404 Contact form not found error on new forms

  • Rick Hellewell

    (@rhellewellgmailcom)


    9 years, 1 month ago

    New contact forms are showing the [contact-form-7 404 “Not Found”] error message on the page with the form code.

    I have triple-verified that the form exists, that I am using the correct form code (without typos). Existing forms are working fine.

    Creating a brand-new form, with the default settings on the form, then using that new form’s code (again, triple-check for typos), and putting on a brand new page; page still gives the Not Found message.

    If I take an existing known good form shortcode (which is working on existing pages) and paste it into a new page (again, no typos – triple-checked), that existing (working) shortcode gives the “Not Found” error.

    I see no errors in the error logs. Test page is here (right now it contains a ‘new’ shortcode, and an ‘old’ (existing/works) shortcode: https://www.timberton.org/resident-email-test/

    I am not new at this, have used CF7 for years. But really puzzled as to why this is happening. I have disabled and re-enabled the plugin. Cannot uninstall and reinstall, as the older form shortcodes are working fine.

    Is there any reason why? And is there a ‘debug’ mode to get more details?

    https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/contact-form-7/

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • Thread Starter Rick Hellewell

    (@rhellewellgmailcom)

    Bump.

    Problem still occurs with latest update (today). Have edited the contact forms, saved them, ensured no typos in form, but error still occur as in above.

    Even forms that work on other pages don’t work on the new page. Example here https://www.timberton.org/resident-email-test/ : first form is a new one, second form is an existing/works on other pages (here https://www.timberton.org/contact-the-web-guy/ )

    …Rick..

    Plugin Author Takayuki Miyoshi

    (@takayukister)

    Try switching to the default theme (twentyfifteen) and deactivating all other plugins.

    Thread Starter Rick Hellewell

    (@rhellewellgmailcom)

    Great! The standard answer, just to provide an answer. Not that it matches the question. But, good standard answer! </sarcasm>

    I provided two links in the 2nd message. Both pages use the same contact code. The current contact page works. The same code on the test page does not work, along with a new contact form that also doesn’t work.

    So, current theme or other plugins are not the problem. If they were the problem, *all* contact7 forms would not work.

    Careful reading of the detailed information I supplied would tell you that. The problem has occurred since updating WP and/or CF7. Creating new CF forms does not work, even though ‘old’ CF7 forms work.

    I realize this forum is a volunteer effort. But that effort should include careful reading of the problem, and not just the almost auto-reply of ‘theme/other plugins are the problem’.

    ..Rick…

    Andrew Nevins

    (@anevins)

    WCLDN 2018 Contributor | Volunteer support

    Takayuki Miyoshi’s response wasn’t to answer to your problem. It was to understand better why you are facing this issue. It is a debugging technique that does not require technical knowledge for you to carry it out. Please do carry it out.

    Let’s give the author more respect.

    Sarcasm & bumping is not the best way to encourage volunteer members of this forum to answer your question IMHO.

    Thread Starter Rick Hellewell

    (@rhellewellgmailcom)

    1) If a questions is not answered in two weeks, what do you recommend as a way to get a resolution?

    2) The debugging technique of trying a new theme and disabling plugins, although a standard thing, is not really applicable in this case.

    A careful reading of the initial problem, and the additional information I provided, would show that the same form works on an ‘old’ page, but does not work on a ‘new’ page. (See the two links in message 2 here.)

    The variable is not the theme, nor any other plugin, but the ‘old’ page and the ‘new’ page. Both of which use the same template. That’s what my 30-odd years in computers (wide-ranging, including years of PHP programming and years of WP site administration, and a few plugins myself) tells me.

    The original question also asked if there was a ‘debug mode’ to understand what is going on in the background. That question was not (has not been answered).

    What circumstances would cause the same form (with no typos in the form shortcode) to work on one page, but not on another? Using the same template. Using the same theme. Using the same version of CF7. Using the same installed plugins.

    (And, just to make all ‘happy’, I have verified that it is not a theme or plugin by changing the theme and disabling all plugins.)

    Then do a manual replacement of the plugin via ftp
    https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Managing_Plugins#Manual_Plugin_Installation

    Deactivate your existing one first, with all your years of php programming and web admin this should only take you a few minutes – the time your existing working forms will be off line should be no more than the time to ftp up the files.

    rename the existing plugin folder so you can go back to it if you wish
    wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7 to contact-form-7old etc
    Create new contact-form-7 folder and upload your plugin to it. Actiave plugin.

    By your very own comments here this sounds like an issue with your WordPress installation. Try the short code for a new form at the bottom of your working form pages – throw in “Below is a test – please ignore”

    For the future – check out a plugin called Duplicator
    https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/duplicator/
    Makes it a snap to transfer a copy of your site to a testing localhost environment using XXAMP
    Test your updates before performing them on your live site.

    I suggest you do this anyway – if the problem does not exist on your testing server then it could be the hosting environment for your live site – perhaps an incompatible older version of php. If the problem does exist on your local copy then under Dashboard/Updates click re-install of WordPress 4.3.1 – see if the problem goes away – if it does then do a re-install on your live site.

    For a free automated backup try UpdraftPlus Backup and Restoration

    Try not to get so grumpy

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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