[Resolved] Need help setting up the secondary domains for my translations
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client was experiencing issues with setting up secondary domains for translations using WPML. They wanted to set up damwebdesign.at for German and dam-webdesign.com for English, with both pointing to the main site damwebdesign.cz. Additionally, they encountered a WP memory limit issue, set to 40 MB instead of the required 128 MB for WPML. Solution: For the domain setup issue, we advised the client to ensure that both dam-webdesign.com and damwebdesign.at domains point to the same server IP as damwebdesign.cz without any blockages. We recommended not to redirect but to maintain the URL structure for each language domain. We provided a link to our documentation on how to configure DNS settings for different domains per language: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/language-url-options/how-to-use-wpml-with-different-domains-per-language/#2-configure-the-dns-settings. For the memory limit, we suggested increasing the WP memory limit to at least 128 MB as required by WPML, which can typically be done via the wp-config.php file or by contacting their hosting provider.
Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. We highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the issue persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.
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thanks a lot! I have finished the setup now and found that during the setup, the Elementor header & footer was broken again, but after completing the setup, it returned back to normal and is working fine now. So it seems that the Elementor Header & Footer issue is resolved! Thanks!
I saw that right now I have a WP memory limit set to 40 MB, where the requirement for WPML states it should be 128MB. How can I increase the memory limit? If it is not possible, is this an issue that will create problems for WPML?
Moreover, I struggle with setting up the secondary domains for my translations. I want to have damwebdesign.at for German and dam-webdesign.com for English. My original site (damwebdesign.cz) is a subdomain of digitalassets.cz (and an alias for damwebdesign.digitalassets.cz), as are the other two domains (.at & .com). Is this setup going to work for WPML or do I need to change to hosting the damwebdesign.cz website on a separate server and add the .at & .com websites as a subdomains directly for WPML to work? I have all the pages aiming to the same IP (digitalassets.cz), but it doesnt seem to work... Also WPML wrote during setup wizard, that the secondary domains are not valid and that I can set them up later...
Thanks so much for your support and help with this.
Regarding the WordPress memory limit, you can try increase it by adding the following code in your wp-config.php file, right before the /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */ line:
thanks with support regarding the WP-memory limit increase - I will look into it!
Regarding the domains, I have gone through the setup explanation multiple times, but didnt manage to get the results I should have. I have hosting of 1 domain (digitalassets.cz), under which I have created multiple subdomains (incl. damwebdesign.cz, which is the major czech version for the WPML plugin). Regarding the setup, please see the pictures attached.
Hosted Domain: digitalassets.cz --> only a parent web of multiple subdomains (all subdomains have same IP as this domain)
1. Subdomain level: damwebdesign.cz (no separate hosting, is under digitalassets.cz)
- has the WPML installed and is the major web version
- this domain is an alias for damwebdesign.digitalassets.cz
1. Subdomain level: damwebdesign.at (no separate hosting, is under digitalassets.cz)
- should be the german version of the damwebdesign.cz
- this domain is an alias for damwebdesignat.digitalassets.cz
1. Subdomain level: dam-webdesign.com (no separate hosting, is under digitalassets.cz)
- should be the english version of the damwebdesign.cz
- this domain is an alias for dam-webdesign.digitalassets.cz
All the subdomains have the same IP adresses, so it should be correctly setup as per your instructions, but the WPML plugin said that the subdomains are not valid... I think the setup is done correctly but not sure if the problem is, that all the domains are on the same level as subdomains or if the alias is an issue... can you support?
I will need to closely examine your website. Therefore, I will require temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP) to your Website.
Please note that it is important to have a backup for security purposes and to prevent any potential data loss. You can use the UpdraftPlus plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/) to fulfill your backup requirements.
Your upcoming reply will be treated with confidentiality and will only be visible to you and me.
✙ To resolve the issue, I may need your consent to deactivate and reactivate plugins and the theme, as well as make configuration changes on the site if necessary. This emphasizes the significance of having a backup.
I know that it is written also in the setup instructions like that, but I just couldnt reach this state. As you can see in the printscreen attached, the IP addresses are the same on all the domains and I dont what else to change, so that the same page is shown, when it is a subdomain.
The reason for 403 error is that the domain is empty (also without WP installed). Can you advise how I can point it to the same folder as damwebdesign.cz, so that the same page is shown?
Typically, pointing to the damwebdesign.cz server IP address should be enough as this works with many other users. I recommend reaching out to your domain or hosting provider to have them look into this for you.
Keep in mind that various domain and hosting providers may have different configurations.
Is the goal a redirect or not? So if I search for URL damwebdesign.at, I will get the same content as is on damwebdesign.cz, but the URL will still be damwebdesign.at, right?
Or is the goal to have a redirect from damwedesign.at --> damwebdesign.cz?
How can I explain what I need to my hosting provider?
Let them know that you want both hidden link and hidden link to point to damwebdesign.cz server IP address and opening both links should not display the Forbidden Error 403 message. Both hidden link and hidden link domain should all show the same site damwebdesign.cz without a redirection.
thank you. The hosting provider is trying to support, but they are not sure if they can help with this topic. I got the FTP access and I setup WP on both subdomains just in case.
Could I maybe give you access to FTP & all 3 WP domains and you would check if you can setup the correct way so that the translations work? I still get an error (not valid domain) when I save the subdomains as the language subdomains in WPML...
checking the website, I have found out that the elementor header and footer works on the original site (damwebdesign.cz), but it is broken again (defaulted to Astra h&f) on the translated websites. As I cannot reopen the previous ticket, can you please check if you can fix this or let me know how I can?
