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Troubleshooting Common Issues with the Essential Addons Filterable Gallery

43 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Essential addons for elementor

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The Filterable Gallery from Essential Addons for Elementor is a powerful tool for creating dynamic portfolios and image displays. However, like any complex feature, users can occasionally run into issues. Based on community reports and solutions, this guide covers the most common problems and how to resolve them.

1. Conflicts with Optimization and Caching Plugins

One of the most frequent sources of trouble is conflicts with performance optimization plugins, particularly those that modify how JavaScript and images load.

  • Lazy Load Issues: Plugins like SG Optimizer's "Lazy Load Media" can break the gallery's functionality. If your filter buttons don't work or images don't display correctly, try disabling Lazy Load for the gallery first.
  • Deferred JavaScript: Features like "Defer Render-blocking JavaScript" (found in SG Optimizer and other caching plugins) can prevent the gallery's interactive elements from working. The solution is to identify and exclude the specific Essential Addons scripts from being deferred. You may need to contact the plugin's support or consult its documentation for the correct script handles to exclude.
  • HTML Minification: While less common, minification can sometimes alter code structure. If you suspect this, try disabling minification to see if it resolves the issue.

2. Problems in the Elementor Editor

Many users report that the gallery behaves differently or is slow to use within the Elementor editor itself.

  • Editing Interface Disappears: If the "Gallery Items" tab is blank or you cannot edit items, this is typically caused by a plugin conflict. Perform a conflict test by deactivating all other plugins except Elementor and Essential Addons. If the issue is resolved, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
  • Slow Editor Performance: A gallery with a very large number of high-resolution images can significantly slow down the Elementor editor. This is often a server resource limitation. Consider optimizing your images before upload and increasing your PHP memory limit.
  • Masonry Not Working in Editor: The masonry layout may not render correctly in the editor view. This is often a visual quirk. Always check the front end of your live site to confirm the layout is working properly for visitors.

3. Front-End Display and Functional Bugs

These are issues that affect how the gallery looks and works for your website visitors.

  • Column Layout Problems: If the number of columns displayed does not match your settings, clear all caching (browser, plugin, and server). If the problem persists, it could be a theme CSS conflict. Try adding custom CSS to override the column widths.
  • Filterable Gallery & Load More: A known limitation is that the "Load More" pagination feature may not work correctly with filtering if the initial "Show" quantity is set. All images must be loaded for the filters to work across the entire collection. The Essential Addons team has acknowledged this behavior in the past.
  • Lightbox Issues: If clicking a lightbox icon briefly opens the lightbox before navigating to the image file directly, it is usually caused by a JavaScript error or conflict. Check your browser's console for errors and perform a plugin conflict test.
  • PHP Warnings/Errors: Specific version updates have introduced and subsequently fixed PHP warnings, especially for PHP 8.x. Always ensure you are running the latest version of the Essential Addons plugin to benefit from these patches.

4. Known Limitations and Compatibility

It's important to be aware of the plugin's current limitations to avoid frustration.

  • WPML Translation: The Filterable Gallery widget does not officially support WPML for translating filter categories. Manual translation within the Elementor editor may work but can be unstable.
  • Bulk Image Upload: There is no native functionality to bulk-add images to the gallery. Each image must be added individually and assigned to a category.
  • Custom Breakpoints: The widget may not automatically honor custom Elementor breakpoints. Custom CSS is often required to achieve the desired responsive layout.

General Troubleshooting Steps

Before diving deep, always start with these basic steps:

  1. Update Everything: Ensure WordPress, Elementor, Essential Addons, and your theme are all updated to their latest versions.
  2. Clear All Caches: Clear your browser cache, any caching plugin caches, and your server-level cache (if applicable, like on SiteGround).
  3. Plugin Conflict Test: Temporarily deactivate all plugins except Elementor and Essential Addons. If the problem goes away, reactivate plugins one by one to find the conflict.

If you continue to experience issues after working through these steps, the best course of action is to seek help from the broader community. Detailed information about your environment (PHP version, plugin versions, and a link to the page) will help others provide more targeted assistance.

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