wpml added a URL from a language that does not exist and URL cant be removed

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client reported an issue where a URL with a language prefix that does not match any of the activated languages in WPML (Austrian German 'de-at') was added and could not be removed. This URL was incorrectly listed in the sitemap.

Solution:
We resolved the issue by manually removing the erroneous entry from the database. Specifically, in the posts table, there was a leftover entry for 'test-pagew'. After deleting this entry, the URL no longer appears in the sitemap.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 8 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Waqas Bin Hasan 2 months, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Waqas Bin Hasan.

Author	Posts
September 2, 2024 at 8:54 pm #16133504
nickS-28	Background of the issue: solve: wpml added a URL from a language that does not exist and URL cant be removed Symptoms: Questions:
September 3, 2024 at 7:14 am #16134113
Waqas Bin Hasan Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Hi, Thank you for contacting the support. Can you please explain the issue in more detail, along with the URL or the page you're referring to? Regards.
September 9, 2024 at 9:50 pm #16158947
nickS-28	hidden link This URL exists, which stands for Austrian German, but the only two languages activated in wPML are en-us English for US and de-de German for Germany hidden link is listed in the sitemap and now way to remove it
September 10, 2024 at 7:10 am #16159505
Waqas Bin Hasan Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thank you for the updates. Based on your debug information, looks like de-at, at some point in the past, was an active language, is this correct? If yes, I think there're some remnants of that language. I'll recommend to try the following: IMPORTANT: Please take full backup of your website and database beforehand. It is highly advised to try this on a staging/dev site first, so your live website isn't compromised. - Try these WPML Troubleshooting options. - And check if this helps resolving the issue. If it doesn't, then please try the following: 1) Take a full backup of your site and database before proceeding. 2) Deactivate all plugins except WPML. 3) Switch to a standard theme like 2024. You may also check with your parent theme. 4) Check for the issue if it still happens. 5) Then start activating plugins one by one while keep checking for the issue. This way you 'll be able to pinpoint a conflict when & where it starts creating the problem. 6) If after activating all plugins you see that it still works fine, then switch to your theme and see if that's causing it. Please let me know your findings and I'll try my best to help you further on the matter.
September 10, 2024 at 5:15 pm #16163033
nickS-28	didnt help. also, the option "reset languages" deleted one language alltogether and I had to restore a backup
September 11, 2024 at 5:46 am #16164261
Waqas Bin Hasan Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thank you for the updates. I need to take a closer look at your site. So I request temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP), preferably to a test site where the problem has been replicated. Your next answer will be private, to share this information safely. Also provide detailed steps to reproduce the issue and links to pages in the admin and on the frontend. IMPORTANT: Please take a complete backup of the site to avoid data loss. I may need to activate/deactivate plugins also. See https://wpml.org/purchase/support-policy/privacy-and-security-when-providing-debug-information-for-support/ for details on privacy and security.
September 11, 2024 at 12:52 pm #16166540
Waqas Bin Hasan Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thank you for the access. I am working on this and 'll get back to you as soon as I find something or have a solution.
September 11, 2024 at 1:14 pm #16166650
nickS-28	thank you
September 12, 2024 at 6:06 am #16168820
Waqas Bin Hasan Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thank you for your patience and cooperation. I was able to fix that URL by removing it from the database. In posts table, there was a left over entry for "test-pagew", after deleting it, it is not present in the sitemap anymore.