X Theme broke Wordpress Console

Support
#1

My website hasn’t been modified in some months. It is based on X vers 1.0.0 (Child)
Last week I clicked on some upgrade, I think just Wordpress version… and one of my plugins broke. Not able to find the exact cause, I asked to have my site restored to before I made and change.
The site looked fine in all respects, but I could no longer get to the Wordpress Console! I had Bluehost investigate and they claim it was due to the X theme and/or Cornerstone. HELP

I realize that X version 1.0.0 is very old. But I would think that it should continue to function?!
I have another site (more recent) that’s on X version 7.2.3

Here’s a question: I really don’t recall why I used a child theme version (too long ago!)… How easy is it to switch to the current X theme instead? Other than some plugins (like Revolution Slider and Contact Form 7) I don’t think there’s anything highly customized in therm of the theme…

Site in question (which is being played with at the moment by the Bluehost folks) is belkinphoto.com

#2

Hi @hbelkin,

Thanks for reaching out.

Using a child theme is recommended if you are using a premium theme. The child theme is where you put all your customization without losing the data when you upgrade your theme to the latest version.

When I check your website, you are using an old version of X 4.0.7 and old Cornerstone 1.2.4 which has a compatibility issue with the latest version of the plugins.

I strongly suggest that you will create a staging area and upgrade your X theme and Cornerstone to the latest version so that it will have a compatibility with the recent updates of the plugins.

Hope that helps and let us know us it goes.

Thank you.

#3

First, I just now found out that X can be upgraded without affecting the child theme… for some reason I had thought that the child theme was a fixed-in-time snapshot of X and upgrades to X would not have any effect. My bad.

At this point, I guess I’m going to have to ask Bluehost to set the theme back to some default so that I can get to the back end and do the upgrades. Unless there is a better way?

Still hard to imagine why this incompatibility PREVENTS me from accessing the Wordpress console!?

#4

Hi @hbelkin,

There are so many factors why you can’t access your WordPress console/WordPress admin panel, it may be some plugins conflict that causing some PHP errors and etc, unless if we have some FTP access and WordPress admin access, we can give some concrete idea why you can’t access your admin panel.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

#5

Bluehost said they were getting a page error that had something to do with either the X theme or Cornerstone. If I provide access info is someone there willing to take a peek? That would be great. Let me know what you need and how to send it privately

#6

Hi @hbelkin,

Please give us the following information in a Secure Note.

  • WordPress Login URL
  • Admin level username and password
  • FTP Access

You can find the Secure Note button at the bottom of your posts.

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Thank you.

#7

Attached to my previous post (sorry, I clicked on that one :slight_smile:

#8

Hi @hbelkin,

Thanks for giving us all the information.

I went ahead and enable the WP_DEBUG to check what files causing the error. The slider revolution causing the fatal error so I deactivated the plugin, after deactivating the plugins there is again a new fatal error with our cornerstone plugin so I deleted the cornerstone plugin via FTP. Afterward, we are now able to access the WP admin dashboard then, I went ahead and install again the cornerstone plugin in X addons extensions.

I strongly suggest that you should update your X theme and Cornerstone to the latest version to have stability with the new plugins and PHP versions. I also found out that your website firewall is blocking theme.co. We can’t validate your product license key, please ask Bluehost to whitelist theme.co.

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The WP dashboard is now accessible but it breaks some layout in the front-end. I guess Bluehost has a backup of your website so you can revert it back and we will do an update.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

#9

I see that I’m able to access the console, thanks. Not exactly sure of next steps. If bluehost restores a backup, won’t that just break it again?

Should I upgrade X and Cornerstone and plugins now?

I will ask bluehost about the firewall…

Actually, just looked and it does not even show updates available for X or Cornerstone…??

#10

Hi @hbelkin,

The next step is to ask Bluehost to whitelist theme.co. Currently, we can’t update the X and Cornerstone plugin because your website firewall is blocking the theme.co. After the Bluehost whitelist theme.co, we can now validate your product license key and start updating the X and Cornerstone, and afterward, we can now fix your front end issues.

Please let us know how it goes.

Thank you.

#11

Ok I put in a ticket with Bluehost to check firewall for block of theme.co and remove it if it is blocked. Will update here when this is done… I assume the API key that the validation is asking for is that which is called License key on my themeco account for that website? If so, I will try validating when they tell me the firewall is clear, then bring you back on board for further help. Thanks!

#12

Hi @hbelkin,

Yes, it is the License key on your themeco account for your specific website. Just let us know how it goes and we will help to solve your issue.

Thank you.

#13

Bluehost assures me that theme.co is/was NOT blocked.
However I’ve tested and I cannot ping theme.co ( 34.199.208.181) from my computer, from my router (even with firewall turned off), or from various ping web sites… perhaps ping is restricted.

In any case, if it’s not blocked, why doesn’t validation work?

I have read some other replies in the forum that seem to imply that the validation may not work if using an old version of X or Cornerstone… however it doesn’t see updates so how do I correct this??

#14

Hi @hbelkin,

Here’s another workaround. You can download the latest X in your themeco account then switch your theme to default like ( Twenty Nineteen, Twenty Seventeen)and delete your current X theme and upload the latest version of X, and afterward, we will check if we can validate your website. After we can validate your website, we will install the cornerstone plugin but before doing anything else, please take a backup of your website, so that we have some point to revert it back if something wrong might happen.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

#15

If I do that, I don’t delete my X child, correct? Otherwise I’d lose modifications…?

I’m still not entirely clear on how child themes work; it seems like they just isolate changes to the actual theme and if I upload a new version of the X theme, then I’d re-activate the X-Child. Please confirm, thanks

ONE MORE THING: I can’t see where/how to delete the X theme. There is no delete button when I show details…

#16

Hi @hbelkin,

Yes, your child theme won’t be deleted and to delete the X theme you need to activate any other theme available on your website then after that you can now delete your X theme, just please take a backup of your website, so that we have some point to revert it back if something wrong might happen.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

#17

OK, downloaded, installed, activated and validated the X theme. Then switched to X-child. Site looks a mess but at least validates. Probably needs Cornerstone

Updated Cornerstone. All pages now look correct except for: A) the main page, because of the use of Revolution Slider (which breaks if I try to install it – I think I may have to purchase a new release, don’t see any options to update), … was Revolution Slider once a part of X theme? I don’t recall if I ourchased it separately

and B) the main (top) menu format (not sure why yet, but I’m guessing it’s Cornerstone related.

#18

Hi @hbelkin,

All your issues are now fixed.

A.) You don’t need to purchase a license code for revolution slider because it is bundled with our X theme. Here’s what I did in your website, I delete your old Slider Revolution plugin then I installed a new version of Revolution Slider in X>Validation and your homepage with Revolution slider is already fixed.

B.) Menu format is already fixed, the reason the menu is so long because the menu letter spacing was set to 6 and I set it to 0. You can check it on X > Theme Options > Header.

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Hope that helps.

Thank you.

#19

Thank you so much! Themeco support is the BEST. And I say that after years in the industry dealing with many different vendors.

#20

@hbelkin,

It’s our pleasure to help you. If you have any other concerns just let us know and create a new ticket.

Thank you.