Troubleshooting

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do customers need WordPress accounts?

No. Customers authenticate via OTP (one-time password) codes sent by email or SMS, or via a PIN they set after their first login. Customer data is stored in a dedicated custom database table (wp_vcp_customers), entirely separate from the WordPress users table. This means customers never see the WordPress admin area and do not count toward any WordPress user limits.

Can I customize the frontend templates?

Yes. Copy any template from wp-content/plugins/vetcarepress/templates/frontend/ to wp-content/themes/your-theme/vetcarepress/ and modify it. The plugin automatically detects theme overrides and uses them instead of the bundled templates. See the Template Reference for the complete list of overridable templates.

Is SMS required?

No. All VetCarePress features work with email alone. SMS is an optional channel for:

OTP authentication codes
Notifications to customers
Vaccination reminders

If you do not configure an SMS provider, the plugin will use email for all communications.

What happens when I deactivate the plugin?

When VetCarePress is deactivated:

Scheduled cron jobs are cleared.
Rewrite rules are flushed.
The license is deactivated (releasing the activation slot).
All data is preserved — custom tables, post types, and settings remain intact.

You can reactivate the plugin at any time and resume normal operation.

What happens when I uninstall (delete) the plugin?

The uninstall behavior is defined in uninstall.php. Custom database tables and stored data may be removed during a full uninstall. Always create a database backup before deleting the plugin if you want to preserve your data.

Can I use VetCarePress with any WordPress theme?

Yes. VetCarePress is compatible with any WordPress theme. Block themes can use the provided Gutenberg blocks (patient-portal, customer-view). Classic themes can use shortcodes to embed VetCarePress features on any page.

How do I reset rewrite rules?

Two methods:

Manual: Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes (no changes needed — just saving triggers a flush).
Automatic: Change any URL slug in VetCarePress > Settings > Advanced. Saving the settings automatically flushes rewrite rules.

Can staff create taxonomy terms from the Staff Dashboard?

Yes. Inline term creation is available via Select2 "Add New" functionality on all taxonomy fields in the Staff Dashboard. This allows staff to add new species, breeds, and other terms on the fly.

Full term editing and deletion (renaming, merging, setting descriptions) requires access to WP-Admin.

How do I add a new species?

Go to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Species taxonomy.
Add the new species with a name and color.
Create lab panels and markers for that species (blood, urine, and/or stool panels as needed).

Once panels and markers are defined, the species will appear in all relevant dropdowns and the lab data entry forms.

Can multiple staff members use VetCarePress simultaneously?

Yes. VetCarePress operates as a standard WordPress multi-user application. Assign the vcp_staff role to each staff member who needs access. There is no limit on concurrent users beyond your hosting capacity. See Roles & Capabilities for details on role assignment and permission customization.

Common Issues

404 Errors on Patient URLs

Cause: Rewrite rules have not been flushed after plugin activation or after changing URL slugs in settings.

Fix:

Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes.
Alternatively, deactivate and reactivate the plugin.
If you recently changed a slug in VetCarePress > Settings > Advanced, saving those settings should have triggered an automatic flush. If the issue persists, use the manual Permalinks method above.

OTP Emails Not Arriving

Verify these:

wp_mail() functionality: Install an SMTP plugin (e.g., WP Mail SMTP) and send a test email to confirm WordPress can deliver mail from your server.
Spam folder: OTP emails may be filtered by the recipient’s email provider.
Sender address: Verify that vcp_clinic_email is set in VetCarePress > Settings > General. This address is used as the "From" address for all outbound emails.
Notification Log: Check the notification log in WP-Admin for entries with a "failed" status. The error message column will indicate the cause of delivery failure.

SMS Not Sending

Verify:

Provider credentials: Verify that the API credentials (Account SID, Auth Token, API Key, etc.) are entered correctly in VetCarePress > Settings > SMS.
Account balance: Ensure your Twilio or Vonage account has sufficient credit.
From number: The configured sender number must be a valid, SMS-capable number provisioned in your provider account.
Test delivery: Use the Send Test SMS button in VetCarePress > Settings > SMS to send a test message.
Notification Log: Check the notification log for error messages and raw provider responses. Common errors include invalid credentials, insufficient funds, and unverified destination numbers (in trial accounts).

License Not Activating

Troubleshoot:

Outbound HTTPS: Ensure your server can make outbound HTTPS requests. Some hosting providers or security plugins block external API calls.
DNS resolution: Verify that your server can resolve the VetCarePress license server hostname.
License key format: Confirm the license key was copied correctly with no leading/trailing spaces.
Grace period: VetCarePress includes a 7-day grace period that allows continued operation during temporary license validation failures. If activation fails but the plugin was previously activated, it will continue to function for up to 7 days.

DICOM Viewer Not Loading

Verify:

JavaScript console: Open the browser developer tools (F12) and check the Console tab for errors.
File integrity: Verify the DICOM file was uploaded correctly by checking the file size in the Media Library.
Browser compatibility: The DICOM viewer requires a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari). Older browsers may not support the required JavaScript APIs.

Share Links Not Working

Verify:

Sharing enabled: Verify that vcp_allow_staff_share or vcp_allow_customer_share is enabled in VetCarePress > Settings.
Token expiry: Check whether the share token has expired. The expiry duration is controlled by vcp_record_share_expiry_days in settings.
Revocation: The share link may have been manually revoked by a staff member. Check the share list for the patient or record.

Staff Dashboard Shows "Access Denied"

Cause: The user does not have the vcp_manage_patients capability, which is required for Staff Dashboard access.

Fix:

Go to WP-Admin > Users and edit the affected user.
Assign the VCP Staff or Administrator role.
See Roles & Capabilities for details on the capability system.

Missing Default Lab Markers After Activation

The default lab marker seeding is idempotent and only runs if no panels exist for a given type. If panels were manually deleted:

Open your database or use a plugin like WP-CLI.
Set the option vcp_needs_default_lab_markers to '1' in the wp_options table.
Reload any admin page. The seeding process will run again and recreate the default panels and markers.

Plugin Shows "Composer Autoload Not Found"

Cause: The Composer vendor/ directory is missing from the plugin installation.

Fix:

Option A: Run composer install in the VetCarePress plugin directory (wp-content/plugins/vetcarepress/).
Option B: Re-upload the plugin from the original distribution ZIP file, which includes the vendor/ directory with all dependencies.

This error typically occurs when the plugin is installed via Git clone without running Composer, or when the vendor/ directory is accidentally deleted.

See also: FAQ, Roles & Capabilities, REST API