VendorHearth Pro includes several tools that can help identify problems before more advanced troubleshooting is necessary.
When something does not work as expected, start by determining whether the problem affects VendorHearth itself, a particular workflow, WordPress, or an external service such as Square or your email provider.
Start With System Readiness #
Your first troubleshooting stop should usually be:
VendorHearth → System Readiness
System Readiness checks important parts of your VendorHearth installation, including:
- VendorHearth version
- Database and schema
- Portal pages
- User roles
- Role isolation
- Setup status
- Upload functionality
- WordPress scheduled tasks
- Payment configuration
Review any warnings related to the feature experiencing the problem.
Identify What Is Actually Failing #
Before changing settings, determine exactly what is not working.
For example:
Vendor cannot log in
Start with the vendor account, role, and portal pages.
Application cannot be completed
Review the event, application status, booth availability, and category availability.
Vendor paid but status did not update
Review Square and webhook processing.
Emails are not arriving
Review communication history, email diagnostics, and WordPress email delivery.
Automated reminders are not running
Review WordPress scheduled tasks.
Narrowing down the affected feature prevents unnecessary changes elsewhere in VendorHearth.
Check Whether the Problem Affects Everyone #
Determine the scope of the issue.
One Vendor #
If only one vendor is affected, review that vendor’s:
- Account
- Email address
- Application
- Payment
- Role
- Event participation
One Event #
If the problem only affects one event, review that event’s configuration.
Check:
- Application status
- Booth types
- Capacity
- Categories
- Event date
- Event settings
Everyone #
If the same problem affects all vendors or events, investigate the broader VendorHearth or WordPress configuration.
Check User Roles #
VendorHearth uses WordPress roles to control access.
Supported roles include:
- Administrator/Organizer
- Vendor Relations Manager
- Event Staff
- Vendor
If a user cannot access something they should be able to use, confirm that they have the correct role.
Do not solve a permission problem by giving every user Administrator access.
Check Portal Pages #
If a front-end VendorHearth feature is not loading, verify that the correct WordPress page exists and contains the appropriate shortcode.
Important shortcodes include:
Vendor Registration[cmn_vendor_register]
Vendor Login[cmn_vendor_login]
Vendor Dashboard[cmn_vendor_dashboard]
Vendor Check-In[cmn_vendor_checkin]
Vendor Event Packet[cmn_event_packet]
Vendor Relations Portal[cmn_vendor_relations_portal]
Organizer Portal[cmn_organizer_portal]
Also verify that VendorHearth is configured to use the correct page where applicable.
Clear Caches #
Caching can sometimes cause WordPress to display outdated information.
If VendorHearth data appears correct in the database or administration area but the front end shows older information, clear applicable:
- WordPress caching
- Server caching
- Browser caching
- CDN caching
Then sign out and back in before testing again.
Check WordPress and PHP Requirements #
VendorHearth Pro requires:
- WordPress 6.2 or newer
- PHP 8.1 or newer
An outdated server environment can cause unexpected behavior.
Check Scheduled Tasks #
VendorHearth uses WordPress cron for supported automation.
If scheduled features stop working, investigate WordPress scheduled tasks.
This can affect features such as:
- Automated reminders
- Scheduled processing
- Other VendorHearth automation
A problem with WordPress cron can make VendorHearth appear to be malfunctioning even when the VendorHearth configuration itself is correct.
Check External Services #
Some VendorHearth features depend on services outside VendorHearth.
Payments #
Square handles the actual payment transaction.
Email #
WordPress and your site’s mail configuration handle message delivery.
Social Sharing #
Jetpack or another configured WordPress social-sharing service handles sharing Vendor Spotlight posts to external social networks.
Determine whether VendorHearth successfully completed its part of the workflow before changing VendorHearth settings.
Avoid Making Several Changes at Once #
When troubleshooting, change one thing at a time.
If you simultaneously change:
- Vendor roles
- Portal pages
- Payment settings
- Caching
- Email configuration
you may fix the problem without knowing what caused it.
Making one change and testing again makes troubleshooting much easier.
Record Error Messages #
If WordPress displays an error, record the exact message before refreshing the page or changing settings.
Useful information may include:
- Error message
- Page where it occurred
- Action being performed
- User role
- Event involved
- Vendor involved
- Approximate time of the error
Screenshots can also be helpful when documenting unexpected behavior.
Do Not Share Sensitive Credentials #
When requesting help, never publicly provide:
- WordPress passwords
- Square Access Tokens
- Square Webhook Signature Keys
- VendorHearth license keys
- Hosting passwords
- Database passwords
These are not required for describing most VendorHearth problems.
Back Up Before Major Troubleshooting #
If troubleshooting requires major configuration changes, plugin changes, database work, or a rollback, create a current website backup first.
Do not experiment with production data without a recovery option.
Before Contacting Support #
Gather:
- Your VendorHearth version.
- WordPress version.
- PHP version.
- Description of the problem.
- Steps that reproduce it.
- User role affected.
- Whether one or all vendors are affected.
- Whether one or all events are affected.
- Relevant System Readiness warnings.
- Exact error messages or screenshots.
This information can significantly reduce the time required to identify the problem.
Next Step #
Continue to Troubleshooting Login, Roles, and Portal Access for solutions to common problems involving vendor login, registration, permissions, dashboards, and front-end VendorHearth pages.
