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Troubleshooting - Plugixa Permalink Manager
Start with the Debug screen. Type the address that is misbehaving and it will tell you what the plugin does with it, which answers most of the questions below directly.
A custom address gives a 404
Work down this list.
- Is the plugin serving addresses at all? If the dashboard shows a banner about safe mode, plain permalinks or another permalink plugin, nothing will match until that is resolved. See the last section.
- Is the item published? Drafts have no address until published by default.
- Is its content type managed? Check it is ticked in Content settings.
- Does the address exist? Search for it in the URI Editor. A typo is more common than a bug.
- Is a cache serving an old 404? Clear your page cache and CDN. Caches happily remember that an address did not exist five minutes ago.
“Another item already uses that address”
Addresses are unique. The message names the owner; either accept the suggested alternative or change the other item first. An item in the bin never holds an address: binning it releases the address.
An address is refused as reserved
Some addresses belong to WordPress or to other plugins: wp-admin, wp-json,
feeds, and WooCommerce’s technical addresses. Choose another. Developers can
reserve more; see Hooks.
My change was not saved
If someone else changed the same item while you had the list open, your save is refused rather than overwriting theirs. Reload and try again.
On an edit screen, check the address is free: a taken address is reported after saving and the previous one is kept.
An address changed by itself
Look at the item’s history in the URI Editor: every change has a reason.
- auto - the item was saved and its mode allows updates. Set it to Keep my URI to stop that; see Update modes.
- regenerate or find and replace - a bulk tool. It can be undone from the run’s result.
- manual - somebody typed it. The history says who.
A redirect goes somewhere unexpected
Use Debug with Also request it ticked and read Sent by:
- Plugixa Permalink Manager - the address is an old address of an item, or a manual redirect. With Pro, find it on the Redirects screen and switch it off or delete it.
- WordPress or another plugin - the redirect is not ours.
Your browser may also be replaying a remembered 301. Test in a private window.
Too many redirects
Usually two systems disagreeing about the trailing slash or about www. Check
the Trailing slash choice in
Addresses settings
matches what your server, CDN or another plugin enforces.
The new pattern did nothing
Saving a pattern does not move existing items. Run Regenerate addresses.
A content type is missing from the lists
Its post type may not be public, or it may be caught by Skip content types that are not meant to be visited in Content settings.
The admin screen is blank or looks broken
- Clear the browser cache after updating the plugin.
- Check the browser console for a blocked script; security plugins and aggressive optimisation plugins sometimes block or combine the admin app’s files. Exclude the plugin’s admin page from them.
Ruling the plugin out quickly
Switch on Safe mode in Advanced settings. The site immediately uses WordPress’s own addresses; nothing stored is changed. If the problem remains, it is not caused by custom addresses.
If you cannot reach the admin, add this to wp-config.php:
define( 'PLUGIXA_PERMALINK_MANAGER_SAFE_MODE', true );
Remove the line to switch custom addresses back on.
“Custom permalinks are not being served”
The banner gives one of four reasons.
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| Another permalink plugin is active | Import from it, then deactivate it. See Import |
| Safe mode is on | Switch it off in Advanced settings |
Safe mode is forced in wp-config.php |
Remove the PLUGIXA_PERMALINK_MANAGER_SAFE_MODE line |
| The site uses plain permalinks | Choose any other structure under Settings, Permalinks |
Two copies are active
If the free plugin and Pro are both active, only one runs and a notice says which file was ignored. Deactivate the copy you do not need. Your data is shared and stays as it is.
After a database import or restore
Run the Health check to clear addresses and redirects whose items did not come across.