White space preventing Sitemap file generation

First, there won’t be a sitemap_index.xml file created specifically, it’s a virtual file. What matters are those errors at the top of your sitemap, which reflect those blank lines.

This may be a plugin or theme conflict. Please attempt to disable all plugins except RankMath, and switch to the default Twenty Twenty-One theme. If the problem goes away, enable them one by one to identify the source of the problem.

Hi James

Thanks for your suggestions. I finally had the time to put my site into Maintenance Mode, deactivate all the plugins except RM, and set the theme to 2021, as you said. The I cleared all browser cache and went into RM again, and clicked on Sitemap Settings, then https://rolanditen.com/sitemap_index.xml once again.

This time I got this error (in a pink box):
Error on line 5 at column 6: XML declaration etc etc

… which my online reading makes clear is the same error – white space.

So it does this even with all plugins out of the picture, and the default WP theme. Now what?

Try downloading WordPress again, access your server via SFTP or FTP, or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel (consult your hosting provider’s documentation for specifics on these), and delete then replace your copies of everything on the server except the wp-config.php file and the /wp-content/ directory with fresh copies from the download. This will effectively replace all of your core files without damaging your content and settings.

Some uploaders tend to be unreliable when overwriting files, so don’t forget to delete the original files before replacing them.

Okay, I have SFTP access to the server so no problem. I’ll give that a try and keep you posted! Thanks.

@macmanx
Unfortunately that didn’t change anything. I moved all the folders/files I was going to replace into a new folder in the root called “deleted” and the wp_content folder plus wp-config.php file into another new folder called “to keep”, then I uploaded brand-new WP 5.6.1 wp-includes and wp-admin folders into the root, plus all the usual root files, and finally moved wp-content in as well, and wp-config.php. Cleared all cache and refreshed screen, but everything looks and behaves exactly as before.

Still getting
error on line 5 at column 6: XML declaration allowed only at the start of the document

Running out of ideas, here!
SP

If you view your site’s source does it still have the blank lines?

James, on what page am I supposed to View Source? I have NEVER seen those blank lines. I have checked in Elementor and WordPress header and theme files, but no idea where they actually appear!

You’ll find it here: https://d.pr/i/e8AgzK

Right click your site and choose “View source”.

You’ll find those blank lines on all of your site’s pages, it’s not just the sitemap.

James, yes, now I see them. When I viewed source on home page a few weeks ago, I saw nothing like that.

So I still have no clue what is causing them :(.

Ok, don’t use the Health Check plugin this time.

Try switching again to the default theme, and turn off every plugin except your caching plugin this time.

Then, clear the cache, and check to see if the problem is gone.

If it is gone, re-activate each plugin one by one, clearing the cache each time, until the problem re-appears.

If it still doesn’t, switch back to your preferred theme and clear the cache again.

Ideally, you’ll find the plugin or theme causing the problem this way.

Whoa!

James, I don’t have the Health Check plugin, and did not use it last time! I also do not have a caching plugin. At all. And my service provider does not use any server caching – according to them.

Ah, sorry, got my wires crossed with a different thread.

So, “Cleared all cache” was just your browser cache?

Any blank lines at the top of your wp-config.php file?

Yes, cleared all cache in the browser. (Am a developer with a compulsive cache-clearing habit anyway.) And no, no blank lines at top of wp-config.

Hm, at this point I’m stumped. I’ll ask my colleagues if they have any other ideas.

Does your wp-config.php file have ?> at the end of it?