Finding and Fixing Website Errors

Website template problems and solutions

Pinned Note Website Problems
Common problems when editing webpages, .js files, css style files or setting up websites and website templates.

See Also…

Header, menu, footer not displaying in a new download
Your web template has jQuery includes. See: Includes not working off-line.


Uploaded areas are missing
If you have uploaded and there are missing pictures or other items like the menu, header, footer, etc, see: areas missing after uploading.


Pictures missing
If you have uploaded and there are missing pictures see: missing pictures after uploading. If you have downloaded the template and pictures are missing on your local hard drive check missing pictures on your hard drive.


Seeing a blank page in your editing software
When editing in software like Dreamweaver or Frontpage you are seeing a blank page. Your web template has a color fade-in script. See: HTML software showing a blank page.


Seeing a blank page after uploading
If your web template has jQuery includes, make sure the "javascripts-header.js" and "javascripts-footer.js" are uploaded in the "includes" folder.


Areas missing only on mobile
Your template includes Media Queries. See areas missing on mobile devices.


Menu or other .js file stopped working
In most cases this is caused by one of two types of editing errors. See: menu or other js files are not working.

If this happens in a template with jQuery "includes" see "Troubleshooting" on the jQuery Includes support page.

If the error is only in IE see header and menu not working only in IE.


Drop down or popout mobile menus not working
Upload your jQuery folder and all files in this folder. Upload your menu .css files. Upload your "pop-closeup.js" (if your template includes one).


Error checking your pages
If a template page does not display correctly, does not function properly, or extra code is showing, there may be an error somewhere. Here are some ways to check your pages:
  • See also editing tips.
  • If you are using HTML editing software, check in the help section to see if error checking is included. You may want to backup your HTML pages before you use any "autocheck" or "autofix" functions.
  • You can check webpages and CSS files using the free CSE HTML Validator Lite. A free trial download is available. This is the software Allwebco uses to create and error check our web template HTML and css (standard version).
  • You can error check validate, and fix your HTML pages on-line, or by direct code input at the W3C Vaildation Service. With direct input, you can use the "Clean up Markup with HTML Tidy" to fix some errors as well, however, be careful using "Tidy" as it may alter some code you do not want changed. Be sure to backup your files.
  • Note: You may encounter some code flagged as "errors", however, in many cases this code may be proprietary code, or code that was included for backwards compatibility. See W3C compliance and validation support for more details.

Fixing a totally messed up page
If a page gets messed up too much to validate, you may just want to recreate this page by making a copy of any other HTML page. You can copy the text from the bad page and paste it into the new re-created page.

Website loading slowly
This may be caused by any number of issues. Perhaps the hosting is slow, maybe your IP connection is experiencing problems, you may not have made your images as small as possible or you saved them at high quality. You can check your page speed at Pagespeed Insights. See also fixing slow loading webpages.


Flash not working
Check the following support page if the Flash is not working after editing the flash.txt. See the following support page for any other Flash problems: Flash not working correctly.


Spacing and margins are not right
Spacing used for webpage elements can be edited in the template css files. The styles to edit will be "padding" and "margins" for individual elements. Notes are included in all css files to outline what the section of code is for. See: css support. For older HTML 4.01 templates see: table sizing support.


Squished & distorted images
For distorted, smashed or squished slideshow and gallery images see the following:
Forms not working
See the following for problems setting up the contact or quotes forms.

Related Topics
Editing tips
Fixing js file errors
Webpages not saving or updating
The menu or other .js file is not working
Areas of the website missing after uploading