TruCMS Frequently Asked Questions

Most “it does not work” moments have one of a few causes. Each answer below lists the likely causes in the order you should check them, with the fix for each. Questions about Booking, the shop and payments have their own FAQ pages.

Other FAQ pages

Booking FAQ · Store (TruCommerce) FAQ · Payments FAQ · Troubleshooting

My changes do not show on the site

I saved a change but the public page still shows the old version

Between your change and a visitor sit up to four caches. Check them in this order:

Possible causeWhat to do
Your browser cacheHard-refresh (Ctrl+F5, or Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac) or open the page in a private window. If the private window shows the new version, it was only your browser.
The page (response) cacheOpen Settings → Cache. If Enable Response Cache is on, finished pages are kept for the Cache Lifetime (7 days by default). Choose Clear Cache, then reload. TruCMS clears affected pages automatically when you save most records, but not for every kind of change.
A CDN or proxy in front of your sitePurge the CDN cache in its own dashboard (see the CDN section of Cache). Files such as images and stylesheets are the usual culprits.
The theme stylesheetFor colours, fonts and spacing: Theme Options → Advanced Settings → Regenerate Theme CSS.
Data-bound page sectionsSections that show a provider, service, product or post refresh when the record changes, and again every hour. Check the scheduler is running (see Scheduled Tasks) and re-save the page in the Page Builder.
You edited the wrong languageOn a multilingual site each language has its own version. Check the language tab or flag. See Multilingual Content.

The colours look unchanged after I imported a website template or changed Theme Options

Colours are compiled into a stylesheet, then cached in several places. Work through these:

Possible causeWhat to do
The theme stylesheet has not been rebuiltTheme Options → Advanced Settings → Regenerate Theme CSS.
The page cache serves an older pageSettings → Cache → Clear Cache.
Your browser holds the old stylesheetHard-refresh, or test in a private window.
A CDN holds the old filesPurge the CDN.
The page has its own header or coloursA page can override the header colour in its Page Settings. Set it back to Default.
An element has a colour of its ownSections inserted from the Template Library or custom code in Settings → Integration can fix a colour. Edit the section, or remove the custom rule.
The import ran in keep modeKeep mode adds the template next to your existing content and leaves your settings as they are. Run the import in replace mode if you want the template’s look. See Website Templates.

The Page Builder shows my page differently from the public site

Possible causeWhat to do
The editor is showing an older stylesheetReload the editor after saving Theme Options.
The public page is cachedClear the cache.
Page Settings change the headerHeader options of the page apply on the public site only.

Templates and the Page Builder

A website template import says it finished, but my site has no menu or the wrong home page

Possible causeWhat to do
The import was in keep modeMenus and page roles are assigned in replace mode. In keep mode choose the menu in Theme Options and the pages in Settings → Page Setup yourself.
You do not have the permissionImporting needs the import website templates permission.
A cache serves the old home pageClear the cache.

A layout from the Template Library says an Extended License is required

The layout is marked Premium. Choose one without that badge, or upgrade your license. See Template Library in the Builder.

My template package (.trucms.zip) will not import

Possible causeWhat to do
The file is too big or not a TruCMS packageOnly packages created by TruCMS (Export as package) are accepted; see the size limits in Template Packages.
Too many imports in a short timeWait a minute and try again.
The staged upload expiredAn uploaded package is kept for about an hour. Upload it again.

A page-builder block shows nothing

Possible causeWhat to do
There is nothing to showNo published posts, no active services, no products matching a filter. Check the block options.
The plugin is offBooking and shop blocks need their plugin to be active.
A required choice is emptySelect the service, product or form in the block’s Settings.

My advertisement does not appear

Possible causeWhat to do
It is inactiveSwitch it on in Advertisements.
It is not placed anywhereAdd the Advertisement widget to a widget area, or the Advertisements block to a page. See Advertisements.
A browser extension blocks itAd blockers hide some banners. Test in a clean browser.
The page is cachedClear the cache.

Email and notifications

Emails (password reset, verification, tickets, bookings, orders) are not arriving

Check these in order:

Possible causeWhat to do
Mail settings are wrongOpen Settings → Mail, check host, port, encryption, username and password and send a test message.
The message is in spamAsk the recipient to check spam, and set up SPF and DKIM for your sending domain with your mail provider.
The sender address is not allowed by your mail providerUse a sender address on a domain you own and have verified with the provider.
Background processing is on but no worker is runningIf you moved sending to the queue, a worker must be running. See Queue & Background Jobs.
The mail driver is set to log or arrayThose drivers do not send anything. Choose SMTP or your provider.

Customers are not told when I answer their ticket

Ticket answers are sent by email and shown in the customer’s account notifications. Check mail settings and the queue as above. The support team itself is not emailed when a ticket arrives; look in Open Tickets.

Signing in and access

I cannot sign in to the admin panel

Possible causeWhat to do
Wrong email or passwordUse Forgot password on the admin sign-in page.
Two-factor code rejectedCheck the time on your phone is set automatically. If you lost the phone, another administrator can reset your access.
The account is inactive or in the trashAnother administrator can reactivate it in Users.
Too many attemptsWait a few minutes and try again.

A menu item or button is missing

Menus follow permissions. Check, in order: the plugin is active in Plugins; your role includes the permission (Roles & Permissions); you reloaded the page after the role changed.

Visitors cannot register

Possible causeWhat to do
Registration is switched offTurn off Disable Auth in Settings → General.
The verification email never arrivesSee the email questions above.
The default role has no access to what they needCheck Default User Role.

I forgot which pages are my home, blog or contact page

They are listed in Settings → Page Setup, and marked next to the title in the Pages list.

Pages, blog and menus

A page or post address shows “not found”

Possible causeWhat to do
The page is switched offPages have a Page Status switch. Turn it on.
The slug changedUse the new address, and update links that point to the old one.
Another page uses the same slugSlugs are unique across pages and posts.
The language is offA translated address works only while its language is active.

My new blog post is not in the list on the blog page

Possible causeWhat to do
The blog page is built with the Page BuilderIts Blog Cards block decides what is shown: check its category filter and number of posts.
Page cacheClear the cache.
The post is in the second page of resultsUse the page numbers.

My menu does not show a page I created

New pages are not added to menus automatically. Add the page in Menus, and make sure the menu is the one assigned to the header.

Comments do not appear

Only signed-in visitors can comment, and a comment appears immediately. If the form is missing the visitor is not signed in. See Blog Posts.

Languages

A page is half in English and half in my language

Possible causeWhat to do
The interface text is not translatedTranslate the phrases in Translations and Publish.
The page content has no translationAdd it from the Pages list (the + under the flag).

Speed and background jobs

The site is slow

Possible causeWhat to do
No page cacheTurn on Enable Response Cache in Settings → Cache.
Large picturesUpload pictures at the size they are shown. Very large photos slow every page.
Many sections with motion effectsCinematic and animated sections are heavy on phones. Use fewer, or choose reduced animation in Theme Options.
Slow hostingAsk your host about PHP version and memory, and use the latest PHP supported.

Scheduled tasks do not seem to run

Check the single cron entry exists and runs every minute, and that its PHP path is right. See Scheduled Tasks.

Updates, backups and moving servers

How should I update TruCMS safely?

Back up all files and the database, update during a quiet time, and follow Updating TruCMS. Apply Patches the same way. After an update, clear the cache and (for translations) use Import in Languages.

After moving to a new server nothing works

Possible causeWhat to do
The database details changedUpdate them in the site configuration file.
The files are not writableThe storage and cache folders must be writable. See Preparing Your Server.
Pictures are missingRun Link Storage in Settings → Advanced, and copy the uploaded files.
The cron job is missingAdd it again. See Scheduled Tasks.
PHP is olderTruCMS needs PHP 8.4 or later.

Where are my pictures stored?

Uploads are saved under the site’s storage folder, or on the cloud storage you choose in Settings → Uploading. Include them in every backup.

Troubleshooting · Booking FAQ · Store FAQ · Payments FAQ · Cache