by: Emily Kristofferson
Normally I tell my clients that updates are no problem with WordPress. Easy updates are one of the many benefits of using WordPress for your website. (If you’re not using WordPress yet… you should be!)
However, there is a hitch with updating to version 3.3. What happens is that your website will appear normal but you will get a fatal error message when you try to log into your Dashboard after the update.
The error message will include “Fatal error: Call to undefined function is _rtl()” along with a line of code that is specific to your website.
The error has to do with a plugin that isn’t compatible with this new version of WordPress. For some, it will be the popular PopUp Domination plugin for list building behind the problem but it isn’t the only plugin associated with the error.
The easiest way to avoid this error is to deactivate your PopUp Domination plugin. I did this for my own site and then updated WordPress without any hitch. However, it could be another plugin that you have installed or maybe you have already updated and you are getting the error message.
Here are the steps that I suggest:
1. Disable all of your plugins before updating to WordPress 3.3. If you have already updated and you are getting the error message, you will need to access your files via FTP. To disable all your plugins, rename your “plugins” folder to another name (something like “oldplugins”). Then create a new folder and name it “plugins”.
2. Go back to your WordPress Dashboard and login. Update to WordPress 3.3.
3. You will need to reactivate each plugin in the Plugins area of the backend of your website.
4. You will find which plugin caused the problem with version 3.3.
5. If you get the fatal error message, you will need to deactivate the plugin that caused the error. Go to your FTP again and rename that plugin’s folder to something else.
You should be good to go!
If this is like a foreign language to you or a cause of major frustration, you need a Technical Virtual Assistant!
Hi Emily & Alicia
I faced this issued a few weeks ago – I almost had a near heart attack. Fortunately I have the most amazing hosting company who advised me of the best solution.
Popup Domination was the cause! Alas, I no longer have that plugin active on my site as I didn’t wish to go through it all again.
This is an excellent post and I wish this was out when I did my update
Hi Alicia,
It’s more of an on-going issue with the continual upgrading and compatibility rather than a specific 3.3 thing, as things break all the time and people just need to be aware of that risk and understand how to debug the issue and disable plugins, which is easy when you know how.
I would certainly be ensuring that all Active plugins are updated to the latest version before upgrading wordpress. This gives the plugin developers a chance to update their functions in line with new code requirements.
I’m not sure I would advise to disable all plugins before an upgrade. If your site breaks, simply rename the plugins via an ftp client by placing an _ (underscore) in front of the plugin folder name. Then refresh your browser until your site works again. If wordpress can’t find the plugin on load, it will ignore and disable it. This way you can isolate it down easily to a specific plugin or two. Once you’ve found the culprit, rename the folders back and re-activate the plugins.
It’s also important that people understand what fixes are included in the new versions. There were some RTL fixes in WordPress 3.3, which makes your error interesting. Paul over at ineedhelpwithwordpress.com had posted a fix to the Popup Domination issue: http://ineedhelpwithwordpress.com/popup-domination-wordpress-3-3-it-now-works/
Cheers,
Jeremy.