Test if a Plugin or Theme Interferes with Popup Maker

A standard approach to isolating problems that arise while using Popup Maker is to deactivate all plugins and change to a default WordPress theme. This temporarily creates a ‘plain-vanilla’ WordPress session on your site. 
The disadvantage of such an approach is that it can disrupt the front-end of your site. For ‘live’ sites, this negatively affects a visitor’s experience while browsing. W ithout warning, expected features and functions on a site can suddenly stop working . 

Use the 'Health Check' Plugin to Troubleshoot Your Site

WordPress version 5.2 added a Site Health page in the admin at Tools >> Site Health.

The WordPress.org developer community developed the ‘Health Check’ plugin to troubleshoot and debug website problems and site setups. One interesting feature of the plugin is ’Troubleshooting’ mode. When active, ‘Troubleshooting’ creates a plain-vanilla WordPress session on a site only for the plugin user.  All other visitors to a site are not affected (or disrupted) while ‘Troubleshooting’ is in use.

Related article: 'Troubleshooting Using the 'Health Check' plugin (documentation).

The Popup Maker plugin (and its paid, premium extensions) can be activated along with the Health Check plugin, while all other plugins installed on the site are temporarily turned off. This provides a broad check on whether any of the other plugins or theme used on a site are in conflict with Popup Maker. 
Additional testing is still required to further isolate a plugin or theme conflict with Popup Maker. At present, that testing cannot be done with the Health Check plugin. It must be done manually.
Additional testing requires:  
  • the temporary deactivation of all plugins except Popup Maker, 
  • switching to a default WordPress theme, and 
  • systematically activating plugins one-by-one 

in an attempt to isolate the source of the conflict with Popup Maker. 

If plugin testing in inconclusive, switch back to the original site theme, and observe whether the problem with Popup Maker occurs again.

Create a Local Version of Your Site on Which to Test

Temporary plugin deactivation and theme switching will disrupt the look and operation of your web site. If that is not acceptable, copy your web site files and database, and move them to another web host before you perform testing. 
We recommend using the  Duplicator plugin for copying websites between web hosts ( see Duplicator documentation). Local hosted web stacks can be built using: 

How to Test Plugins & Themes with Popup Maker

1) From the WordPress (WP) Admin, open ‘Plugins’ >> ‘Installed Plugins’. 
2) Select the ‘Plugin’ checkbox, located just below the ‘Bulk Actions’ option setting. The checkbox next to the name of each plugin will be selected. 
3) Uncheck the checkbox for ‘Popup Maker’ and any other plugin you require to function with Popup Maker. For example, you may need a form plugin to remain active because of another plugin’s shortcode that you’ve added to the Popup Maker content editor. 
4) From the ‘Bulk Actions’ options menu, select the ‘Deactivate’ option. Then click the adjoining ’Apply’ button. All the plugins that you previously selected will deactivate. 
5) From the WP Admin, open ‘Popup Maker’ >> ‘All Popups’. Select a popup with a ‘Published’ status, and select ‘Edit’ to open. 
6) Inspect your popup. Edit and save it if you were unable to do so earlier when all site plugins were activated. 
If Popup Maker works as expected with all (or most plugins) deactivated, that indicates that another plugin may be interfering with the function of Popup Maker. 
In the WP Admin, reopen ‘Plugins’ >> ‘Installed Plugins’. Reactivate one plugin, and then reinspect your popup. Repeat this process plugin-by-plugin until you can identify the active plugin that reproduces the original problem you experienced with Popup Maker. 
7) If Popup Maker does not work as expected with plugins deactivated, then temporarily change the theme on your site to a WordPress default theme (e.g. TwentySeventeen). Reinspect your popup to see whether the problem you experienced with Popup Maker goes away. 
If the problem resolves, then you know that your theme is the source of the problem. 
8) When finished testing, reactivate your site theme and plugins. 
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.

Related Articles