id );
wp_cache_delete( 'post_authors_' . $post_id, 'ema_post_authors' );

Or use Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Clear Cache button.

Display Issues​

Authors Not Showing on Frontend​

Symptoms:

  • Authors display in admin but not on site
  • Only primary author shows

Solutions:

1. Enable Author Box

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Enable Author Box

2. Add Template Tags

Your theme may not automatically support multiple authors. Add to your theme:

// In single.php or content.php
if ( function_exists( 'tmauthors_the_authors' ) ) {
    tmauthors_the_authors();
}

3. Check Theme Compatibility

Some themes hardcode the_author(). You need to customize the theme or use a child theme.

Wrong Authors Showing​

Symptoms:

  • Different authors appear than assigned
  • Random authors showing

Solutions:

1. Clear All Caches

  • Plugin cache
  • Theme cache
  • Browser cache
  • Server cache (if any)

2. Verify Author Assignment

  • Edit the post
  • Check which authors are selected
  • Save again

3. Check for Theme/Plugin Conflicts

  • Switch to default WordPress theme
  • Check if issue persists
  • If fixed, problem is with theme

Author Box Looks Broken​

Symptoms:

  • Styling is off
  • Layout is broken
  • Overlapping elements

Solutions:

1. Check for CSS Conflicts

/* Add to your theme's style.css */
.ema-author-box {
    clear: both !important;
    overflow: hidden;
}

2. Disable Theme Styles

Some themes have conflicting author styles:

/* Override theme styles */
.ema-author-box * {
    box-sizing: border-box;
}

3. Use Custom CSS

Add your own styles to fix layout issues.

Archive Issues​

Author Archives Show Wrong Posts​

Symptoms:

  • Author archive doesn't show all their posts
  • Missing co-authored posts

Solutions:

1. Enable Archive Filtering

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Enable Archive Filtering

Must be checked!

2. Clear Permalinks

Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes

This flushes rewrite rules.

3. Disable Conflicting Plugins

Some plugins modify archive queries. Try disabling:

  • Custom post type plugins
  • Query modification plugins
  • SEO plugins temporarily

Author Archives Return 404​

Symptoms:

  • Author links go to 404 page
  • Author archive doesn't exist

Solutions:

1. Flush Rewrite Rules

# Via WP-CLI
wp rewrite flush

# Or in admin
# Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes

2. Check Permalink Structure

  • Must have permalinks enabled
  • "Plain" permalinks may not work

3. Re-activate Plugin

  • Deactivate plugin
  • Reactivate plugin
  • This re-runs activation hooks

Performance Issues​

Slow Admin Area​

Symptoms:

  • Post editor loads slowly
  • Authors list takes long to load

Solutions:

1. Enable Caching

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Enable Caching

2. Limit Assignable Users

If you have thousands of users:

// Only show editors and administrators
add_filter( 'tmauthors_assignable_roles', function( $roles ) {
    return array( 'administrator', 'editor' );
} );

3. Use AJAX Loading

For sites with many users, consider implementing AJAX search instead of loading all users at once.

Slow Frontend Loading​

Symptoms:

  • Posts load slower with plugin active
  • Database queries increased

Solutions:

1. Enable Caching

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors > Enable Caching

2. Use Object Cache

Install object caching:

  • Redis
  • Memcached
  • APCu

3. Optimize Queries

The plugin uses efficient LEFT JOINs, but you can optimize further:

// Disable unnecessary WP_Query filters if not using them
add_filter( 'ema_enable_author_filtering', '__return_false' );

Permission Issues​

Can't Assign Authors​

Symptoms:

  • Authors meta box shows but can't select anyone
  • "You don't have permission" error

Solutions:

1. Check User Role

Current user must be able to edit posts:

current_user_can( 'edit_posts' )

2. Check Capabilities

// Add capability to role
$role = get_role( 'author' );
$role->add_cap( 'assign_authors' );

3. Custom Capability Filter

If using custom capability check, verify it's correct.

Users Missing from List​

Symptoms:

  • Some users don't appear in authors list
  • Expected users are hidden

Solutions:

1. Check User Role

Only these roles appear by default:

  • Administrator
  • Editor
  • Author
  • Contributor

Subscribers don't appear.

2. Custom Filter Issue

If you have a custom filter, check it:

// Verify filter isn't too restrictive
remove_all_filters( 'tmauthors_assignable_users' );

WP_Query Issues​

author Parameter Not Working​

Symptoms:

  • WP_Query with author parameter shows wrong results
  • Filtering by author doesn't work

Solutions:

1. Enable WP_Query Support

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors
☑ Enable WP_Query author parameter support

2. Clear Cache

After enabling, clear all caches.

3. Check Query Syntax

// Correct syntax
$query = new WP_Query( array(
    'author' => 5,  // User ID, not username
) );

author__in Not Working​

Solution:

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors
☑ Enable WP_Query author__in parameter support

Database Issues​

Database Errors​

Symptoms:

  • Error messages mentioning database
  • SQL errors in logs

Solutions:

1. Check Database Connection

  • Verify WordPress can connect to database
  • Check wp-config.php settings

2. Repair Database

# Via WP-CLI
wp db repair

# Or add to wp-config.php temporarily
define( 'WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true );
# Then visit: /wp-admin/maint/repair.php

3. Re-activate Plugin

  • Deactivates plugin
  • Reactivate plugin
  • This re-creates any necessary data

Conflict Issues​

Plugin Conflicts​

Common Conflicting Plugins:

  • Other multi-author plugins (e.g., Co-Authors Plus)
  • Some query modification plugins
  • Some caching plugins (misconfigured)

Solution:

1. Identify Conflict

  • Deactivate all other plugins
  • Activate ThemeRuby Multi Authors alone
  • Test functionality
  • Reactivate plugins one by one
  • Find the conflicting plugin

2. Resolve Conflict

  • Update both plugins
  • Contact plugin support
  • Use alternative plugin
  • Report conflict to both plugin authors

Theme Conflicts​

Symptoms:

  • Plugin works with default theme
  • Breaks with your theme

Solution:

1. Switch to Default Theme

  • Temporarily activate Twenty Twenty-Three
  • Test if plugin works
  • If yes, theme is the issue

2. Contact Theme Developer

  • Report the issue
  • Provide details
  • Ask for multi-author support

3. Use Child Theme

  • Create child theme
  • Override problematic templates
  • Add custom code

SEO Plugin Issues​

Yoast SEO Conflicts​

Symptoms:

  • Authors not appearing in Yoast meta
  • Schema.org markup issues

Solution:

Settings > ThemeRuby Multi Authors
☑ Enable SEO Integration

Clear cache after enabling.

Rank Math Issues​

Solution:

Same as above - enable SEO integration and clear cache.

Debug Mode​

Enable Debug Mode​

For troubleshooting, enable WordPress debug:

// In wp-config.php
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Check /wp-content/debug.log for errors.

Plugin-Specific Debugging​

// Add to functions.php temporarily
add_filter( 'tmauthors_debug', '__return_true' );

This enables additional logging.

Getting More Help​

If issues persist:

  1. Check Debug Log

    • Review /wp-content/debug.log
    • Look for plugin-related errors

  2. Browser Console

    • Check for JavaScript errors
    • Report them with details

  3. System Information

    • WordPress version
    • PHP version
    • Plugin version
    • Active plugins list
    • Theme name

  4. Contact Support

Still Having Issues?