Background of the issue:
I am experiencing an issue with WPML on our multilingual site with four languages. Specifically, when attempting to edit any Chinese language content—whether it’s a page, product, or other item—I receive the error message: "You attempted to edit an item that does not exist. Perhaps it was deleted?" The Chinese content items are existing, published, and have been functioning well for some time. This issue occurs only with Chinese language content. All other languages are editable and working perfectly. The error appears when attempting to edit from within WordPress. However, when using the WPML Translator, it only allows translating the page title and category, with no access to other content fields. My client attempted to update existing Chinese content but ran into this error, which was not present initially. Link to a page where the issue can be seen: hidden link
Symptoms:
When attempting to edit any Chinese language content, I receive the error message: "You attempted to edit an item that does not exist. Perhaps it was deleted?" This issue occurs only with Chinese language content. The error appears when attempting to edit from within WordPress, and the WPML Translator only allows translating the page title and category.
Questions:
Could this be due to a plugin conflict?
Is it possibly a bug within WPML itself?
I understand the issue you're facing. The screenshot you've shared shows the post ID, So I tried to access the post but encountered an error because the Chinese language code was missing from the URL. However, when I manually added the language code to the URL, I was able to access the post. This suggests that the language information may not have been correctly assigned to the post, which is likely why it isn't accessible.
Please try the following steps and check if they help in solving the issue.
- Please go to WPML > Support > Troubleshooting
- Click on the following buttons:
-- Synchronize posts taxonomies [Select the post type from the dropdown and then click the button]
-- Clear the cache in WPML
-- Remove ghost entries from the translation tables
-- Assign translation status to duplicated content
-- Set language information
-- Fix post-type assignment for translations
- Once done, clear the caches from your site and browser.
- Go to "Settings > Permalinks" and resave the permalink structure.
- Try to access the Chinese version of the post in the editor.
Please let me know how it goes. I'll be happy to help if you need further assistance in this matter.
Thanks for your help. I wanted to update you on my issue. I tried your method, but I am still unable to access pages under /ch/ in the Editor. On the frontend, I can view these pages without any problems.
Today, I noticed something that might explain the issue—based on the attached image, it seems that the CH language was removed and then added back, which may have caused a problem in the database. To clarify, the issue only persists in the post type produkt. The problem is specific to accessing the backend editor; we can access the WordPress editor without any issues on other pages.
Do you have any comments on this, or is there any guide you would recommend following? Thanks in advance.
Hello There!
I hope you're doing well. Sorry for the delay in responding due to the weekend.
Thank you for the update. Based on the screenshot you shared, the issue appears to be related to the deletion of the Chinese language.
The content primarily belongs to the previously active Chinese language. All the posts and content contain information about the deleted Chinese language. Since this language no longer exists, any attempt to edit posts created under the previous Chinese version results in an error.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Re-add the previous version of the Chinese language and keep it active. If you prefer to switch to the new version, proceed with the following steps:
- Click on the "Add/Remove Languages" button, and you will see the previous Chinese language version on the list. Select it and add the language while keeping the existing Chinese language as well.
2. Once added, try opening the Chinese posts in the editor.
3. If the posts open successfully, update the language information for the Chinese posts to the new Chinese language. For guidance on this process, refer to this screenshot: hidden link.
4. Once the language information of all the Chinese posts is updated to the new Chinese language, you can delete the Older Chinese language. Then run the troubleshooting steps I've shared in my first message.
The issue should be resolved after following these steps. However, if you need further assistance, please feel free to let me know. I'll be happy to take a closer look and assist you further in this matter.
Thank you for your detailed explanation and steps! This method seems to work well. 😊
I wanted to ask if there’s an option to manipulate the database directly to add all translations from the old Chinese language to the new one. This would help us avoid translating the same content twice. Please let me know if that's possible and what steps would be involved.
Thank you for the update! I’m glad to hear the steps you provided are working well for you. 😊
Regarding your query about transferring translations directly from the old Chinese language to the new one via the database, this is entirely possible. Below are the SQL queries we can use to achieve this.
⚠️ Please make sure to backup the site and database before making any changes in the Database.
1. Update Language Codes in WPML Tables: We’ll update the `language_code` in the `wp_icl_translations` table for all translations assigned to the old language code:
UPDATE wp_icl_translations
SET language_code = 'new_language_code'
WHERE language_code = 'old_language_code';
You can get the language code from the _icl_languages table.
2. Update Post Metadata (if applicable): If any metadata is linked to the old language, we’ll update it as well:
UPDATE wp_postmeta
SET meta_value = REPLACE(meta_value, 'old_language_code', 'new_language_code')
WHERE meta_key = '_wpml_language';
Please test with one post/page first and if it helps, proceed to update the rest.
Once updated, please try the following steps:
1. Flush Caches: Clear any site or server caches to reflect changes.
2. Test Thoroughly: We’ll verify that translations are correctly migrated and functioning as expected.
3. WPML Tools: Use WPML’s troubleshooting tools to sync missing translations and clear language caches.
I hope the information above will help. Please feel free to let me know if you need further assistance or clarification on any particular step. I'll be happy to help.
I did my best to fix it, but unfortunately I wasn't able to.
The only way I see to fix this is to delete all the entries for the CH translations for the 'product' post type and add them again from scratch. That way it works, but since there are 50 entries, I wanted to try to manipulate it through the database. Do you provide support in the sense of having one of your developers try to do it? We could set up a staging environment for you if possible. Best regards
Hi There!
I hope you're doing well. Sorry for the delay in responding due to the weekend.
I understand your situation. Please note that there is no need to delete the previous Chinese translation. Instead, keep both the previous and new Chinese languages active, and simply change the language of the previous Chinese translation to the new Chinese language, as outlined here: #16412644
This is also possible to update the language code from the Database, which I've shared in my previous response.
These suggestions should help resolve the issue. While custom coding support is beyond our usual scope, since you're facing difficulties, I'm happy to take a look and assist you further.
If you can replicate the issue on a staging site, please share the access to that site in the next response. Please also make sure that the Database is accessible on that site through a plugin like WP Phpmyadmin.
I enabled the Private fields for you so that you can securely share the access to your site.
Looking forward to your response and I'm always here to help!
Hi There!
Thank you for sharing the access details.
I followed your instructions and checked by opening an existing product in Chinese. The Chinese version of the products is accessible without any issues, even when I'm not logged into the site. For more clarity, please refer to this video: hidden link
Since everything is functioning correctly in the Chinese language on the staging site, has the issue been resolved there? If not, please let me know if there's a specific step I might be overlooking to replicate the issue. I'll review it and do my best to assist you further.
When I mentioned the backend, I was referring to the inability to open the Classic Editor for editing pages in the admin mode, not just opening the page itself. Through our chat, I clarified that the frontend is working fine; the issue lies in not being able to edit the page at all in the Classic Editor when in admin mode.
When I first checked the issue, the Chinese products were also not visible on the frontend, which led me to focus my investigation on the frontend.
However, after further checking, I was able to identify the issue. Despite trying several solutions, such as resetting the language, updating the language code, and modifying the slug for the Chinese language post, none of them resolved the issue. Interestingly, when the Chinese post is set to draft, it becomes possible to open the post in the WordPress editor without any problems.
It seems there is an issue with the Chinese language that requires further investigation. I have escalated the matter to our 2nd tier team, and I hope they will be able to identify the root cause and provide a solution.
As soon as I have more updates on this, I will surely inform you. Thank you for your patience and kind cooperation in this matter.
Hi There!
Thank you for your patience while we're working on this issue!
Our 2nd tier team has investigated and found that when the Chinese slug of the post type is changed to anything in English, the Chinese posts open correctly in the editor. You can try this by going to `WPML > Settings > Post Type Translation` and changing the slug of the `produkte` post type to any English word. Simply replace '产品' with any English term.
We need to check if there are any limitations on using non-Latin characters in the post slug. In the meantime, you can change the Chinese slug to any English term and continue with this solution if you want.
As soon as I have more updates on it, I will surely inform you. Thank you for your patience and kind cooperation in this matter.
