📧 Email Collection Issues
⚠️ Emails Not Being Saved
Symptoms:
- Form submits but no emails appear in admin panel
- "Thank you" message shows but emails.txt is empty
- File permissions error messages
Solutions:
1. Check File Permissions
chmod 755 /path/to/soonie/
# If still having issues:
chmod 777 /path/to/soonie/
2. Verify Directory is Writable
// Test if directory is writable
if (is_writable('.')) {
echo "Directory is writable";
} else {
echo "Directory is NOT writable";
}
3. Check EMAIL_FILE Setting
// In config.php, ensure path is correct
define('EMAIL_FILE', 'emails.txt'); // Simple filename
// OR
define('EMAIL_FILE', 'data/emails.txt'); // Ensure 'data' folder exists
4. Enable Debug Mode
// Temporarily enable debug mode in config.php
define('DEBUG_MODE', true);
⚠️ Email Validation Issues
Symptoms:
- Valid emails being rejected
- Invalid emails being accepted
- Form submission errors
Solutions:
1. Check PHP Filter Extension
if (function_exists('filter_var')) {
echo "Filter extension available";
} else {
echo "Filter extension missing";
}
2. Alternative Email Validation
// Alternative email validation if needed
function validateEmailManual($email) {
return preg_match('/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/', $email);
}
👨💼 Admin Panel Problems
⚠️ Can't Access Admin Panel
Symptoms:
- admin.php returns 404 error
- Page loads but login doesn't work
- Session timeout immediately
Solutions:
1. Verify File Upload
- Check that admin.php was uploaded correctly
- Ensure filename is exactly "admin.php" (case-sensitive)
- Verify file permissions are 644 or 755
2. Check PHP Sessions
// Add to top of admin.php to test sessions
if (session_status() === PHP_SESSION_NONE) {
echo "Sessions not started";
} else {
echo "Sessions working";
}
3. Password Issues
// Verify your password in config.php
define('ADMIN_PASSWORD', 'your_password_here');
// Make sure there are no extra spaces or special characters
4. Clear Browser Data
- Clear cookies and cache
- Try incognito/private browsing mode
- Test in different browsers
⚠️ Session Timeout Issues
Solutions:
1. Adjust Session Timeout
// In config.php, increase timeout
define('SESSION_TIMEOUT', 120); // 2 hours instead of 1
2. Check Server Session Settings
// Check PHP session configuration
echo "Session timeout: " . ini_get('session.gc_maxlifetime');
echo "Session save path: " . session_save_path();
🎨 Theme & Display Issues
Theme Selector Not Working
Theme buttons don't change colors or themes revert after page reload
Broken Layout
Page looks unstyled, elements overlapping, or misaligned content
Animation Issues
Background animations not working or causing performance problems
Mobile Display
Layout breaks on mobile devices or theme selector is hard to use
🎨 Theme Selector Not Working
Solutions:
1. Check JavaScript Errors
- Open browser console (F12)
- Look for JavaScript errors
- Ensure all JS code is loading
2. Cookie Issues
// Check if cookies are enabled
if (navigator.cookieEnabled) {
console.log("Cookies enabled");
} else {
console.log("Cookies disabled");
}
3. Theme Selector Configuration
// In config.php, ensure demo mode is enabled
define('DEMO', true);
💔 Styling Issues / Broken Layout
Solutions:
1. Clear Browser Cache
- Hard refresh: Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
- Clear browser cache completely
- Test in incognito mode
2. Check File Upload
- Verify all files uploaded correctly
- Check that .htaccess file is present
- Ensure index.php contains all CSS
3. Mobile Display Issues
<!-- Check viewport meta tag -->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
⏰ Countdown Timer Problems
⚠️ Countdown Shows Wrong Date
Symptoms:
- Timer shows incorrect time
- Countdown is negative or shows NaN
- Date doesn't match configuration
Solutions:
1. Check Launch Date Configuration
// In config.php, verify only ONE method is used
define('LAUNCH_DAYS_FROM_NOW', 30);
// OR
define('LAUNCH_DATE', '2025-12-31 23:59:59');
// NOT BOTH!
2. Timezone Issues
// Set correct timezone in config.php
define('TIMEZONE', 'America/New_York'); // Your timezone
3. Date Format Issues
// Ensure date format is correct
define('LAUNCH_DATE', '2025-12-31 23:59:59'); // Y-m-d H:i:s format
⚠️ Countdown Not Updating
Solutions:
1. JavaScript Errors
- Check browser console for errors
- Ensure JavaScript is enabled
- Test in different browsers
2. Server Time vs Client Time
// Check if server and client times match
console.log('Server time:', serverTimestamp);
console.log('Client time:', new Date().getTime());
🔐 GDPR & Cookie Issues
⚠️ Cookie Banner Not Appearing
Solutions:
1. Check GDPR Settings
// In config.php
define('GDPR_ENABLED', true);
define('COOKIE_CONSENT_REQUIRED', true);
2. LocalStorage Issues
// Check if localStorage is available
if (typeof(Storage) !== "undefined") {
console.log("LocalStorage available");
} else {
console.log("LocalStorage not supported");
}
⚠️ Privacy Modal Not Working
Solutions:
1. Check Modal JavaScript
- Ensure modal functions are defined
- Check for JavaScript conflicts
- Test modal trigger buttons
2. CSS Display Issues
/* Ensure modal CSS is correct */
.privacy-modal.show {
display: flex !important;
}
⚡ Performance Issues
⚠️ Page Loading Slowly
Solutions:
1. Enable Compression
# In .htaccess, ensure compression is enabled
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>
2. Optimize Images
- Compress any custom images
- Use appropriate image formats
- Implement lazy loading
3. Reduce Animation Complexity
/* Reduce animation frequency if needed */
@keyframes gradientShift {
/* Longer duration = less CPU usage */
animation-duration: 30s; /* Instead of 15s */
}
⚠️ High CPU Usage
Solutions:
1. Disable Animations on Mobile
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.animated-background {
animation: none;
}
}
2. Reduce Blur Effects
/* Reduce backdrop-filter blur if needed */
backdrop-filter: blur(5px); /* Instead of blur(10px) */
🌐 Server & Hosting Issues
⚠️ PHP Version Errors
Symptoms:
- "PHP version not supported" errors
- Functions not working
- Syntax errors
Solutions:
1. Check PHP Version
echo "Current PHP version: " . PHP_VERSION;
// Required: 7.4 or higher
2. Contact Hosting Provider
- Request PHP upgrade to 7.4+
- Ask about PHP extension availability
- Verify hosting plan supports PHP
⚠️ Shared Hosting Limitations
Solutions:
1. File Permissions
# Some shared hosts require specific permissions
chmod 644 *.php
chmod 755 directory/
2. Memory Limits
// Check memory limit
echo "Memory limit: " . ini_get('memory_limit');
3. .htaccess Issues
# If mod_rewrite is not available, comment out:
# RewriteEngine On
# RewriteRule directives
🔍 Debugging Tips
Enable Debug Mode
// In config.php - ONLY for debugging
define('DEBUG_MODE', true);
⚠️ Important: Never leave debug mode enabled in production!
Check Error Logs
# Look for PHP error logs
tail -f /path/to/php/error.log
# Check server error logs
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
Browser Developer Tools
- Console Tab - Check for JavaScript errors
- Network Tab - Check for failed requests
- Application Tab - Check cookies and localStorage
- Elements Tab - Inspect CSS and HTML issues
File Integrity Check
# Verify all files uploaded correctly
ls -la soonie/
# Should show: index.php, admin.php, config.php, .htaccess
# Check file sizes
du -h soonie/*
📞 Getting Additional Help
✅ Before Contacting Support
- Gather system information (PHP version, hosting provider)
- Note exact error messages and steps to reproduce
- Test in different browsers and devices
- Check error logs for detailed information
- Try basic troubleshooting steps first
- Document any customizations made
Information to Gather:
- PHP version:
- Hosting provider: (your hosting company)
- Browser and version: (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
- Error messages: Exact text of any errors
- Configuration: Settings in config.php
🔧 Common Quick Fixes
# Reset file permissions
chmod 755 soonie/
chmod 644 soonie/*.php
chmod 644 soonie/.htaccess
# Clear any cached data
rm -f soonie/emails.txt # (will recreate automatically)
# Test basic PHP functionality
echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" > test.php
✅ Prevention Checklist
- Always backup config.php before changes
- Test changes on staging environment first
- Keep PHP version updated
- Monitor error logs regularly
- Use strong admin passwords
- Enable HTTPS if possible
- Regular security updates
- Test across different browsers