When the debug logging feature is enabled, each step of the post payment process is recorded in a log file. This log can then be used to analyze and address any failures that may be occurring with the membership process.
What is a Debug Log?
The Simple Membership Plugin, like a handful of other plugins comes with a built in debug logging feature. This feature (when enabled) allows admin to track the payment process and ensure all steps are being executed correctly.
The debug works when the payment gateway sends an IPN to the Simple Membership plugin. This notifies the plugin to complete the next steps in the successful payment process. Some processes that a general debug log will outline may include although are not limited to the following:
- Payment processed successfully or not
- Email sent to a customer
- Email sent to an administrator
- Customer added to the database
When Should I Enable a Debug Log?
If you have identified an issue occurring on your website during the payment process, enable the debug log to gather some clues as to why it is occurring. It may be as simple as an incorrect email address has been entered. The debug log is useful if you are facing payment processing or email sending issues.
You can also share the debug logging file with us to help you fix the issues occurring on your website.
Locating the Simple Membership Debug File
The Simple Membership debug log file can be found by:
- Going to the WordPress dashboard.
- Clicking on the WP Membership menu and then clicking on the Settings menu.
- Within the Settings menu, you will see a section titled Test & Debug Settings.
- Mark the checkbox to enable the Debug Log.
- You can then View (to troubleshoot issues) your debug log or Reset it (it is always good practice to reset your log after an issue is resolved).
Debug Log File for Simple Membership
Membership Payment Testing
The simplest way to test a membership payment is to create a test payment button with the price of 1 dollar ($1.00) and do a live transaction. You can use a credit card to do a checkout or request a family member to do the transaction. You can issue a refund on the transaction after the test.
That way you know that everything is set up and connected properly for your main PayPal or Stripe account.
Testing using sandbox won’t really show you if you have any problems with your LIVE PayPal or Stripe account setup.
Using the Debug Log to Troubleshoot Issues
After you have enabled the debug log feature, complete a test transaction on your site (replicate the actions your customer would be undertaking). Once you have completed the transaction, view the debug log file entries.
The following screenshot shows sample log file entries that you can expect to see after a member makes a payment via PayPal.
Scan your debug log for the word Failure. This will indicate what action is failing on your website. Read the line to work out what adjustments must be made. Often the reason a process is failing is due to one small setup error that can be easily fixed.
PayPal IPN Feature
The plugin uses the PayPal IPN feature to receive notification from PayPal for membership payments. So make sure the IPN feature is enabled in your PayPal account. Read the Enabling PayPal IPN feature documentation to learn more.