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[Waiting for user confirmation] Bug in a category

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This topic contains 9 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Dražen 1 day, 3 hours ago.

Assisted by: Dražen.

Author Posts
February 25, 2026 at 3:32 am #17849175

Gilbert

Hello, for weeks now, we are getting a "critical error" if we try to access this link in English hidden link
It works in French and on all other action taxonomies.
Your assistance would be much appreciated.
February 25, 2026 at 4:09 am #17849199

Osama Mersal

Hi,

Thanks for contacting WPML support — I’ll be glad to help.

To investigate the “critical error”, I’ll need the WordPress debug log so we can see the exact PHP error being triggered.

1) Enable WordPress debugging

Please open the wp-config.php file (in your site’s root folder) and find:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

Replace it with:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
@ini_set('display_errors', 0);

2) Reproduce the issue

After saving the file, please try opening the English URL again to trigger the error.

3) Share the debug log

Then check this file on your server: /wp-content/debug.log

Please copy the contents of that file to Pastebin and share the Pastebin link with me:
https://pastebin.com/

More info (WordPress official guide):
https://wordpress.org/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/

Best regards,
Osama
February 25, 2026 at 7:23 am #17849598

Gilbert

Hello Osama,
So I pasted the log for you, only the last lines of errors that it was possible to paste.
Our file is over 500MB of the same errors for months now, and mostly have to do with the translation !

I hope you will be able to find a solution...
Thank you

https://pastebin.com/PUwRcsjp
February 26, 2026 at 1:13 am #17853220

Osama Mersal

Hi,

Thank you for sharing the log details.

Since the fatal error indicates memory exhaustion during a database operation, deeper runtime debugging is required to identify the exact query or component that triggered it.

To properly investigate, I’ll need temporary access to:

* WP-Admin
* FTP (or hosting file access)

Preferably on a staging/test site where the issue can be reproduced.

Your reply will remain private — only you and I will be able to see the access details.

Please make a full backup of both your files and database before sharing access.

✙ I’ll need your permission to temporarily deactivate/reactivate plugins or themes and adjust configurations during testing. This is why the backup is essential.

✙ I may also need your permission to take a local copy of the site to debug the issue safely without affecting the live environment.

Best regards,
Osama
March 1, 2026 at 1:13 am #17862377

Osama Mersal

Hi Gilbert,

Sorry for the late reply due to the weekend.

Thanks for the access details. I checked the settings, and everything seems to be correct. I need your permission to install the Duplicator Pro plugin to take a local copy of your site to debug the issue and consult our 2nd-tier support team without affecting your live site.

Best regards,
Osama
March 1, 2026 at 2:45 am #17862403

Gilbert

Hello Osama,
Yes please proceed.
I must warn you that the website is very large and has hundred of thousands of files due to the media library.
If the backup fails, you can try to exclude the "uploads" folder.
Thanks again for your assistance.
Gilbert

March 1, 2026 at 4:46 am #17862410

Osama Mersal

Hi Gilbert,

Thanks for your permission. I investigated the issue in detail, and here’s what I found so far:

Summary of Findings

  • The fatal error is caused by memory exhaustion during a database operation (wpdb).
    This is why the server returns a 500 error, and WordPress displays the “critical error” page.
  • The issue is not caused by WPML alone:
    • The page remains very slow even when WPML is deactivated, which indicates that the root cause lies in the theme or query logic.
    • WPML may add some overhead (such as additional joins for language filtering), but it is not responsible for creating the heavy query that exhausts memory.
  • The issue appears to be specific to the first page of the archive:
    • /action/phuket-villa-for-rent/page/2/ loads correctly.
    • /action/phuket-villa-for-rent/ (page 1) fails with a memory error.

    This strongly suggests that additional logic is executed only on page 1 (for example: map pin generation, featured listings logic, advanced search initialization, etc.).

  • The issue was successfully reproduced locally after importing the theme settings (WpResidence / WpEstate options).<br> This confirms that the trigger is very likely related to a specific theme setting (or a combination of settings), rather than the number of listings (the archive shows only 18 listings with pagination).

Most Likely Causes

Based on comparing the working and failing theme configurations, the differences point to features that can generate heavy queries on taxonomy/archive pages, especially:

  • Custom URL rewrites (including the 
    action

    rewrite slug)

  • Custom advanced search and large custom fields configuration
  • Map / half-map related behavior (pin generation, clustering, etc.)
  • Theme cache / minify settings

Next Steps

I'll consult our 2nd-tier support team and update you as soon as I get their reply.

Best regards,
Osama
March 4, 2026 at 10:55 am #17871568

Dražen
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+01:00)

Hello Gilbert,

Thank you for your patience.

I checked further with our 2nd-tier team. They installed the package and tested the site locally, and in their environment the archive page loads normally and promptly, without any memory errors.

Because of this, and considering that the issue appears even when WPML is disabled, it suggests that the problem is not directly caused by WPML. The behavior is likely related to the specific server environment or configuration where the site is currently running.

The recommended next step would be to reproduce the issue in a controlled environment. Ideally, this should be done on a staging site that is hosted on the same server and uses the same configuration as your live site. This would allow testing with minimal plugins and theme settings to identify which component or configuration is triggering the heavy query or memory exhaustion.

Since the package runs without issues locally and also since issue still happens when WPML disabled, the investigation would need to focus on the hosting environment and theme behavior under that setup.

Please let me know if have any questions or if you discover any additional information that points issue is caused by WPML.

Regards,
Dražen
March 5, 2026 at 1:53 am #17873473

Gilbert

Hello Dražen
Thank you for your explanations and assistance. I will try to get a staging up and running and do the tests then and revert back to you.
It is strange that this is happening only on this "action" (villa for rent) and not the others.
Again, much appreciated.
Gilbert

March 5, 2026 at 6:11 am #17873579

Dražen
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+01:00)

Hello Gilbert,

thanks, and sure sounds like a plan.

If you notice anything weird that comes back to WPML, feel free to contact I will be glad to have further look.

Regards,
Drazen