Troubleshooting

3 min read Updated

Missing Widgets in Page Builder

WordPress core, plugins and themes can all add widgets. If a page uses a widget and the plugin or theme that adds it is no longer active, Page Builder shows Missing Widget in its place.

The Widgets Bundle enables its own widgets for you when Page Builder loads a layout that uses them. So a missing SiteOrigin widget usually means that the Widgets Bundle plugin is not active, or that the widget comes from another plugin.

  1. Go to PluginsInstalled Plugins. Check that the SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle is active.
  2. Go to PluginsSiteOrigin Widgets. This page lists the widgets from the Widgets Bundle, from enabled SiteOrigin Premium addons and from other plugins that use the Widgets Bundle framework. Find the widget and click Activate on its card.
  3. If you cannot find the widget there, go back to the page you are editing and open the Missing Widget item. Its form names the widget class, and sometimes the plugin you need. Use it to find the plugin or theme that added the widget, and check that it is active.

Block Not Available in the Block Editor

Each SiteOrigin widget is its own block in the Block Editor. The editor only knows about a widget block when its widget is enabled. If the widget is disabled, or the plugin that adds it is not active, the block shows a warning in the editor. The warning names the block, for example sowb/siteorigin-widget-hero-widget, and says that the block is not available or that your site does not include support for it. The block does not show on the front end of your site.

  1. Go to PluginsInstalled Plugins. Check that the SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle is active. If the widget comes from another plugin, check that plugin too. If it comes from SiteOrigin Premium, go to SiteOriginPremium Addons and check that its addon is enabled.
  2. Go to PluginsSiteOrigin Widgets.
  3. Find the widget and click Activate on its card. The block name tells you which widget it is: sowb/siteorigin-widget-hero-widget is the Hero Image widget.
  4. Reload the page in the Block Editor. The block now shows the widget again, with its settings.

Do not remove the block before you try these steps. When you remove it, you also remove its widget settings.

An older SiteOrigin Widgets Block does not show this warning. It shows one of these placeholders:

  • Legacy SiteOrigin Widget. Administrators see a Migrate to New Block Format button. Other users see a message that asks them to contact the site administrator. Read Using Widgets in the Block Editor to migrate the block.
  • SiteOrigin Widget, with the text The widget for a class name cannot be found. This means the migration has already run, but the widget is disabled. Enable the widget with the steps above, then reload the page. The block changes to its widget block by itself.

404 Error When Editing Widgets

If you see a 404 error when you edit SiteOrigin widgets, a server security rule can be the cause. ModSecurity is a common example. Contact your hosting company. Tell them that you see 404 errors when you edit widgets in WordPress, and that you think ModSecurity could be the cause. Your host can check their ModSecurity logs and change their rules to allow these requests.

A Date Shows When You Open a Widget

If a date shows when you open a widget, the Wordfence plugin has probably blocked the request. To allow it:

  1. Go to WordfenceTools and open the Live Traffic tab.
  2. Filter by Blocked by Firewall.
  3. Find the request you made. It uses your user account. For a slider widget, the parameter starts with body: instance=%7B%22frames%22%3A%5B%7B%22content.
  4. Click Whitelist param from Firewall.