Factchecker Plugin – Troubleshooting Guide
Factchecker Plugin – Troubleshooting Guide
Issue: Plugin Not Visible After Installation
Symptoms
- Plugin is installed and activated
- Plugin appears in Plugins list
- No menu item visible in WordPress Admin
- No buttons in post editor
- No evidence of plugin being active
2. Verify Plugin Activation
# In WordPress admin:
1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
2. Find "Factchecker"
3. Verify it says "Deactivate" (not "Activate")
4. If it says "Activate", click it
5. Look for success message
Expected Result: Plugin should activate with a green success notice.
3. Check User Permissions
The Factchecker menu only appears for users with administrator privileges.
# Check your user role:
1. Go to Users → Your Profile
2. Verify role is "Administrator"
If you’re not an administrator, contact your site admin.
4. Clear All Caches
Caching can hide new menu items and features.
Browser Cache:
1. Chrome/Edge: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
2. Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
3. Safari: Cmd+Option+E (Mac)
4. Or use Ctrl+F5 / Cmd+Shift+R for hard refresh
WordPress Cache:
1. If using W3 Total Cache: Performance → Purge All Caches
2. If using WP Super Cache: Settings → WP Super Cache → Delete Cache
3. If using WP Rocket: Settings → WP Rocket → Clear Cache
Server Cache:
Contact your hosting provider to clear server-side cache
5. Check for Plugin Conflicts
Other plugins may interfere with Factchecker.
Test for conflicts:
1. Go to Plugins
2. Deactivate ALL plugins except Factchecker
3. Check if Factchecker menu appears
4. If yes, reactivate plugins one by one to find the conflict
Common conflicting plugins:
- Menu/admin customization plugins
- Security plugins that modify admin interface
- Page builder plugins
- Custom admin theme plugins
6. Check WordPress Requirements
Minimum requirements:
- WordPress: 5.8+
- PHP: 7.4+
- MySQL: 5.6+
Check your versions:
1. WordPress: Dashboard → Updates (shown at top)
2. PHP: Tools → Site Health → Info → Server
3. MySQL: Tools → Site Health → Info → Database
7. Enable WordPress Debug Mode
Debug mode can reveal hidden errors.
Enable debug:
# Edit wp-config.php (via FTP or hosting panel)
# Add or modify these lines:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
Check the debug log:
Location: /wp-content/debug.log
Look for lines containing:
- "Factchecker Plugin"
- "factchecker"
- Fatal errors
- Parse errors
8. Reinstall the Plugin
A clean reinstall can fix corrupted files.
Steps:
1. Go to Plugins
2. Deactivate "Factchecker"
3. Click "Delete"
4. Confirm deletion
5. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
6. Upload factchecker.zip again
7. Activate
Note: Your settings will be lost. Save them first if needed.
9. Check File Permissions
Incorrect permissions can prevent plugin files from loading.
Correct permissions:
# Via SSH or hosting file manager:
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker
chmod 644 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/*.php
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/admin
chmod 644 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/admin/*.php
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/includes
chmod 644 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/includes/*.php
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/assets
chmod -R 644 /wp-content/plugins/factchecker/assets/*
10. Verify Database Tables
The plugin creates a database table on activation.
Check if table exists:
# Via phpMyAdmin:
SELECT * FROM wp_factchecker_usage LIMIT 1;
If you get an error “table doesn’t exist”:
1. Deactivate plugin
2. Reactivate plugin (this triggers activation hook)
3. Check again
11. Check for JavaScript Errors
JavaScript errors can prevent editor buttons from appearing.
Check browser console:
1. Open any post in editor
2. Press F12 (opens Developer Tools)
3. Click "Console" tab
4. Look for errors in red
5. Screenshot any errors related to "factchecker"
Common JavaScript errors:
- jQuery conflicts
- Missing dependencies
- Blocked scripts (ad blockers, security plugins)
12. Test with Default Theme
Theme conflicts can hide plugin features.
Test:
1. Go to Appearance → Themes
2. Activate a default theme (Twenty Twenty-Three)
3. Check if Factchecker menu appears
4. If yes, contact theme developer about compatibility
Quick Verification Checklist
After fixes, verify everything works:
- [ ] Menu visible: See “Factchecker” in main menu OR Settings → Factchecker
- [ ] Settings page loads: Can access and see all tabs
- [ ] Editor buttons visible: Open a post, see “Factcheck All” and “Factcheck Selection” buttons
- [ ] Analysis works: Click button, modal appears
- [ ] Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Shift+F works (Cmd+Shift+F on Mac)
Still Not Working?
Gather Diagnostic Information
Collect this information for support:
WordPress Environment:
1. WordPress version: Dashboard → Updates
2. PHP version: Tools → Site Health → Info → Server
3. Active theme: Appearance → Themes (look for "Active")
4. Active plugins: Plugins (copy list of active ones)
Browser Information:
Browser name and version
Operating system
Error Messages:
- Any errors from wp-content/debug.log
- Any JavaScript console errors (F12 → Console)
- Screenshots of the issue
Contact Support
Email: support@it-influentials.com
Include:
- All diagnostic information above
- Steps you’ve already tried
- Screenshots of the issue
- Access to WordPress admin (if possible)
Prevention Tips
After Fixing
- Document what fixed it – For future reference
- Bookmark the Factchecker menu – For easy access
- Test keyboard shortcuts – Faster workflow
- Configure Tavily – For real-time verification
- Check Statistics tab – Monitor usage
Ongoing Maintenance
- Keep WordPress updated
- Keep PHP updated (ask hosting provider)
- Test after plugin updates – Verify Factchecker still works
- Monitor debug log occasionally – Catch issues early
- Clear caches weekly – Prevent stale data
Known Issues & Workarounds
Issue: Menu appears but settings won’t save
Workaround: Check file permissions on wp-content directory
Issue: Tavily connection fails despite correct API key
Workaround: Check firewall allows connections to api.tavily.com
Issue: Editor buttons don’t appear in Gutenberg
Workaround: Try Classic Editor plugin temporarily
Issue: Analysis times out
Workaround: Increase timeout in Settings → General → Analysis Timeout
Issue: Rate limit exceeded immediately
Workaround: Increase limit in Settings → General → Rate Limit
Debugging Commands
Check if plugin is active
SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'active_plugins';
Check plugin settings
SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE 'factchecker_%';
Check usage statistics
SELECT * FROM wp_factchecker_usage ORDER BY analysis_date DESC LIMIT 10;
Clear plugin cache
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_factchecker_%';
Advanced Troubleshooting
For Developers
Check if classes are loaded:
// Add to a test file in wp-content/plugins/
<?php
require_once('../../../wp-load.php');
var_dump(class_exists('Factchecker_Plugin'));
var_dump(class_exists('Factchecker_Admin_Settings'));
var_dump(class_exists('Factchecker_Editor_Integration'));
?>
Check if hooks are registered:
global $wp_filter;
print_r($wp_filter['admin_menu']);
Force plugin activation:
// Add to functions.php temporarily
add_action('init', function() {
if (function_exists('factchecker_init')) {
error_log('Factchecker: Plugin initialized');
} else {
error_log('Factchecker: Plugin NOT initialized');
}
});
Success Indicators
When everything works correctly, you should see:
- ✅ “Factchecker” menu item in admin sidebar
- ✅ Settings page with 4 tabs (General, Tavily, System Prompt, Statistics)
- ✅ Two buttons in post editor (“Factcheck All”, “Factcheck Selection”)
- ✅ Analysis modal appears when clicking buttons
- ✅ Results display with credibility assessment
- ✅ Can copy results to clipboard
- ✅ Statistics tab shows usage data
- ✅ No JavaScript errors in browser console
- ✅ No PHP errors in debug log
Last Updated: January 2026 Plugin Version: 1.0.0 Compatibility: WordPress 5.8+, PHP 7.4+
