[Gelöst] WPBakery Media Grid translation is unreliable and WPML workflow is extremely frustrating and slow!

Hi Marcel,

I found another important observation that may help identify the issue.

After adding the following custom WPML XML configuration:

<wpml-config>
<shortcodes>
<shortcode>
<tag>vcex_image_grid</tag>
<attributes>
<attribute type="media-ids">image_ids</attribute>
</attributes>
</shortcode>
</shortcodes>
</wpml-config>

the behavior of the Advanced Translation Editor changed.

For the first time, the ATE displayed a dedicated Media section containing the images from the Image Grid, including their Title, Caption, and Alt Text.

This is actually the behavior I would expect and it is exactly what I want, since I actively translate the image metadata for SEO and accessibility.

However, the behavior is still inconsistent.

Some pages correctly generate this Media section and display the Image Grid on the translated frontend, while other pages do not. Those pages either do not process the Image Grid correctly or the grid remains empty on the translated page.

So the XML configuration clearly has an effect, but it does not seem to be applied consistently across all pages containing the vcex_image_grid shortcode.

Hopefully this additional information helps narrow down the issue.

Best regards,

Dirk

Hi,

I have already created a dedicated staging environment specifically for this issue and sent you all the required access credentials (WP Admin and FTP) in my previous reply to Marcel.

Please feel free to use the staging site in any way you need. You can test, debug, modify or even break things there without any concerns. That's exactly why I created it.

The only thing I would prefer to avoid is installing an additional migration plugin such as Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration, as I have already provided a complete staging environment for your investigation.

To be honest, I'm getting a little frustrated because it's been almost another week, and I'm still sitting here without any idea how to move forward. I created the staging site to help speed up the investigation, so I would really appreciate it if we could continue working with that environment.

Thank you, and I look forward to your findings.

Hello Lucas,

I really need one more clarification here.

On the staging site, I still only see the old vcex_image_grid XML configuration in WPML > Settings > Custom XML Configuration.

Also, my actual issue is not only that the media IDs should be detected. I need the image metadata from the media grid to appear in the Advanced Translation Editor, specifically the image Title, Caption and Alt Text.

With a previous configuration, the images appeared inside ATE as a separate “Media” section, including Title, Caption and Alt Text fields. That is the behaviour I need to restore.

Does your suggested vc_media_grid configuration also make the image Title, Caption and Alt Text available in ATE? If yes, where exactly should these fields appear after updating the original page?

If not, could you please provide the complete XML configuration needed so the media grid images and their metadata are available for translation in ATE?

Best regards, Dirk

Hello again, Lucas!

I tested this on multiple pages now and found a reproducible workaround myself.

The media fields do not appear in ATE when I only update/save the original page.

However, the fields appear reliably after doing this:

1. Open the original German page.
2. Open the WPBakery Media Grid element.
3. Save the Media Grid element without making any changes.
4. Update/save the whole page.
5. Open the translation in ATE again.

After that, the images appear in ATE as separate Media sections, including Title, Caption and Alt Text.

So the issue seems to be that WPML/ATE does not detect the media grid attachments until WPBakery re-saves or re-serializes the Media Grid element itself.

I have to be honest: this whole process has been extremely frustrating. What was supposed to be a two-day task has now taken more than a week, and I have to justify this delay to my client.

The communication has also been very difficult. I first discussed the issue with another supporter, then with you, and I repeatedly received similar answers that did not seem to take my previous replies or test results into account. This made the process feel like starting from scratch several times instead of moving forward based on the information already provided.

Some replies were also slow, partly incorrect or contradictory. For example, the email notification showed different XML values than the forum thread, and on staging I still only saw the old XML configuration. This made it very hard to understand what was actually changed or verified.

Also, the working XML configuration and now this reproducible workaround were not provided by WPML. I had to work them out myself while trying to keep the project moving.

At this point, I need a clear technical answer:

Can WPML force this reprocessing globally for all affected pages, so I do not have to manually open and save every single WPBakery Media Grid element?

If this is a known limitation or bug with WPBakery Media Grid and ATE, please confirm that clearly, so I can plan the remaining work and communicate the situation properly to my client.

Best regards
Dirk

PS: My client is already planning to translate additional websites once this project is running properly. But after this experience, I have to be honest: I am not sure whether I can confidently recommend WPML for those projects.

Hello Lucas,

thank you for clarifying the email/forum difference.

However, the vcex_image_grid / image_ids XML configuration is already present on the production website and was also visible on staging. So the XML itself does not seem to be the missing piece!!!

The important point is that the Media fields did not appear in ATE just because this XML was present or because the original page was updated.

I have now tested this on multiple pages and found that the Media fields only appear reliably after opening the WPBakery Media Grid element itself on a german post, saving that element without changes, and then updating the whole original german page.

So the issue is not only the XML registration. It seems WPML/ATE does not re-detect the media grid attachments until WPBakery re-saves/re-serializes the Media Grid element.

Could you please confirm whether this re-saving of each Media Grid element is required, or whether WPML provides a way to force this reprocessing globally for all affected pages?

And..., I totally understand that code snippets may not display correctly in email notifications.

However, this is exactly part of the confusion I am trying to point out: the email showed different values than the forum, while the forum showed the same XML configuration that was already present on the website. And on top of that, I figured out the XML all by myself!

So from my side, checking both the email and the forum did not make the answer clearer. It made it more confusing, because the visible information was contradictory.

The main issue remains: the vcex_image_grid / image_ids XML configuration was already present, but the Media fields only appeared in ATE after opening and saving the WPBakery Media Grid on all German sites and posts and then updating the page.

So the correct answer should actually be:

1. Open the German site
2. Open the grid element and save it!
3. Save the page again ... and your images will then appear in ATE!

It's simple as that... 🙄

Best regards,

Dirk