Debugging Techniques for WordPress Theme Development
Posted on 16th June 2023
Introduction
When developing WordPress themes, it is inevitable that you will come across errors and bugs. In this article, we will discuss some techniques that you can use to debug your WordPress themes.
WP_DEBUG
One of the most useful tools for debugging WordPress themes is the WP_DEBUG constant. This constant is set to false by default but can be changed to true in the wp-config.php file. Once set to true, WP_DEBUG will display all errors, warnings, and notices on the front-end of your website. It is important to note that WP_DEBUG should never be enabled on a live website as it can reveal sensitive information to site visitors.
Debugging in WordPress
There are two ways to debug WordPress themes:
- On the front-end of your website
- On the back-end of your website
Front-end Debugging
Front-end debugging is the process of debugging your WordPress themes on the front-end of your website. This can be done by either viewing the source code of your website or using the browser’s developer tools. To view the source code of your website, simply right-click on the page and select “View source” (or “View page source”). This will open the page’s source code in a new tab or window. Alternatively, you can use the browser’s developer tools. For Chrome, this can be done by opening the developer tools (press F12 or right-click and select “Inspect”) and then selecting the “Sources” tab. For Firefox, this can be done by opening the developer tools (press F12 or right-click and select “Inspect Element”) and then selecting the “Debugger” tab. For Safari, this can be done by enabling the “Develop” menu (Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar) and then selecting “Show Page Source” from the “Develop” menu. Once you have the source code of your website open, you can use the search function to find the code that you want to debug.
Back-end Debugging
Back-end debugging is the process of debugging your WordPress themes on the back-end of your website. This can be done by either viewing the source code of your website or using the browser’s developer tools. To view the source code of your website, simply right-click on the page and select “View source” (or “View page source”). This will open the page’s source code in a new tab or window. Alternatively, you can use the browser’s developer tools. For Chrome, this can be done by opening the developer tools (press F12 or right-click and select “Inspect”) and then selecting the “Sources” tab. For Firefox, this can be done by opening the developer tools (press F12 or right-click and select “Inspect Element”) and then selecting the “Debugger” tab. For Safari, this can be done by enabling the “Develop” menu (Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar) and then selecting “Show Page Source” from the “Develop” menu. Once you have the source code of your website open, you can use the search function to find the code that you want to debug.
Logging
Another useful tool for debugging WordPress themes is logging. This can be done by adding the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:
if ( ! function_exists( 'write_log' ) ) {
function write_log ( $log ) {
if ( is_array( $log ) || is_object( $log ) ) {
error_log( print_r( $log, true ) );
} else {
error_log( $log );
}
}
}
This will create a function that you can use to write to the WordPress error log. This can be useful for debugging purposes as it can help you to track down errors and bugs. To use this function, simply add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:
write_log('This is a test');
This will write “This is a test” to the WordPress error log. You can view the WordPress error log by going to Settings > Error Log in the WordPress admin area. Alternatively, you can view the error log by opening the following file: /wp-content/debug.log
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed some techniques that you can use to debug your WordPress themes. We have also discussed the WP_DEBUG constant and how it can be used to debug WordPress themes. We have also discussed the importance of logging errors and how it can help you to track down errors and bugs. Finally, we have discussed the browser’s developer tools and how they can be used to debug WordPress themes.
8. Inspecting the source code
When you’re working with WordPress themes, it’s important to know how to debug your code so you can identify and fix errors quickly. There are a few different techniques you can use to debug your WordPress themes, including inspecting the source code, using the WordPress debugger, and using logging.
Inspecting the source code is a great way to debug your WordPress themes. You can use a text editor to view the source code of your theme files and look for any errors. If you’re not sure where to find the source code for your theme, you can use the WordPress Developer Tools plugin to help you locate it.
Once you’ve located the source code for your theme, you can use the following techniques to debug it:
Check for syntax errors:
Syntax errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for syntax errors, you can use a text editor to open your theme files and look for any errors.
If you’re not sure where to find the source code for your theme, you can use the WordPress Developer Tools plugin to help you locate it.
Check for missing files:
If you’re missing a file that’s required for your theme to work properly, you can use the WordPress Developer Tools plugin to help you locate it.
Check for PHP errors:
PHP errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for PHP errors, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin.
Check for JavaScript errors:
JavaScript errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for JavaScript errors, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin.
9. WordPress Debugging
The WordPress Debugging plugin is a great tool for debugging your WordPress themes. It can help you identify and fix errors quickly.
To use the WordPress Debugging plugin, you first need to install and activate it. Once it’s activated, you can use the following techniques to debug your WordPress themes:
Check for syntax errors:
Syntax errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for syntax errors, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin.
Check for missing files:
If you’re missing a file that’s required for your theme to work properly, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin to help you locate it.
Check for PHP errors:
PHP errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for PHP errors, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin.
Check for JavaScript errors:
JavaScript errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for JavaScript errors, you can use the WordPress Debugging plugin.
10. Logging
Logging is a great way to debug your WordPress themes. It can help you identify and fix errors quickly.
To use logging, you first need to install and activate the WordPress Logging plugin. Once it’s activated, you can use the following techniques to debug your WordPress themes:
Check for syntax errors:
Syntax errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for syntax errors, you can use the WordPress Logging plugin.
Check for missing files:
If you’re missing a file that’s required for your theme to work properly, you can use the WordPress Logging plugin to help you locate it.
Check for PHP errors:
PHP errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for PHP errors, you can use the WordPress Logging plugin.
Check for JavaScript errors:
JavaScript errors can prevent your theme from working properly. To check for JavaScript errors, you can use the WordPress Logging plugin.
