Donaldson R F
WordPress
WordPress Error Log Diagnosis
Dig through WordPress and server error logs to pin down the cause of a vague or intermittent issue.
The Problem
"Something's wrong sometimes" is one of the hardest things to fix without logs — WordPress and PHP error logs usually have the answer, but reading them needs knowing what to filter out as noise.
About this problem
Intermittent WordPress problems rarely leave anything on screen. PHP warnings, fatal errors, failed cron events, slow database queries and plugin notices are recorded in the debug log or the server error log, mixed with a lot of harmless noise from deprecated functions. Without logging switched on, or without knowing what to filter out, the useful line is easy to miss.
People usually come looking for this when something fails occasionally: a checkout that sometimes errors, an admin page that sometimes stalls or a scheduled task that does not run. They have tried deactivating plugins at random and need evidence, not guesses.
What's Included
- Enabling detailed logging if it isn't already
- Reviewing WordPress debug log and server PHP error log together
- Identifying the specific recurring error and its trigger
- A plain-English explanation and a fix, where the fix is within scope
What's NOT Included
- Open-ended ongoing log monitoring
- Fixing bugs in third-party closed-source plugins (a workaround may be offered instead)
- Server-level logging infrastructure changes
How It Works
- I enable WP_DEBUG_LOG and related settings in a safe way if they are not already active, without displaying errors to visitors.
- I collect the WordPress debug log and the server PHP and web server error logs covering the period of the problem.
- I filter out repeating harmless notices and group the remaining entries by file, function and time.
- I correlate the timestamps with when you saw the problem to find the specific error and its trigger.
- I trace the error to the plugin, theme or setting responsible, and test the suspected cause.
- I report findings in plain English and, where it is within scope, apply a fix or workaround.
In practice: you buy the service, send over whatever access or details the job needs, I investigate and do the work, and you confirm it's resolved before we call it done.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I find errors in the WordPress debug log?
- Enable debug logging so that errors are written to wp-content/debug.log, then reproduce the problem and read what appears. This service does that and interprets the result.
- Is it safe to leave debugging on?
- Logging to a file is fine for a short time, but it should be switched off afterwards. I tell you what I changed and put it back.
- Can you monitor my logs continuously?
- No, open-ended ongoing monitoring is not included.
- What if the bug is in a paid plugin I cannot edit?
- I cannot fix closed-source code, but I can explain the cause and may suggest a workaround.
- Will you fix the problem as well?
- Where the fix is within scope, yes. Otherwise you receive a clear explanation of the cause and options.
- Do you change the server logging setup?
- No, changes to server-level logging infrastructure are excluded.