A Quick and Obvious Note on WordPress Site Errors: Check error_log

A few minutes ago I encountered an error on one of my sites. The front end was working fine, but I got a 500 error “The site isn’t working properly. These errors remind me of when I was about 12 and was asked to spend some time playing with a six-year-old, showing him my electric train set. One of the engines stopped working and I was trying to figure it out. He suddenly said, “I know what’s wrong with it.”

I looked up, surprised that the six-year-old had seen the problem. He said, “It’s broke!”

Thus functions error 500.

But after checking the obvious, I did what I should have done in the first place which was to download my error_log file and check the PHP errors. There was an error from one plugin. Rename the plugin directory (through FTP or your cpanel), and we’re working again. What’s more, the plugin had an update for, you guessed it, a bug that caused an error in one of the php files.

So just a note that hopefully may be found by someone who’s bothered by the computer saying, so helpfully, “It’s broke!”