Wordpress-seo: Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly

[Gwendelin]

• [x] I've read and understood the contribution guidelines.
• [x] I've searched for any related issues and avoided creating a duplicate issue.

Please give us a description of what happened.

I was trying to update the plugin and suddenly the update was failed. I was not sure whether it was the connection or another else. I thought I saw error 503. After that I closed my site and went back to the dashboard, the Yoast plugin was deactivated. I activated he plugin and I found that I couldn't install it properly. It was failed. So, my question is, Do I need to delete the plugin and then install it again?

Please describe what you expected to happen and why.

The update should have worked well and this should have been fine that Yoast would not be deactivated accidentally.

How can we reproduce this behavior?

1. Please help me what to do with the plugin. Will it affect my index, sitemap and my site performance?
   2.
   3.

Technical info

• WordPress version:
• Yoast SEO version:
• Relevant plugins in case of a bug:
  
• Tested with theme:

[PMHNC]

I have had a similar experience (to 9781 & 9782)with a Yoast plugin update with Wordpress. First I attempted an update which failed, then I found that Yoast was deactivated - not visible on the Dashboard. When I installed a new version of the Yoast plugin, it will not run because of conflicts - presumably with its earlier version from the failed update?

May 21, 2018 I just responded to a new Yoast update option, which promised to remove old version and replace with new. This update was reported to be successful, but the Yoast plugin is still not operative.

[CarolineGeven]

Thank you for reporting this issue.

@Gwendelin Could you please remove the plugin and reinstall it? You won't lose any settings, as these are stored in your database. Could you inform me of the results?

@PMHNC If I understand correctly, you are not yet able to activate the plugin. Is this correct? Could you remove the plugin again and reinstall it?

[CarolineGeven]

Related to #9781

[PMHNC]

Thanks for your response. Per your instructions, I have deactivated and then deleted the Yoast 7.5.1. Then I reinstalled it. The result is the same as before - a rotating symbol with no functionality or access to Yoast SEO content.

Patrick Horan

---

From: Caroline Geven [e-mail]
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2018 3:04:33 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Thank you for reporting this issue.

@Gwendelinhttps://github.com/Gwendelin Could you please remove the plugin and reinstall it? You won't lose any settings, as these are stored in your database. Could you inform me of the results?

@PMHNChttps://github.com/PMHNC If I understand correctly, you are not yet able to activate the plugin. Is this correct? Could you remove the plugin again and reinstall it?

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[benvaassen]

Can you check and verify if there are multiple folders in your public_html/wp-content/plugins with a name similar to wordpress-seo and delete all of them? You can ask your host for assistance if you don't know how.

We'd like to confirm there are no other folders when you reinstall Yoast SEO.

[PMHNC]

Here are two files in my WP Yoast folder. Are these what I am supposed to delete?

wp-seo.php wp-seo.php-main.php

If so, how do I go about making these deletions from the folder?

Thank you

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 9:12:48 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Can you check and verify if there are multiple folders in your public_html/wp-content/plugins with a name similar to wordpress-seo and delete all of them? You can ask your host for assistance if you don't know how.

We'd like to confirm there are no other folders when you reinstall Yoast SEO.

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391341463, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAct0WVmsOLoy6SGqAjsM64bPcTsDMks5t1WBQgaJpZM4UFl53.

[PMHNC]

Sorry, here are the correct filenames

wp-seo.php wp-seo-main.php

---

From: Patrick M Horan
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 10:42:11 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Here are two files in my WP Yoast folder. Are these what I am supposed to delete?

wp-seo.php wp-seo.php-main.php

If so, how do I go about making these deletions from the folder?

Thank you

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 9:12:48 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Can you check and verify if there are multiple folders in your public_html/wp-content/plugins with a name similar to wordpress-seo and delete all of them? You can ask your host for assistance if you don't know how.

We'd like to confirm there are no other folders when you reinstall Yoast SEO.

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391341463, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAct0WVmsOLoy6SGqAjsM64bPcTsDMks5t1WBQgaJpZM4UFl53.

[Gwendelin]

@PMHNC, Oh.. yeah. I had the similar case and suddenly the plugin was deactived. Then, I decided to uninstall the plugin and tried the newest version. It runs well and I don't find any issue anymore.
@CarolineGeven Hi, Caroline. Thank you for your fast response. I have deactived and uninstalled the plugin. Then I use the newest version of Yoast. You are right. I dont lose any settings and the plugin works well. Thank you! :)
@benvaassen thank you for your help. my case is fixed. :)

[benvaassen]

@Gwendelin Thanks for following up and confirming your issue is fixed :-) glad to hear that.

@PMHNC Please remove the entire WP Yoast folder (and any duplicates there might be) and reinstall the latest version of the plugin 7.5.1. Can you let me know if that fixes your issue?

[PMHNC]

I have repeated the process in Wordpress of deactivating and deleting the Yoast SEO plugin, and then adding and activating the Yoast 7.5.1 plugin (3rd time) and all I have is a rotating symbol - no functionality.

I don't know if this fulfilled your instruction of removing the entire WP Yoast folder? Is that what comes up in the WP plugin editor, or do I have to go somewhere else to find that? I don't know where to look for the public_html/wp-content/plugins source that you mentioned?

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 5:09:43 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

@Gwendelinhttps://github.com/Gwendelin Thanks for following up and confirming your issue is fixed :-) glad to hear that.

@PMHNChttps://github.com/PMHNC Please remove the entire WP Yoast folder (and any duplicates there might be) and reinstall the latest version of the plugin 7.5.1. Can you let me know if that fixes your issue?

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Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391644744, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAcggNECNErvJd4P5lu7WYePY55lmcks5t1njXgaJpZM4UFl53.

[benvaassen]

Your host should be able to help you locate it.

Can you also check for JavaScript errors? You can do so by performing the following steps:

• Open the configuration wizard again.
• Press control+shift+j (on windows) or command+option+j (on mac). This should open your browser's inspector console.
• Reload the page (press F5 on Windows or Cmd + R on Mac).
• Take note of the errors (in red) that appear in the console, and either copy that text or take a screenshot, and share it here.

This will give us more information about what is going wrong. You can also use our extensive guide how to check for JavaScript errors.

Thanks!

[PMHNC]

OK. I went to the directory at my host and deleted the two WP seo files that I noted below.

Then I went back to Word Press and attempted to re-install Yoast SEO and got the following message

Installation failed: Destination folder already exists.

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:48:21 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Your host should be able to help you locate it.

Can you also check for JavaScript errors? You can do so by performing the following steps:

• Open the configuration wizard again.
• Press control+shift+j (on windows) or command+option+j (on mac). This should open your browser's inspector console.
• Reload the page (press F5 on Windows or Cmd + R on Mac).
• Take note of the errors (in red) that appear in the console, and either copy that text or take a screenshot, and share it here.

This will give us more information about what is going wrong. You can also use our extensive guide how to check for JavaScript errorshttps://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-find-javascript-errors-with-your-browsers-console/.

Thanks!

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391685482, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAcm8qxf4jYGIY93nYS2vWvF__yHFsks5t1p4FgaJpZM4UFl53.

[PMHNC]

And attached is an error file from the original update failures for my Yoast SEO and Supercache plugins, which are apparently still 'lurking but inoperative' - and interfering with update efforts?

---

From: Patrick M Horan
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:19:23 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

OK. I went to the directory at my host and deleted the two WP seo files that I noted below.

Then I went back to Word Press and attempted to re-install Yoast SEO and got the following message

Installation failed: Destination folder already exists.

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:48:21 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Your host should be able to help you locate it.

Can you also check for JavaScript errors? You can do so by performing the following steps:

• Open the configuration wizard again.
• Press control+shift+j (on windows) or command+option+j (on mac). This should open your browser's inspector console.
• Reload the page (press F5 on Windows or Cmd + R on Mac).
• Take note of the errors (in red) that appear in the console, and either copy that text or take a screenshot, and share it here.

This will give us more information about what is going wrong. You can also use our extensive guide how to check for JavaScript errorshttps://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-find-javascript-errors-with-your-browsers-console/.

Thanks!

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391685482, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAcm8qxf4jYGIY93nYS2vWvF__yHFsks5t1p4FgaJpZM4UFl53.

[PMHNC]

This is apparently the relevant error message for the failed plugin update(s):

[26-Apr-2018 20:21:28 UTC] PHP Warning: trim() expects parameter 1 to be string, array given in /home1/hemlocks/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-query.php on line 736

Perhaps this provides useful information for trouble-shooting?

Patrick Horan

Saving Hemlocks:
HWA Biocontrol for Hemlock Restoration
http://savinghemlocks.org
Sapphire, NC 28774
(828)-884-5097

---

From: Patrick M Horan
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:49:01 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

And attached is an error file from the original update failures for my Yoast SEO and Supercache plugins, which are apparently still 'lurking but inoperative' - and interfering with update efforts?

---

From: Patrick M Horan
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 8:19:23 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

OK. I went to the directory at my host and deleted the two WP seo files that I noted below.

Then I went back to Word Press and attempted to re-install Yoast SEO and got the following message

Installation failed: Destination folder already exists.

---

From: Ben Vaassen [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2018 7:48:21 AM
To: Yoast/wordpress-seo
Cc: Patrick M Horan; Mention
Subject: Re: [Yoast/wordpress-seo] Trying to Update the Plugin, and suddenly It was deactivated, then I couldn't Install It Properly (#9782)

Your host should be able to help you locate it.

Can you also check for JavaScript errors? You can do so by performing the following steps:

• Open the configuration wizard again.
• Press control+shift+j (on windows) or command+option+j (on mac). This should open your browser's inspector console.
• Reload the page (press F5 on Windows or Cmd + R on Mac).
• Take note of the errors (in red) that appear in the console, and either copy that text or take a screenshot, and share it here.

This will give us more information about what is going wrong. You can also use our extensive guide how to check for JavaScript errorshttps://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-find-javascript-errors-with-your-browsers-console/.

Thanks!

—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHubhttps://github.com/Yoast/wordpress-seo/issues/9782#issuecomment-391685482, or mute the threadhttps://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AlqAcm8qxf4jYGIY93nYS2vWvF__yHFsks5t1p4FgaJpZM4UFl53.

[benvaassen]

Can you create a new issue and follow our template/documentation @PMHNC ? You seem to have a different issue than the one created by the owner of this issue. I'll close this one, as the initial issue has been solved and I'll respond to your new issue once you've created one.