Compatibility Issues

Symptom

Plugin conflicts or errors occur. This may include PHP errors, JavaScript errors, layouts not rendering, or the plugin failing to activate.

Applies To

• Divi 5.x
• WordPress 6.4 - 6.5
• Divi Handoff 1.0.0

Likely Causes

1. Free ACF installed - Divi Handoff requires ACF Pro or SCF (not free ACF)
2. Divi 4 active - Only Divi 5 is supported
3. Caching plugin conflicts - Cached content may not update properly
4. Outdated WordPress version - Requires WordPress 6.4 or higher
5. PHP version too old - Requires PHP 7.4 or higher

Fix

Issue 1: Free ACF Installed

Symptom: Flexible Content field type is not available, or Divi Handoff shows "ACF Pro required" message.

Solution:

Choose one of these options:

Option A: Install SCF (Free)

1. Deactivate and delete the free ACF plugin
2. Download Secure Custom Fields (SCF)
3. Install and activate SCF
4. SCF includes Flexible Content for free

Option B: Upgrade to ACF Pro

1. Purchase ACF Pro
2. Deactivate the free ACF plugin
3. Install and activate ACF Pro
4. Your field groups will be preserved

tip

SCF is a free fork of ACF that includes all Pro features, including Flexible Content. It's a great free alternative.

Issue 2: Divi 4 Active

Symptom: Divi Handoff modules don't appear in the Divi Builder, or errors occur when activating.

Solution:

1. Divi Handoff is built specifically for Divi 5
2. Upgrade to Divi 5 (Divi Theme)
3. Divi 4 and the legacy builder are not supported

To check your Divi version:

1. Go to Divi → Theme Options
2. Look for version information
3. Or check Appearance → Themes for the Divi theme version

Issue 3: Caching Plugin Conflicts

Symptom: Changes don't appear on the frontend, old content shows, or layouts display incorrectly.

Solution:

1. Clear all cache layers:

   • Plugin cache (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed, etc.)
   • Object cache (Redis, Memcached if used)
   • CDN cache (Cloudflare, etc.)
   • Browser cache (hard refresh with Ctrl+F5)

2. If issues persist, temporarily disable caching:

   • Deactivate your caching plugin
   • Test the page
   • If it works, re-enable caching and configure exclusions

3. Recommended cache exclusions:

   • Exclude pages using Divi Handoff from HTML caching
   • Or exclude the dalb_ prefix from optimization

Issue 4: WordPress Version Too Old

Symptom: Plugin fails to activate or shows compatibility errors.

Solution:

1. Update WordPress to version 6.4 or higher
2. Before updating:
   • Backup your site
   • Check theme and plugin compatibility
3. Go to Dashboard → Updates
4. Update WordPress core

Issue 5: PHP Version Too Old

Symptom: White screen of death, PHP errors, or activation failure.

Solution:

1. Check current PHP version:

   • Go to Tools → Site Health → Info
   • Expand Server
   • Find PHP version

2. If below PHP 7.4:

   • Contact your hosting provider
   • Request PHP 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.1+ recommended)
   • Most hosts allow PHP version changes in cPanel

Other Compatibility Notes

Known Working Configurations

Component	Tested Versions
WordPress	6.4, 6.5
Divi Theme	5.0+
SCF	6.3+
ACF Pro	6.0+
PHP	7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2

Plugin Conflicts

If you experience issues, try deactivating these types of plugins temporarily:

• Other ACF add-ons - May conflict with field handling
• Page builders - Only use with Divi 5 Builder
• Performance plugins - May optimize away required scripts
• Security plugins - May block REST API or admin-ajax

Theme Compatibility

• Divi Theme (Divi 5) - Fully supported ✅
• Extra Theme - Not supported ❌
• Child themes of Divi - Supported if parent is Divi 5 ✅
• Other themes - Not supported ❌

Verify

After making compatibility fixes:

1. Deactivate and reactivate Divi Handoff
2. Check the admin area for error notices
3. Test a page with Flexible Content
4. Clear all caches
5. Verify layouts render correctly

Collect for Support

If issues persist, gather this information:

• WordPress version (from Dashboard → Updates)
• PHP version (from Tools → Site Health → Info → Server)
• Divi version (from Divi → Theme Options)
• SCF or ACF Pro version (from Plugins page)
• List of all active plugins
• Any error messages (screenshots)
• Debug log if available (wp-content/debug.log)

To enable debug logging:

wp-config.php

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

What's Next

• Layouts Not Displaying - Fix layout display issues
• Fields Not Showing - Resolve missing field data
• Installation Guide - Review installation requirements