How to Use Cache Plugins

Here are the suggested settings to use the cache plugins.

Related: How to Speed Up the Beat Store Loading Time

1. Common Cache Plugin Problems

• The checkout page appears empty.
• Beat download links do not work.
• Website changes do not appear live.
• WordPress Customizer changes are not immediately visible.
• Shopping cart widgets do not update correctly.

2. How to Make Website Changes Live

If you have a cache plugin activated, anytime you make a change to your website, you must clear the plugin cache to make your changes live to the public.

If you don’t, visitors will not see the changes you have made.

If you are logged into WordPress, pages do NOT get cached, so you may see changes, but website visitors may not see the changes.

3. How to Use Cache Plugins with the Music Maker Theme

1. Do Not Cache Beat Pages – In the tutorials below, we will set settings to not cache any of the beat store-related pages. This will help to make sure the important beat buying pages work properly.
2. Deactivate WP Menu Cart – You can not use the WP Menu Cart plugin with cache plugins. When using a cache plugin, the cart number will not update in the menu.

4. Cache Plugin Tutorials

/downloads
/downloads/
/checkout
/checkout/
/purchase-confirmation
/purchase-confirmation/
/product
/product/

/downloads
/downloads/
/checkout
/checkout/
/purchase-confirmation
/purchase-confirmation/
/product
/product/

/downloads
/downloads/
/checkout
/checkout/
/purchase-confirmation
/purchase-confirmation/
/product
/product/

5. Add a Cart Icon to Your Navigation Menu

Here are the steps to follow to add a cart icon to the menu since you can not use the WP Menu Cart plugin.

Preview

1. In WordPress, click Menus under Appearance on the sidebar.

2. Click the Pages box.

• Click the View All tab.
• Select the beat store Checkout page.
• Click the Add to Menu button.

3. Click the Checkout box you just added on the right.

• In the Navigation Label input, paste the code below:
  
  <i class=”fa fa-shopping-cart” aria-hidden=”true”></i> Shopping Cart

You can change the Shopping Cart text if you like.

4. Click Save Menu.

5. Click Customize under Appearance on the sidebar.

6. Click Custom CSS on the bottom left.

7. Copy and paste this CSS Code.

/* Menu Cart Spacing */
#menu-main-navigation-menu li .fa-shopping-cart { margin-right: 8px; }

8. Click the Publish button.

Done.

• Test out the new link on your website to make sure it links to the beat shopping cart.
• You may have to clear the plugin cache to make sure the website is refreshed for the public.

Related FAQs:

Why does my beat store stop working when I activate a cache plugin?

Cache plugins save static versions of your pages to improve loading speed. The beat store has dynamic elements (like the shopping cart and checkout) that need to be updated in real time. If these pages are cached, the dynamic functionality can break, leading to issues like an empty cart or broken download links.

I made changes to a beat’s price, but I still see the old price on my website. What’s wrong?

This is a common issue with cache plugins. The plugin is likely serving a cached version of the page with the old price. To fix this, you need to clear your cache plugin after making any changes to your beat store.

Can I use any cache plugin with the Music Maker theme?

While the principles of excluding beat store pages apply generally, some cache plugins might have more aggressive caching settings or conflict with the theme’s specific functionalities. The Music Maker theme documentation specifically guides WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache. It’s recommended to start with one of these.

I followed the instructions to exclude the beat store pages, but I’m still having issues. What should I do?

Double-check that you have correctly identified and excluded all relevant URLs for your beat store, checkout, purchase confirmation, and individual beat pages. Ensure you clear the cache after making any configuration changes. If the problem persists, try temporarily deactivating all other plugins except Easy Digital Downloads (which powers the beat store) to see if there’s a conflict with another plugin. If the issue is resolved, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the problem plugin.

Is it possible to have a fast website with the Music Maker theme if I can’t heavily rely on caching?

Yes. While aggressive caching of dynamic pages can cause issues, you can still optimize your website’s speed in other ways. This includes optimizing your images, using a good web hosting provider, minifying CSS and JavaScript (some cache plugins offer this without causing major conflicts if configured carefully), and using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Focusing on these areas can significantly improve your website’s performance even with more limited caching of dynamic beat store pages.