Introduction

This comprehensive troubleshooting guide addresses the most common issues encountered when using PureDevs GDPR Compliance. Each problem includes detailed symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions.

If you don’t find your issue here, please visit the WordPress.org support forum for additional help.

CSS Conflicts

Solution:

  • Theme CSS may be overriding banner styles
  • Try increasing z-index in banner settings
  • Add custom CSS to fix specific issues
  • Contact theme developer about conflicts

Text Not Readable

Solution:

  1. Go to Banner Settings tab
  2. Adjust text color for better contrast
  3. Change background color
  4. Increase font size if too small

Banner Too Wide/Narrow

Solution:

  • Check banner width settings
  • Adjust max-width if available
  • Test on different screen sizes
  • May need custom CSS for specific responsive behavior

Buttons Overlapping

Solution:

  • Reduce button text length
  • Adjust button spacing in settings
  • Change button layout (horizontal vs vertical)
  • Test on mobile devices for responsive design

Mobile Device Issues

Banner Too Large

Solution:

  • Use bottom banner position for mobile-friendly display
  • Reduce banner text length
  • Enable responsive design mode
  • Test on actual devices, not just emulation

Buttons Not Tappable

Solution:

  • Increase button size in settings
  • Add more padding/spacing between buttons
  • Ensure buttons are at least 44x44px (iOS standard)
  • Test tap targets on real mobile device

Text Too Small

Solution:

  • Increase font size in banner settings
  • Use minimum 14px for mobile readability
  • Ensure text scales with viewport

Functionality Problems

Decline Button Doesn’t Work

Solutions:

  1. Check if Decline button is enabled in Button Settings
  2. Verify button click handler isn’t blocked
  3. Look for JavaScript errors in console
  4. Test with other plugins deactivated

Solutions:

  • Ensure Settings button is enabled
  • Check for JavaScript errors
  • Verify cookie categories are configured
  • Test with default theme
  • Clear browser cache

Solutions:

  1. Go to Privacy Overview tab
  2. Verify Privacy Policy URL is complete (include https://)
  3. Check that privacy policy page is published
  4. Test link in browser to ensure page exists
  5. Ensure URL doesn’t have typos

Tracking and Analytics Issues

Cause: Scripts may not be conditionally loaded based on consent

Solution:

  1. Ensure you’re using consent-aware implementation
  2. Check if using Google Tag Manager with consent mode
  3. Implement hooks to load GA only after consent
  4. Enable page reload on consent if needed
  5. Verify GA code is in Additional Cookies category

Cause: Scripts not properly blocked before consent

Solution:

  • Use plugin hooks to conditionally load scripts
  • Implement consent checks before initializing tracking
  • Use Google Tag Manager with consent mode
  • See Hooks and Filters documentation

Performance Issues

Site Loads Slowly After Installing Plugin

Solutions:

  1. Plugin itself is lightweight (minimal performance impact)
  2. Check if geo-location is enabled:
    • Geo-IP lookups can add slight delay
    • Disable if not needed
    • Use caching for geo-location results
  3. Ensure external resources (fonts, etc.) load quickly
  4. Minimize banner CSS/JS if possible
  5. Use CDN for faster delivery

Solutions:

  • Check page load time overall (not just banner)
  • Disable any banner animations for instant display
  • Ensure banner isn’t loading after other scripts
  • Check network tab in browser DevTools for slow resources

Settings and Configuration Issues

Settings Not Saving

Solutions:

  1. Check for PHP errors in debug log
  2. Verify file permissions on WordPress directories
  3. Increase PHP max_input_vars (default 1000, increase to 3000)
  4. Check for server timeouts
  5. Disable security plugins temporarily
  6. Try saving each tab individually

Import Fails

Solutions:

  • Verify JSON file is valid (not corrupted)
  • Check file is from same plugin
  • Ensure upload_max_filesize PHP setting allows file
  • Try export/import again
  • Update plugin to latest version on both sites

Changes Don’t Appear on Frontend

Solutions:

  1. Clear all caches (site, browser, CDN)
  2. Verify changes were saved (check database or re-export)
  3. Test in private/incognito mode
  4. Check if caching plugin is aggressive
  5. Purge object cache if using Redis/Memcached

Plugin Compatibility Issues

Conflict with Another Plugin

Identifying Conflicts:

  1. Deactivate all plugins except GDPR Compliance
  2. Test if issue persists
  3. Reactivate plugins one by one
  4. Note which plugin causes problem
  5. Report conflict on support forum with details

Common Conflicts:

  • Other GDPR/cookie plugins (can’t run multiple)
  • JavaScript minification plugins
  • Aggressive caching plugins
  • Some page builders (visual composer issues)
  • Security plugins blocking scripts

Theme Compatibility

Solutions:

  • Test with default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty-Three)
  • If works with default theme, contact theme developer
  • Check theme documentation for GDPR compatibility
  • May need custom CSS to fix theme-specific issues

Multisite Issues

Plugin Not Working on Subsites

Solutions:

  • Network activate via Network Admin → Plugins
  • Or activate individually per subsite
  • Check subsite admin permissions
  • Verify subsite has proper settings configured

Different Settings Per Subsite

Note: Each subsite has independent settings

To Standardize:

  • Export settings from one site
  • Import to each subsite individually
  • Or use WP-CLI for bulk import (if available)

General Diagnostic Steps

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Process

  1. Clear All Caches: Site, browser, CDN, object cache
  2. Test in Private Mode: Eliminates cookies and cache
  3. Check JavaScript Console: Look for errors
  4. Disable Other Plugins: Find conflicts
  5. Switch to Default Theme: Rule out theme issues
  6. Re-save Settings: Sometimes fixes configuration issues
  7. Deactivate and Reactivate: Reinitializes plugin
  8. Check Plugin Version: Ensure using latest
  9. Review Documentation: Check setup guides
  10. Contact Support: Provide detailed information

Getting Additional Help

Information to Provide

When asking for support, include:

  • WordPress Version: Dashboard → Updates
  • Plugin Version: Plugins page
  • PHP Version: Site Health → Info → Server
  • Active Theme: Name and version
  • Active Plugins: List all active plugins
  • Error Messages: Exact text of any errors
  • Browser: Which browser and version
  • Screenshots: Visual evidence of problem
  • Steps to Reproduce: How to trigger the issue
  • What You’ve Tried: Troubleshooting steps attempted

Support Resources

Help Improve the Plugin

If you’ve found a bug, please report it! Your feedback helps make the plugin better for everyone. Include as much detail as possible to help developers understand and fix the issue.