🔧 Troubleshooting, FAQ, Tips

Activity Log Pro can be an invaluable tool for diagnosing and resolving issues on your WordPress site:

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

  • Content Changes: Find out who modified or deleted specific content
  • Plugin Issues: Identify recent plugin activations or updates that might be causing conflicts
  • Setting Changes: Discover changes to WordPress settings that might affect site behaviour
  • User Problems: Track user role changes or permission issues

Effective Log Filtering for Troubleshooting

  1. Narrow the time range to when the issue first appeared
  2. Filter by relevant event types (plugins, settings, posts, etc.)
  3. Look for specific users if you suspect user-related issues
  4. Use the search function to find specific content or components involved

Creating Troubleshooting Reports

For ongoing issues or when working with support teams:

  1. Filter the logs to relevant events
  2. Export the filtered logs as CSV or JSON
  3. Share the export with developers or support personnel

This approach provides detailed context about what happened before, during, and after an issue occurred.

Feed URL Compatibility

If you experience issues with JSON or RSS feed URLs (such as 404 errors):

  • Permalink Structure: Activity Log Pro automatically detects your WordPress permalink structure and generates compatible URLs
  • Index Permalinks: For sites using Plain permalinks (/?p=123) or Almost Pretty permalinks (/index.php/…), feed URLs use query string parameters
  • Pretty Permalinks: For sites using Pretty permalinks, feed URLs use clean REST API formats
  • Changing Permalinks: Feed URLs automatically update when you change your permalink structure in Settings > Permalinks

If feed URLs are not working, check your permalink settings and ensure your web server supports your chosen permalink structure.

Feed Caching Conflicts

Activity Log Pro’s RSS and JSON feeds use secure token-based authentication. When new tokens are generated, caching plugins or server-side caching may cause old tokens to remain valid temporarily, creating potential security concerns. When the cache expires the old token will then be cleared and become invalid.

Common Caching Conflicts

Caching Plugins

  • LiteSpeed Cache : May cache feed URLs and token validation responses
  • WP Rocket : Can cache REST API endpoints and feed responses
  • W3 Total Cache : May cache database queries and object cache
  • WP Super Cache : Can cache feed pages and validation logic

Server-Level Caching

  • Nginx FastCGI Cache : May cache PHP responses including token validation
  • Apache mod_cache : Can cache feed responses and authentication checks
  • Cloudflare : May cache API endpoints and feed URLs
  • CDN Services : Can cache feed responses at edge locations

Symptoms

  • Old feed tokens remain active after regeneration
  • New tokens not immediately recognized
  • Inconsistent feed access behavior
  • Security tokens appearing to “stick” despite regeneration

Resolution

Activity Log Pro automatically clears relevant caches when new tokens are generated:

// Automatic cache invalidation on token generation
wp_cache_delete('alp_rss_feed_token', 'options');
wp_cache_delete('alp_json_feed_token', 'options');
wp_cache_flush_group('alp_feeds');
wp_cache_flush();

Manual Troubleshooting

If feed token issues persist:

  1. Clear Plugin Cache : Purge all caches in your caching plugin
  2. Flush Object Cache : Use WP-CLI: wp cache flush
  3. Clear Server Cache : Restart PHP-FPM or clear server-level caches
  4. Test Without Caching : Temporarily disable caching plugins to verify functionality

Best Practices

  • Configure caching plugins to exclude feed URLs from caching
  • Set shorter cache TTL for authentication-related endpoints
  • Monitor feed access logs after token regeneration
  • Test feed functionality after enabling new caching solutions

Technical Notes

The plugin implements comprehensive cache invalidation including WordPress object cache, plugin-specific cache groups, and transient cleanup to ensure immediate token validation updates across all caching layers. It is best you test this when new tokens are generated.

Common Questions

âť“ Why aren’t some activities being logged?

Solution: Check your activity tracking settings. Some activity types might be disabled, or the user role might be excluded from tracking. Go to Settings → General to review your configuration.

âť“ How do I improve plugin performance?

Solution: Reduce your data retention period, enable database optimization in settings, and consider excluding less important activity types from tracking. The plugin is optimized for performance, but very high-traffic sites may benefit from these adjustments.

âť“ Can I recover deleted activity logs?

Solution: Once logs are deleted (either manually or through automatic cleanup), they cannot be recovered. We recommend regular exports for important data and careful consideration of your retention settings.

âť“ How do I make the plugin GDPR compliant?

Solution: Enable IP anonymization in the privacy settings, set appropriate data retention periods, and ensure you have procedures for handling user data deletion requests. Premium users have additional privacy controls available.

âť“ Why do I see duplicate entries?

Solution: This can happen if multiple plugins are tracking the same activities or if there are plugin conflicts. Check for other activity logging plugins and consider deactivating them to avoid conflicts.

❓ Q: What user levels can access the Activity Log Pro plugin features?

Solution: Activity Log Pro is restricted to administrators only. The plugin requires the manage_options capability for all features including viewing activity logs, dashboard widgets, export functionality, settings, and integrations. This means only users with Administrator or Super Admin roles can access the plugin. Editors, Authors, Contributors, and Subscribers cannot view or interact with any Activity Log Pro features. This restriction is intentional for security reasons since activity logs contain sensitive audit trail information about user actions, system changes, security events, and content modifications that should only be accessible to site administrators. – We are open to developing this further for user specified access levels if requested.

Performance Optimization

Performance Optimization

Q: Is Activity Log Pro affecting my site’s performance?

A: Activity Log Pro is designed to be lightweight and efficient. However, you can optimize performance by:

  • Setting appropriate log retention periods
  • Disabling tracking for unnecessary event types
  • Using exclusions to filter out automated processes
  • Regularly cleaning up old log entries

Performance Tips

  • Optimize Retention: Don’t keep logs longer than necessary
  • Selective Tracking: Disable tracking for less important activities
  • Regular Maintenance: Use the database optimization features
  • Monitor Resources: Keep an eye on database size and server resources