Cheatin' uh?

I’m in the process of evaluating a number of different themes for my WP site

This is not a message output by WordPress, but one output when you have included a theme (or maybe a plugin) that is not provided by the proper folks.

So the answer is, don’t just grab code from anywhere. Really, don’t. Beyond that simple error message, you can cause your site to host malware, infect your own computer with it, and even worse, infect those who visit the site.

If you don’t know the answer, please don’t waste your and my time with an answer like that that helps no one.

If it’s not a message output by WordPress, how is it that it’s always exactly the same wording? Surely those improper folks wouldn’t just happen to tell me they’re such by all producing exactly the same message telling me I shouldn’t be using their product, would they? They’re not that stupid, any more than I am.

All of the themes I’m looking at came from the WP archive or a reputable site.

I am sorry for your issues, but I would review now how to best receive support in this or any online forum.

I too am sorry for your issues, but “support” to me means something other than an irrelevant response to my plea for help. This is the same thing I’ve seen in other threads related to the same error message — blame it on the user rather than help discover the true root of the problem.

I notice that you chose to attack me for my perceived insubordination rather than respond to my questions. I really could use some relevant assistance instead.

Like I said earlier, if you don’t know the answer, please leave it up to a more knowledgeable member to respond. I AM NOT using some fly-by-night site’s infected themes!

I AM NOT using some fly-by-night site’s infected themes!

Please contact the theme provider.

I’d be a lot more comfortable doing so if I could tell them that I received an error message that meant something, rather than some WP programmer’s idea of a clever message that means little to anyone other than to satisfy his or her own sense of humor (or lack of same).

Every single thread I’ve found that’s related to this error message ends up unresolved, with the thread closed after 6 or 8 messages. I can’t help wondering why the experts, whoever they may be, are so unwilling or unable to help those of us who don’t claim to be programmers. Is it not true that themes in the WP archive have supposedly been reviewed and tested for such problems before being accepted for listing there?

Every single thread I’ve found that’s related to this error message ends up unresolved, with the thread closed after 6 or 8 messages

That is due to the fact that it’s not something this forum supports. That will very likely not change, based on this post or any other post.

BTW, if you took the time to review how to see how folks help folks here, you may see that many have for quite some time, and will continue to, to help many who consider the advise asked for and given.

When you start out by telling me that “This is not a message output by WordPress”, I immediately lose confidence in any other comments you may make. It is clearly output by WordPress, although I can readily agree that WordPress is likely reacting to something else misbehaving. But, as I said in an earlier comment, it’s not consistent. Sometimes I get the error, and other times — under exactly the same circumstances — I don’t. When it isn’t repeatable, I don’t know where to turn for help. The only thing that’s the same every time I get the message is WordPress, so here I am. Why the question wouldn’t be supported by this forum is something I, and apparently many others (who started other similar threads), don’t understand.

The error message itself is infuriatingly useless, in that it tells one exactly nothing about what the problem is. It’s no more useful than the message “Windows has encountered an error.” Believe it or not, I might actually have enough brains to figure out what to do if the message meant something to me.

I know very well that many of the “folks” here have contributed for a long time, and honestly try to help. But, it doesn’t help to tell me to avoid sleazy themes. That’s not the problem!

Try making a sandbox: make a temporary database + subdomain, just to use another theme on. Looks like database structures are getting mixed up.

(See, Pioneer? I answered for free. I didn’t even forward to a commercial party. Well, the manufacturer of my chill pills could deserve some credit ;-)).

That’s pretty much what I’m doing. I have a localhost WP installation where I’m testing things before I make the site live. Some themes cause the error message to appear, and others don’t. In most of those cases I may be able to use the theme today, but if I try it again tomorrow I get the error. The next day, it may or may not cause the error again. How can it be the theme causing the error if it’s not consistent?

I’ve seen some “fixes” posted, but they generally require me to modify a WP js file, and I don’t think it should be “my” place to fix what looks to me like a WP problem. I’m just a user, not a developer. What can I do?

I guess what I’m really asking is, if it truly is a problem caused by many theme (or plug-in) writers incorrectly coding things that now shows up because WP developers suddenly decided to implement some new standard, or to enforce some old standard that wasn’t enforced in the past, why is it so hard for the WP developers to tell us what it is that’s being done wrong so that we might be able to fix it? Why is it such a secret?

@elffuts, Hi! what are the names / links to one or two www.ads-software.com themes for which this sporadic error has been seen to happen?

I also don’t immediately know what causes it, but considering its still a sporadic symptom, I think a good next step will be to either/or:
1. find exact steps-to-reproduce (like a numbered list of mouse clicks + keyboard strokes that consistently manifest the symptom),
2. put a(/some) code debugger(s) in place, then produce the symptom and look at the debugging output.

-mjjojo

www.ads-software.com themes for which this sporadic error has been seen to happen

Fortunately, “Cheatin’ uh?” is not associated with www.ads-software.com themes

This forum, again, has no interest, control, nor association with any Commercial Products.

That does not infer that they are not good products, as many are. It simply means we cannot support them in this forum, we never did, nor shall we.

Obviously you have no interest in answering my question. I never asked for support of any theme, commercial or otherwise. All I want to know is why WP would present me with such a snarky and useless error message, rather than tell me what the problem is. Is that really too much to ask?

@elftuts,

Is that really too much to ask?

In order to fully understand the issue, one must understand where the “Cheatin’, uh” is coming from.

It’s not coming from WordPress Core.

It is well known to come from (specific) Commercial Themes.

What needs to be done is for you to contact the theme provider.

@riccardodewit

You wrote:

(See, Pioneer? I answered for free. I didn’t even forward to a commercial party. Well, the manufacturer of my chill pills could deserve some credit ;-)).

I am following the WordPress Forum Rules when I point folks to the fact that support for providers of Commercial Products is with the providers of them.

Please take the time to read and understand it. It seems clearly written. I have shared it here very many times and it seems to help folks quite well: ask the product provider about this issue as that product is not supported here.

Please also review forum rules (all of them), so that posts are proper and topics not closed.