Finding WordPress Help

Part of Documentation

Using WordPress

Ask general WordPress questions here. Be sure to try the many other sources of WordPress help available.

Using WordPress

WordPress help is never hard to find. There are many sites dedicated to helping WordPress users, including the WordPress Codex and the always-helpful forums. With so much content available, however, how are you to know where to begin looking for help?

The WordPress FAQ is a good place to start, providing comprehensive answers to common questions. You could also read about using the WordPress forums to help you get better results from your support requests.

However, the best place to start looking for WordPress help is your favorite search engine. This is usually the quickest way to get the information you need, and helps to take the pressure off our hard-working volunteers in the support forums.

You can increase your search capabilities by adding the Codex Searcher Plugin, enabling you to search the Codex from your WordPress Administration Panels. Click on a search result and the page will open in a new window or tab, allowing you to have articles open while working on WordPress.

Searching the Web for WordPress Help

Finding the words to accurately describe your problem can be a challenge when searching for help. In addition, you may need to limit your search to WordPress resources or sites in order to get the information you need. The following section will show you how to choose the right search terms, and how to use those terms effectively.

Search Using Keywords

Sometimes you can use error messages to generate the keywords needed in your help search. For example:

Warning: main(/home/atlantis/public_html/wp-includes/ functions.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/stargateatlantis/ public_html/wp-settings.php on line 67 Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required '/home/atlantis/public_html/wp-includes/ functions.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php: /usr/local/lib/php') in /home/stargateatlantis/ public_html/wp-settings.php on line 67

The key words you need to help you solve the problem are hidden within this information. In particular, the error specifically references the files that are causing the issue: functions.php and wp-settings.php. The names of these files will make up part of your search.

You could try opening the files directly to examine them. However, this may be of limited use, as the given line numbers may not correspond to the actual source of the error due to the way WordPress processes .php files.

The specific errors are failed to open stream and failed opening required, with both happening inside the wp-settings.php file. This indicates that the problem is likely with wp-settings.php rather than functions.php. The fact that both errors contain the words “failed” and “open” is another clue.

Armed with this information, create a search in your favorite search engine that includes the words:

wordpress failed open wp-settings.php

This should get you started on narrowing down the problem.

Consultants with Experience with the Theme

If your congregation needs help, here are some consultants that have helped other congregations with setting up and maintaining their websites with the UUA Theme: