It’s no longer working

Looking at the page source it doesn’t seem like WP External Links is active ??

Can you please go to the Support tab of the plugin and Copy the technical information here so I can have a look?

Thanks for looking into it. Here’s the info:

WP URL: https://mnrovers.org
WP version: 6.4.3
PHP version: 7.4.33
Active Theme: Mai Slate Pro, version: 1.0.1
Active Plugins:

• Admin Columns Pro, version: 6.4.5
• Admin Menu Editor Pro, version: 2.23.3
• Advanced Custom Fields PRO, version: 6.2.6.1
• Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection, version: 5.3.1
• AutomateWoo, version: 6.0.15
• Block Visibility, version: 3.3.0
• Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce (Pro), version: 3.5.0
• Classic Editor, version: 1.6.3
• Code Snippets, version: 3.6.2
• Custom Post Type Widgets, version: 1.5.2
• Delightful Downloads, version: 9.9.30
• Enable Media Replace, version: 4.1.5
• FluentSMTP, version: 2.2.71
• Follow-Up Emails, version: 4.9.51
• Genesis Blocks, version: 3.1.1
• Genesis Connect for WooCommerce, version: 1.1.2
• Genesis Simple FAQ, version: 0.9.2
• Gravity Forms, version: 2.8.3
• Gravity Forms Advanced Post Creation Add-On, version: 1.4.0
• Gravity Forms Polls Add-On, version: 4.2.0
• Gravity Forms Stripe Add-On, version: 5.4.0
• Gravity Forms Survey Add-On, version: 4.0.0
• Gravity Forms User Registration Add-On, version: 5.3.0
• Gravity Forms Webhooks Add-On, version: 1.5
• Gravity Forms Zapier Add-On, version: 4.2
• Health Check & Troubleshooting, version: 1.7.0
• Mai Theme Engine, version: 1.13.2
• Members, version: 3.2.9
• MN Rovers – plugin, version: 1.0.0
• Nav Menu Roles, version: 2.1.2
• Notification, version: 8.0.15
• Notification : Custom Fields, version: 1.3.0
• Redis Object Cache, version: 2.5.0
• Restrict Widgets, version: 1.3.1
• SEOPress, version: 7.4
• SEOPress PRO, version: 7.4.1
• ShortPixel Image Optimizer, version: 5.5.4
• Simple Lightbox, version: 2.9.3
• Simple Social Icons, version: 3.2.4
• Solid Backups, version: 9.1.7
• Spectra, version: 2.12.2
• TablePress, version: 2.2.5
• Transients Manager, version: 2.0.5
• User Switching, version: 1.7.2
• Wampum – Forms, version: 1.4.0
• WooCommerce, version: 8.5.2
• WooCommerce Email Test, version: 2.3
• WooCommerce Stripe Gateway, version: 7.9.2
• Woo Subscriptions, version: 6.0.0
• WP All Export – ACF Export Add-On Pro, version: 1.0.5
• WP All Export – WooCommerce Export Add-On Pro, version: 1.0.9
• WP All Export Pro, version: 1.8.6
• WPCodeBox 2, version: 1.0.3
• WP External Links, version: 2.59
• WP Recipe Maker, version: 9.2.0
• WP Term Order, version: 1.0.0
• YoImages, version: 0.1.8

WPEL Settings:
array(
‘wpel-external-link-settings’ => array (
‘apply_settings’ => ‘1’,
‘target’ => ‘_blank’,
‘target_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_follow’ => ‘nofollow’,
‘rel_follow_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_noopener’ => ‘1’,
‘rel_noreferrer’ => ‘1’,
‘rel_external’ => ‘1’,
‘rel_sponsored’ => ”,
‘rel_ugc’ => ”,
‘title’ => ‘{title}’,
‘class’ => ”,
‘icon_type’ => ”,
‘icon_image’ => ‘1’,
‘icon_dashicon’ => ‘dashicons-menu’,
‘icon_fontawesome’ => ‘fa-address-book’,
‘icon_position’ => ‘right’,
‘no_icon_for_img’ => ‘1’,
),
‘wpel-internal-link-settings’ => array (
‘apply_settings’ => ”,
‘target’ => ”,
‘target_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_follow’ => ”,
‘rel_follow_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_noopener’ => ‘1’,
‘rel_noreferrer’ => ‘1’,
‘title’ => ‘{title}’,
‘class’ => ”,
‘icon_type’ => ”,
‘icon_image’ => ‘1’,
‘icon_dashicon’ => ”,
‘icon_fontawesome’ => ”,
‘icon_position’ => ‘right’,
‘no_icon_for_img’ => ‘1’,
),
‘wpel-excluded-link-settings’ => array (
‘apply_settings’ => ”,
‘target’ => ”,
‘target_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_follow’ => ”,
‘rel_follow_overwrite’ => ”,
‘rel_noopener’ => ‘1’,
‘rel_noreferrer’ => ‘1’,
‘title’ => ‘{title}’,
‘class’ => ”,
‘icon_type’ => ”,
‘icon_image’ => ‘1’,
‘icon_dashicon’ => ”,
‘icon_fontawesome’ => ”,
‘icon_position’ => ‘right’,
‘no_icon_for_img’ => ‘1’,
),
‘wpel-exceptions-settings’ => array (
‘apply_all’ => ”,
‘apply_post_content’ => ”,
‘apply_comments’ => ”,
‘apply_widgets’ => ”,
‘skip_post_ids’ => ‘125’,
‘ignore_classes’ => ”,
‘subdomains_as_internal_links’ => ”,
‘include_urls’ => ”,
‘exclude_urls’ => ”,
‘excludes_as_internal_links’ => ”,
‘ignore_script_tags’ => ‘1’,
‘ignore_mailto_links’ => ‘1’,
),
‘wpel-exit-confirmation-settings’ => array (
‘exit_preview’ => ”,
‘background’ => ‘#FFFFFF’,
‘title’ => ‘You are leaving our website’,
‘title_color’ => ‘#FFF’,
‘title_background’ => ‘#999’,
‘title_size’ => ’18’,
‘text’ => ‘This link leads outside our website and we are not responsible for its content. If you still want to visit the link, click here:’,
‘text_color’ => ‘#444’,
‘text_size’ => ’14’,
‘popup_width’ => ‘400’,
‘popup_height’ => ‘200’,
‘overlay’ => ‘1’,
‘overlay_color’ => ‘#000’,
‘button_text’ => ‘Stay on the site’,
‘button_size’ => ’14’,
‘button_color’ => ‘#FFF’,
‘button_background’ => ‘#1e73be’,
),
);

Your settings look OK so the only idea I have is that one of your other plugins is causing a conflict with External Links. External Links uses output buffering by default to update the links so if some other plugins also uses that it can prevent External Links from doing it’s thing.

Try going to the Exceptions tab and uncheck “All Contents” for the first option, Apply To and just leave the other checkboxes that appear enabled.

I went to the Exceptions tab and All Contents was already unchecked (and all items under it). So I guess that was the problem … I needed to choose something – or all – in order for it to work? If that’s the case, it seems confusing because I thought the very first checkbox on the first tab for External Links is telling it to apply the settings. I wouldn’t think I’d even need to go to the Exceptions page unless I want to to exclude something.

That is odd ??

All Contents is definitely turned on by default. Since you say it suddenly stopped working maybe you unchecked it by mistake at some point?

I don’t think it necessarily “suddenly” stopped working – someone just pointed it out to me. Was it part of the completely new GUI in 2021 I see in the changelog? I’m thinking I probably installed it before then and just never noticed until now.

I doubt I unchecked it, but I suppose I could have been mucking around and don’t remember! Glad it’s working now. Thanks for your help!