Trilobita

DocVault Troubleshooting

Solutions to common issues with DocVault.

File Upload Issues

“File type not allowed” error

DocVault only accepts these file types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, RTF, CSV, TXT.

If your file is one of these types but still rejected, check that the file extension matches the actual file type. Renaming a file (e.g., renaming a .txt to .pdf) won’t work—the plugin validates the actual file content.

“File too large” error

The maximum upload size is controlled by your server’s PHP settings, not the plugin. Check these values in your php.ini or contact your host:

  • upload_max_filesize — Maximum size of a single upload
  • post_max_size — Should be larger than upload_max_filesize
  • memory_limit — Should be larger than post_max_size

You can see your current limit at Media → Add New — WordPress displays “Maximum upload file size” at the bottom.

Upload appears to hang or times out

Large files may exceed your server’s execution time limit. Ask your host to increase max_execution_time in php.ini, or upload smaller files.

Download Issues

404 error when clicking download link

The plugin uses custom URL rewrite rules. Try these fixes:

  1. Go to Settings → Permalinks
  2. Click “Save Changes” (you don’t need to change anything)
  3. This flushes the rewrite rules

If that doesn’t work, deactivate and reactivate the plugin to re-register the rules.

“You do not have permission to access this document”

The document has access restrictions. Check:

  • Edit the document and check the Access Control settings
  • Verify the user is logged in (if set to “Logged-in users”)
  • Verify the user has the required role (Pro: if set to specific roles)
  • Check the global default access at Documents → Settings

Download starts but file is corrupted or empty

Usually caused by PHP output before the file download. Check for:

  • Blank lines or spaces before <?php in theme or plugin files
  • PHP errors being output (enable WP_DEBUG to check)
  • Caching plugins interfering—try excluding /trdv/download/ from cache

Direct File Access

Site Health says document files can be downloaded directly

DocVault serves documents only through its own download and view links, which apply your access restrictions and expiry dates. Tools → Site Health tests whether a stored file can also be opened from its /wp-content/uploads/ address. If it can, anyone who knows or guesses that address can download the file, even if the document is restricted or expired.

Nginx: Nginx ignores .htaccess files. Add this rule to your site’s server block and reload Nginx, or ask your host to add it:

location ^~ /wp-content/uploads/trdv-documents/ { deny all; }

If your site has a legacy sdm-documents folder from an early version of the plugin, add the same rule for that folder too. Site Health shows the exact rule for your site’s upload path.

Apache: DocVault writes the required rules to an .htaccess file in each upload folder. Make sure .htaccess files are allowed for your uploads folder (AllowOverride) and that the web server can write to it.

Then run Site Health again to confirm the warning has cleared.

Site Health could not verify protection

The check makes a test request from your site to itself. If that request fails, or the server returns an unexpected response, DocVault cannot confirm the result. Check manually: open the address of a stored file in /wp-content/uploads/trdv-documents/ in a private browser window. It should be refused with a 403 Forbidden error. If it downloads, apply the rule above.

Shortcode Issues

Shortcode displays as plain text

The shortcode [trdv_list] appears as text instead of rendering the document table.

  • Verify the plugin is activated
  • Check for typos in the shortcode
  • Ensure you’re not inside a code block or preformatted text

Document table appears but no documents shown

  • Verify documents are published (not draft or pending)
  • Check if you’re filtering by category that has no documents: [trdv_list category="example"]
  • Verify documents have files attached (a document without an uploaded file won’t display)
  • Check access control—the current user may not have permission to view any documents

AJAX search not working

The search box appears but searching doesn’t filter results or shows an error.

  • Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  • Verify jQuery is loading (required by WordPress)
  • Check for plugin conflicts—try deactivating other plugins temporarily
  • Ensure your theme calls wp_footer() before </body>

Version History Issues

Old versions not appearing

In the free plugin, version history is limited to 5 versions. Older versions are automatically removed when you upload new ones. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited version history.

Restore not working

When clicking “Restore” on a previous version:

  • Check that the original file still exists in /wp-content/uploads/trdv-documents/
  • Verify you have permission to edit the document
  • Check browser console for AJAX errors

Pro-Specific Issues

Audit log is empty

The audit log only records events that happen after Pro is installed and activated. Historical events aren’t retroactively logged.

If new events aren’t appearing:

  1. Go to Documents → Settings
  2. Verify “Enable audit logging” is checked in Pro Features
  3. Deactivate and reactivate Pro to ensure the database table is created

Download statistics not showing detailed data

Download statistics appear in the document edit screen. If you only see “Total Downloads” without the detailed breakdown:

  • Detailed stats (downloads by version, recent downloads) require Pro
  • Data is only shown for documents with at least one download
  • Verify Pro is activated

Approval workflow not appearing

  • Go to Documents → Settings and enable “Enable approval workflow”
  • Under Who can approve, choose Administrators only or Administrators and Editors
  • Save settings

Email notifications not sending

  • Verify email notifications are enabled in settings
  • Check that recipient email addresses are correct
  • Test that WordPress can send email (try the password reset function)
  • Consider using an SMTP plugin if emails aren’t being delivered

Migration and Backup

Documents missing after site migration

When migrating to a new server or domain:

  1. Ensure /wp-content/uploads/trdv-documents/ was included in the migration
  2. Verify file permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files)
  3. Go to Settings → Permalinks and save to flush rewrite rules
  4. If URLs changed, run a search-replace on the database for old URLs

Restoring from backup

To fully restore DocVault:

  • Restore the database (includes document posts and metadata)
  • Restore /wp-content/uploads/trdv-documents/ (the actual files)
  • Restore /wp-content/uploads/ attachment entries if using WordPress media library references

Performance Issues

Document list loading slowly

With hundreds of documents:

  • Use pagination in the shortcode: [trdv_list per_page="20"]
  • Enable object caching (Redis or Memcached) if available
  • Consider using categories to split large libraries

Still Need Help?

Free plugin: Post on the WordPress.org support forum.

Pro plugin: Contact support with your licence email and site details.

When reporting issues, please include:

  • WordPress version
  • Plugin version (free and Pro if applicable)
  • PHP version
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • Any error messages (check browser console and PHP error log)