Buttons are blank?

Hi @chriscoyier

Thank you for your feedback. This is a strange error. Helpful uses the register_setting and update_option used by WordPress. Are you using plugins that hook there somehow and possibly manipulate the options before saving?

I can’t reproduce the error on my end. I took another look at the code just to be sure.

Helpful doesn’t give any error messages there, because it basically only works with update_option and that usually always works. I’ll see if I can change that to make it clearer. In WordPress, unfortunately, there aren’t really debugging options as far as update_option is concerned. Either it is saved, or not saved.

Stay healthy and have a great day!

Kevin

The options that are affected are: helpful_pro and helpful_contra.

Are you using any other plugins that touch these options? And do the other options work when you update the texts?

Thanks again!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Pixelbart.

Surely it could be “just me” problem. But here’s a video of me trying to make it work on a local install (I use Local by Flywheel for the local dev environment).

https://d.pr/v/kbuI7S

Does anything stand out there?

Hi @chriscoyier,

super annoying. I can’t see any error unfortunately, but you could still help me by placing in the wp-config.php the following variables:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

After that, save the options with your text again and then look at wp-content/debug.log to see if an error is registered there. Here it seems that update_option is manipulated somehow/somewhere. A simple text, without emoticons does not work either?

Strangely enough, update_option works on the page where you set the post_types, which is why it could be a formatting issue – though I haven’t actually set any filters here, so users can also paste font-awesome etc as HTML.

I can’t reproduce the error on my end to find it easily, unfortunately. So I would be very grateful for your help.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

LG Kevin

Alrighty I tried that. Here’s a screenshot of a log right after saving. I also deactivated every plugin except Helpful and activated the default TwentyTwenty theme just in case.

https://d.pr/i/eY4oCZ

Still just won’t save.

Is there somewhere I could look in the DB to see if it makes it that far?

@chriscoyier

Thank you for your help!

The errorlogs look okay so far, so the one with the sessions is unfortunately a known problem, which I still have to solve… this is always a problem with WordPress, because here again something is output before, which must not be output, which is why then the header is already sent.

You can look in the wp_options table if helpful_pro or helpful_contra are set. Helpful uses WordPress functions to save, which is why I’m wondering why it doesn’t work. I also explicitly omit Ajax in the options so there are no problems here.

You could also test once if the function update_option('helpful_pro', 'My Pro Button'); or update_option('helpful_contra', 'My Contra Button'); works if you put it in functions.php. But this is not the solution to the problem. I’ll look further too.

Thanks again!

LG Kevin

I just looked again, are you possibly using a multisite? Maybe the error is related to this. Actually WordPress should check this itself and save the option correctly. Very crazy.

No multisite here.

Is it notable my DB is using a table prefix? Table name isn’t wp_options but wp_RANDOM_options.

Helpful is putting a bunch of stuff in there: https://d.pr/i/RxYv2i

And yep, if I put those saving lines into functions.php it DOES save them to the DB.

@chriscoyier

Thank you once again!

Yes, Helpful has a lot of options in there. At that time I didn’t know any better. I still have to update that it is also stored in an option as an array. Is all more a hobby project.

The database is a good hint. Helpful uses the $wpdb->prefix. Maybe it is different for you.

You could test once, how that looks with you:

global $wpdb;

echo $wpdb->prefix . 'helpful';
echo $wpdb->prefix . 'helpful_feedback';

If the tables then look different than yours, Helpful can’t find the prefix. But this has nothing to do with update_option. This is a matter of wp-admin?options.php … Helpful does it all WordPress codex-style, which is why it’s so weird.

Currently I don’t know a solution yet… I had a look if there are other people with this problem, but so far I didn’t get any agreement. Also, it doesn’t explain why you can set the option when you set the post_type but no text is passed. WordPress unfortunately doesn’t have an internal option built in there either and just always returns a url parameter ?settings-updated.

Although I’d love to see Helpful on your site, it’s probably easier for you if you’re looking for an alternative. I don’t know how long it will take to find a solution here, and I don’t want to stop you from updating your site – just because Helpful doesn’t work.

Kevin

Yeah no problem. I’m already using a less helpful (lol) plugin. This one is just so much nicer with the written feedback stuff! It’s almost certainly a just-me problem, but what is so weird about my site I’m just not sure.

@chriscoyier

This is what amazes me. I don’t see any problems here at all, so I can’t understand it. The errors in the debug.log should be fixed by now… there an output_buffering worked wonders.

That with the options is unfortunately, as always, a WordPress plugin. WordPress is constantly expanded, but old issues simply not touched or simply set to closed.

I keep my eyes and ears open but and try to find a solution here. Possibly the options array already solves the problem, although I doubt it a bit.

Some also had problems with their caching, where the security mechanisms of WordPress have made problems. WordPress uses nonces and they are often swallowed by caching software.

But as I said: All this does not have to be with you, especially if you test it locally. Does this actually only affect a web browser, or have you also tested it in another browser?