Issue Summary
I’m new to wordpress. My site is built in WP, but it’s not up.
Troubleshooting Questions
- Is this an issue with Local, or something I’m doing? How do I find out?
Hi there, @bobbypens! Welcome to the Local Community! 
Are you using Local to build your WordPress site?
If so, it might be helpful to share a screenshot of what you are seeing, a URL, or a screen-shared video to provide a little more context to your question.
Happy to help!
Sam
Hi @sambrockway ,
I am indeed using Local to build the site.
It’s the white screen of death. http://bobby-pens.local
Hi there @bobbypens -
Are you able to access the WordPress admin dashboard? If so, you might want to try disabling plugins & themes to isolate the issue.
If that doesn’t help, you can try to enable WP debugging by adding:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
to the wp-config.php file.
Here’s more information about WordPress debugging:
Once enabled, you may be able to see errors & notices that can help isolate the issue.
Let me know if that helps!
Sam
Hi Sam,
Okay, so I’m hearing disable everything, then check to see if my site is viewable from my phone, and if it is, then I know one of the plugins or themes is where the problem comes from? Is that it then?
I disabled everything and the site still won’t load on my phone.
I then opened the article that says I should be making these edits/additions into my wp-config.php file. So @sambrockway , I’m supposed to make these edits into my file? What if I do them incorrectly? I have anxiety issues and this stuff is nerve-wrecking. Should I not just rub two nickles together and hire a developer to do it for me/tutor me?
Let me know. Thanks.
Hi @bobbypens - thank you for clarifying that you are attempting to view the site on your phone.
Do you have Live Link enabled for the site?
Here is an article about how to use Live Links -
Just heading to http://bobby-pens.local/ on your phone won’t display your site because that is a Local URL specific to your machine (computer).
Thanks!
Sam
@sambrockway Thank you. You’ve been wonderful so far.
So I am stuck with this goofy URL until the end of time or what? Will you please check this link and tell me if you can see the site? —> https://vague-pigeon.localsite.io
Also, what else do I need to know about this whole process?
How far am I from having this site up and running for good?
@sambrockway I went and read some of your other tickets with people. So there is also Exporting and Importing my site? I’ll have to export my site from the WP site and import it into Local? Is that right?
I actually tried this, but then I got an error message.
Still have pretty much no idea what I’m doing, although that doesn’t feel as daunting as it once did.
1 Like
Hi @bobbypens - you’re doing a great job!
Reading through your recent threads, I’m curious - what is your goal?
Are you creating a new site with Local (which is a local-to-your-machine website that can then be “pushed” to remote so you can view it from any device)?
Or, do you have a site hosted somewhere that you want to work on locally?
Thank you! Let me know so I can help guide you best!
Sam
@sambrockway , Thank you for the encouraging words. I’m 100% new at this, so it’s good to hear that things are going well.
This for me will serve as a digital portfolio space and a blog. My goal is to get clients for writing and producing gigs. I’m a remote worker.
I’m also someone who struggles with disability issues and the secondary issues caused by said phenomenon. Anxiety being one of the chief phenomenon. For me, this is about lifeblood. I need this badly. I’m currently in a pretty good place to develop these skills without desperation looming, but it’s best I get this handled the right way, and in a timely and tight manner. Thus, I’d like to get this thing up and running asap. I have a good amount of time and energy to put into it at the moment, but who knows how long that could last. That’s why I asked you how far off you feel I am from having a site that people can see.
1 Like
Hi @bobbypens - thank you so much for sharing all of that with me, I sincerely appreciate it.
Alright so let’s check in with where you are.
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You’ve created a site via Local, correct? If you could share a screenshot of your site (on Local, when you’re on your computer) so I can have a visual of where you are, that would be helpful.
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To get it live & viewable by anyone on the internet, you will need to connect it to a hosting provider. Do you already have one? Are you using WP Engine or Flywheel as a host?
Let me know & we’ll go from there.
Sam
@sambrockway Thank you for being my Jedi.
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I created a site via Local.
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I thought Local was my hosting provider. Apparently not eh?
Local is a development environment that runs on your computer at home. It’s a tool for building/testing your site on your home computer but not a hosting provider. The Live Link feature lets you view/test your site from other computers/devices (like your phone) but it’s not a good, permanent solution for publishing your site.
Built-in to Local is the ability to publish your site to WP Engine or Flywheel (hosting providers), where you can have just about any domain name for the site. At that point, it’ll be considered “production”: available 24/7 to anyone, anywhere.
The beauty of Local is that you can continue to work on your site, on your home computer, and push changes to your hosting provider. You can try things that might break your site on your home computer without worrying that you’ve taken down your production site. That’s how I use it.
Hi @bobbypens - awesome!
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Site looks great!
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Correct, Local is not the hosting provider, it is a local-to-your-machine tool that allows you to build out a website and then “push” to a hosting provider that then allows it to be seen on the internet.
There are so many hosting companies to choose from, although, Local one-click connects to WP Engine & Flywheel. You can create a plan with either host right from Local if you want to.
First, click "Connected to ... {no host selected}"
Then, you can click "sign up" to create an account.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Sam
So in a nutshell, find a host server and publish my site, yah?
Hi @bobbypens - that’s the general workflow, yes!
Sam
@sambrockway I’ve seen online that there are a number of free hosting services. Any reflections on that route that you can offer up would be a great help. Thank you.
Hi @bobbypens - I’m not very familiar with free hosting services, unfortunately.
If you have any interest in utilizing Flywheel or WP Engine as your hosting provider I’m happy to connect you with someone who can answer your questions.
Let me know!
Sam
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