Troubleshooting

Fixes for the most common TryDemo setup issues. If none of these help, enable logging (below) and reach out via beautifulplugins.com.

The Demo menu doesn’t appear

TryDemo stays dormant unless it’s on a supported install. Check, in order:

1. Is this a multisite network? TryDemo requires multisite.
2. Is it a subdirectory network? Open wp-config.php and confirm:
   define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false );
   A subdomain network (true) is not supported.
3. Is the plugin network-activated? Activate it from Network Admin → Plugins, not per site.

If all three are correct and the menu is still missing, another plugin may be filtering tdemo_is_suitable_site — check your customizations.

Demo request emails aren’t arriving

The verification email is plain WordPress mail, so deliverability depends on your server:

• Install and configure an SMTP plugin so mail is sent through an authenticated service.
• Check that the From email under Notifications uses a domain you control, with valid SPF/DKIM records.
• Look in spam folders and test with a different email provider.
• A large gap between created and activated in Reports usually points to this.

A demo was created, but it looks broken (wrong URLs, missing images)

Cloning copies the source site’s tables and uploads, then search-replaces the old URL/paths with the new sandbox’s. If something looks off:

• Make sure the source site works correctly when visited directly — a broken template clones into a broken demo.
• Confirm the uploads directory is readable/writable so files can be copied.
• Enable logging and re-run a demo to see which step fails.
• If your data stores URLs in an unusual serialized format, you may need the tdemo_global_tables filter to skip a table — see the Developer reference.

Demo users can reach pages they shouldn’t

• Configure Restrictions on the source site (not network admin) to block sensitive screens.
• Remember, restrictions are per source site — set them for each template.
• To hide the Plugins menu, disable it under Network Admin → Settings → Network Settings → Menu Settings.

Expired demos aren’t being cleaned up

The purge runs on WordPress cron (tdemo_purge_event, hourly):

• WordPress cron only fires on site traffic. On low-traffic sites, set up a real system cron hitting wp-cron.php.
• Confirm the event is scheduled — deactivating/reactivating the plugin re-schedules it.
• Demos marked as lifetime are skipped by design.
• Check that the configured expiration action in General settings is what you expect (Delete vs Archive vs Deactivate).

New demos aren’t being created at all

• Check that Prevent clones isn’t enabled in General settings — it hides all request forms.
• Confirm the form’s source_id points to a real, working site.
• If reCAPTCHA is configured, make sure the keys are valid — a bad secret key blocks submissions.

MailChimp subscribers aren’t syncing

• Verify the API key includes its datacenter suffix (e.g. …-us21).
• Confirm a list is selected for the demo’s source site.
• With Send confirmation on, subscribers stay pending until they confirm — check MailChimp’s pending list.

See MailChimp for details.

Enable logging {#enable-logging}

For any hard-to-diagnose issue, turn on Log in General settings, reproduce the problem, and review the output under Network Admin → Demo → Settings → System Info. The log records cloning steps, timings, and errors that pinpoint where a demo fails.

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