Common Error Messages
4 min read
This guide explains common error messages you might encounter while using Smart Cycle Discounts, what they mean, and how to resolve them.
Campaign Creation Errors #
“Campaign name is required” #
Meaning: The campaign name field is empty.
Solution: Enter a descriptive name for your campaign in the Basic Information step.
“Please select at least one product” #
Meaning: No products are included in the campaign.
Solution:
- Add specific products, or
- Select “All Products,” or
- Add conditions that match products
“Discount value must be greater than 0” #
Meaning: Discount amount is zero or negative.
Solution: Enter a positive discount value (e.g., 25 for 25% off).
“Discount value cannot exceed 100%” #
Meaning: Percentage discount is over 100.
Solution: Enter a percentage between 1 and 100.
“End date must be after start date” #
Meaning: Campaign ends before it starts.
Solution: Correct the date range so end date is after start date.
“Start date cannot be in the past” #
Meaning: You’re trying to set a past start date.
Note: This is usually a warning, not blocking. Past start dates are allowed for immediate activation.
“A campaign with this name already exists” #
Meaning: Duplicate campaign name detected.
Solution: Use a unique name for each campaign.
Product Selection Errors #
“No products match your criteria” #
Meaning: Your conditions don’t match any products.
Solution:
- Broaden your conditions
- Check that products exist with matching attributes
- Remove overly restrictive conditions
“Product not found” #
Meaning: A previously selected product no longer exists.
Solution:
- The product may have been deleted
- Remove the invalid product from selection
- Or restore the product in WooCommerce
“Category not found” #
Meaning: A condition references a deleted category.
Solution:
- Edit the condition to use an existing category
- Or remove the condition
Discount Configuration Errors #
“Invalid tier configuration” #
Meaning: Tiered discount settings are incorrect.
Solution:
- Ensure tier quantities don’t overlap
- Each tier needs a quantity and discount value
- Tiers should be in ascending quantity order
“BOGO configuration incomplete” #
Meaning: Buy X Get Y settings are missing.
Solution:
- Set “Buy” quantity (how many to buy)
- Set “Get” quantity (how many bonus items)
- Set discount percentage for bonus items
“Spend threshold must be greater than 0” #
Meaning: Minimum spend amount is zero.
Solution: Enter a positive threshold amount (e.g., 100 for $100 minimum).
Save/Publish Errors #
“Session expired. Please refresh and try again” #
Meaning: Your login session timed out.
Solution:
- Refresh the page
- Log in again if prompted
- Your draft should be auto-saved
“Security check failed” #
Meaning: Nonce verification failed (security feature).
Solution:
- Refresh the page
- Try saving again
- If persists, clear browser cache and log in fresh
“Unable to save campaign” #
Meaning: Database save operation failed.
Solution:
- Try saving again
- Check for database connection issues
- Contact hosting if persists
“Cannot transition from expired to active.” #
Meaning: You tried to activate an expired campaign whose schedule is no longer valid (typically the end date is already in the past).
Solution:
- Edit the campaign and set a new valid date range (or recurrence window)
- Save changes, then activate again
- If dates are already valid and this still appears, clear caches and retry
“You don’t have permission to create campaigns” #
Meaning: Your user role lacks required capabilities.
Solution:
- Log in with an administrator account
- Or have an admin grant you the required permissions
License Errors #
“License key is invalid” #
Meaning: The entered license key doesn’t match records.
Solution:
- Check for typos in the license key
- Copy/paste from email to avoid errors
- Ensure no extra spaces
“License activation limit reached” #
Meaning: All allowed activations are used.
Solution:
- Deactivate from a site you no longer need
- Or upgrade your plan for more activations
“License has expired” #
Meaning: Your license subscription ended.
Solution:
- Renew your license
- Or plugin reverts to free features
“Could not connect to license server” #
Meaning: Cannot reach Freemius license server.
Solution:
- Check internet connectivity
- Try again in a few minutes
- Check if firewall is blocking api.freemius.com
Import/Export Errors #
“Invalid import file format” #
Meaning: File isn’t valid JSON or is corrupted.
Solution:
- Use only files exported from Smart Cycle Discounts
- Don’t manually edit export files
- Try re-exporting if file is corrupted
“Import failed: missing required fields” #
Meaning: Export file is incomplete or from older version.
Solution:
- Re-export from the source site
- Ensure both sites have same plugin version
“Product matching failed during import” #
Meaning: Products from export don’t exist on this site.
Solution:
- Import uses SKUs to match products
- Ensure products exist with same SKUs
- Campaign imports without non-matching products
Notification Errors #
“Email delivery failed” #
Meaning: WordPress couldn’t send the email.
Solution:
- Check WordPress email settings
- Configure SMTP plugin for reliable delivery
- Verify recipient email addresses
“Invalid email address” #
Meaning: Recipient email format is wrong.
Solution:
- Check for typos in email address
- Use format: [email protected]
System Errors #
“Database table missing” #
Meaning: Required plugin tables don’t exist.
Solution:
- Go to SC Discounts → Tools
- Click “Repair Tables”
- If persists, deactivate and reactivate plugin
“Action Scheduler not available” #
Meaning: WooCommerce Action Scheduler is missing.
Solution:
- Ensure WooCommerce is active
- WooCommerce 3.0+ includes Action Scheduler
- Plugin falls back to WP-Cron if needed
“Insufficient memory” #
Meaning: PHP ran out of memory during operation.
Solution:
- Increase PHP memory limit in hosting
- Or add to wp-config.php:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); - Reduce batch size in Advanced Settings
“Maximum execution time exceeded” #
Meaning: Script took too long and was terminated.
Solution:
- Increase max_execution_time in PHP settings
- Reduce batch size for large operations
- Process fewer items at once
AJAX Errors #
“Request failed” or “Error 500” #
Meaning: Server-side error during AJAX request.
Solution:
- Check browser console for details
- Enable WP_DEBUG to see error messages
- Check PHP error logs
- May indicate plugin conflict
“Error 403: Forbidden” #
Meaning: Request blocked by security.
Solution:
- Check security plugin settings
- Whitelist admin-ajax.php
- Check mod_security rules
“Error 404: Not Found” #
Meaning: AJAX endpoint not found.
Solution:
- Flush permalinks: Settings → Permalinks → Save
- Check .htaccess for issues
- Reinstall plugin if persists
Getting Help #
If Error Persists #
- Note the exact error message
- Note what action triggered it
- Gather system report from Tools
- Check debug log if enabled
- Contact support with all information
Useful Debug Information #
- Full error message text
- Steps to reproduce
- Browser and version
- Recent changes made
- Other active plugins
