Plugin Reference Cleaner

Author: Marcus Quinn Author URI: https://www.wpallstars.com Version: 1.3.1 License: GPL-2.0+

Description

Have you ever deleted a plugin some other way than through the /wp-admin/plugins.php page? If so, you've probably been stuck with this annoying notification that can't be cleared:

"The plugin folder-name/file-name.php has been deactivated due to an error: Plugin file does not exist."

This small WordPress utility plugin adds a "Remove Reference" button to these plugin deactivation error notices, allowing you to clean up the invalid plugin entries in the database.

When WordPress detects a plugin file that no longer exists but is still referenced in the database as active, it displays an error notice. This plugin enhances those notices with a button that allows you to safely remove the invalid reference with a single click.

You can find these with SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'active_plugins'; — but the cleanup involves removing the rogue entry, and renumbering all others. This plugin can simply do that for you at the click of a button added to that WP standard notification.

It's probably something that should be added to WP core. If anyone from the core team wants to adopt this solution, it's GPL, so feel free.

Note: This plugin only needs to be installed and active if you have an error notification showing at /wp-admin/plugins.php, like this: "The plugin folder-name/file-name.php has been deactivated due to an error: Plugin file does not exist."

If you don't have this notification perpetually showing on your /wp-admin/plugins.php page, then you don't need this, but you might like to save or bookmark it for if ever you do.

Features

• Adds a "Remove Reference" button to plugin error notices
• Works for both single site and multisite WordPress installations
• Confirms before removing any plugin references
• Simple, lightweight solution with no settings page required
• Secure implementation with proper permissions checking
• Compatible with WordPress 5.0+

Installation

1. Upload the plugin-reference-cleaner.php file to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. No configuration needed - the plugin works automatically

Usage

1. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
2. If any "Plugin file does not exist" error notices appear, a "Remove Reference" button will be displayed
3. Click the button and confirm to remove the invalid plugin reference
4. The page will refresh with the error notice removed

Changelog

1.3.1

• Added instructional notification explaining how to use the plugin
• Improved user guidance with step-by-step instructions
• Enhanced visual identification of missing plugins

1.3.0

• Complete redesign for maximum compatibility with all WordPress themes
• Now adds missing plugins directly to the plugins list table
• Uses standard WordPress admin UI patterns instead of DOM manipulation
• Added "Remove Reference" action link in the plugins list
• Significantly improved reliability across all WordPress configurations

1.2.4

• Fixed compatibility with more WordPress admin themes
• Added advanced DOM traversal to find error messages
• Implemented fallback mechanisms to ensure button appears
• Added detailed console logging for troubleshooting

1.2.3

• Fixed button not appearing in some WordPress admin themes
• Improved error message detection for greater compatibility
• Enhanced DOM traversal to find notification elements

1.2.2

• Fixed timeout issue during plugin activation
• Improved hook management to prevent potential infinite recursion
• Optimized performance by only loading on plugins page

1.2.1

• Fixed typos in documentation
• Improved text clarity
• Added question mark to first sentence for better readability

1.2

• Improved documentation with detailed explanation
• Added SQL reference for technical users
• Suggested potential inclusion in WordPress core

1.1

• Improved error handling
• Added support for multisite installations
• Enhanced security with proper capability checks

1.0

• Initial release

Support

For support, please visit https://wpallstars.com