Widget Area disappeared

  • Vinc

    (@vincentvreeken)


    7 years, 11 months ago

    If I go to Widgets (via Appearance), I see the available widgets on the left and on the right I see nothing. A while ago everything was normal. Also the website still looks normal. But I can’t change anything anymore! Can somebody help me please? The website (build by someone who has passed away) uses a customized version of the WordPress theme Twentyfourteen. Unfortunately I know little about coding.

    • This topic was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by Vinc.
Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

  • This sounds like either outdated WordPress code, a plugin interference or a theme interference.

    Backup your site and database before doing the following steps:

    1. Check to see if WordPress, plugins or themes needs updates in Dashboard > Updates.

    2. Change the theme to another WordPress default version such as TwentySixteen and see if the widget areas come back.

    3. Did your developer happen to use a child theme for Twentyfourteen or did they edit the files directly?

    Thread Starter Vinc

    (@vincentvreeken)

    Hi Tia,

    Thanks a lot for your reply. I updated everything, but the issue is not yet solved. I also tried other themes, restored the theme from an old back-up, but the widget area stays gone. I have built many WordPress sites, but this is new to me. The developer of this site is unfortunately dead. I have started to build a new theme, but it seems that not the theme is causing the problem. The existing theme is not a child-team, but a modified version of twentyfourteen with a new name, so it is not overwritten by new versions.

    Kind regards, Vincent

    Thread Starter Vinc

    (@vincentvreeken)

    Hi Tia,

    It seemed impossible to solve the problem with the widgets. Fortunately I had a very old backup left somewhere. I restored that and connected it to the latest database backup. Everything is fine again, but it stays a mystery how it could have happened.

    Kind regards, Vincent

    Thread Starter Vinc

    (@vincentvreeken)

    I found out that an update of Yoast plugin caused the problem. I informed the builders, but I don’t know if the problem is solved now. For the time being I switched of Yoast.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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