The Content Area Was Not Found in Your PageThis article explains what to do if you get the message:
「Sorry, the content area was not found in your page. You must callthe_content function in the current template, in order for Elementor to work on this page.」
What is the_content, and why does Elementor require it?
The the_content function is a WordPress function that gets the content from the database and prints it on the screen. Given that Elementor』s content replaces the content of the page, if this function is not called for, then Elementor cannot work. Read more onthe_content function onWordPress.org.
Does this error happen only on specific pages, but not on all pages?
If so, here are the most common reasons for this to occur:
There are 3 common occurrences that may be the cause of whythe_content will not be called:
Are you trying to edit the Blog archive page or a Homepage that shows the latest posts? These are all archive pages and they can only be edited by Elementor Pro』s Theme Builder function. See how to create an archive template here.Are you trying to edit a WooCommerce shop or product page?a. WooCommerce shop pages cannot currently be directly edited by Elementor. With Elementor Pro, however, you can create a new shop archive page to use in place of the default shop page. See how to create a WooCommerce archive template here.b. WooCommerce product pages must be edited with Elementor Pro』s WooCommerce Builder. If you edit it there and not into WooCommerce, you won』t receive the the_content error and you will be able to assign the template to your WooCommerce product pages.If this is happening on a new page you are trying to create, check the page』s permalink slug (set to 「plain」 to troubleshoot). If you are already using the same slug name elsewhere, such as a post category or product category, and then assign the same name to a page, the permalink confusion can cause this error to occur. For example, if you have a category with a slug of 「sports」, do not use 「sports」 as the slug for your page. Name your new page something else, and the problem will be resolved.Have you or the theme』s developer created a custom WordPress page template for your theme that does not include the_content function? You will need to include the_content in your code to edit it with Elementor or switch to a different theme, which often solves the problem. First, try switching to a theme like Twenty Seventeen or GeneratePress and see if your problem is solved. If you are a web developer and are developing a theme, add the_content function into the page template』s code. This is the line you need to add: If you are not familiar with where to place this code or how to add it to the page, please contact your website developer so it can be implemented properly as we cannot provide full support for that. Please note that adding this code won』t enable the editing of Archive pages and Latest Post pages (these pages have to be edited via the theme builder of Elementor) and it is really simple.
Important! You do not have to add this code if you are not the developer of a theme. The majority of WordPress themes include this function in the regular pages and posts.
Does this happen on all pages, using any theme? If so, here are some reasons this might be occurring:
Caching issues: (clear the cache of your browser and check if it helps). This is relevant especially if it happens from time to time.Conflicts with browser add-ons: In this case, you can switch to another browser (it has to be Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Opera).Back-end issues: (try to click on 「Edit with Elementor」 from the front-end and check if it works this way).Plugin conflict (deactivate all your plugins besides Elementor and Elementor Pro to check if it removes the error message and if it is the case, reactivate them one by one to find the culprit). Publish your pages: Make sure also that you publish your pages given that sometimes, conflicts or unusual server configurations can make the editing with Elementor impossible on draft pages.Permissions on pages built with Elementor and Membership plugins. To rule out this possibility, deactivate temporarily your membership plugin.The structure of your permalinks (in this case, save one more time your permalinks)404 pages (this can also be due to the structure of the permalinks) or the page does not exist anymore.A WordPress install without the .htaccess file (in this case, you have to verify with your hosting company if you have this file on your WP install)When you do not have the WordPress Default Loop in your layout (this has to be checked with the support of your theme)A Server which erases the PHP $_GET variable (this can be solved by your hosting company)Your host may need to enable zlib.output_compression a module which can compress the data and may help with the loading of the editor when servers have limited resources.
Note: This message occurs also whenever a page cannot be loaded (whatever the reason). So while the above reasons are the most common, you will also see this same message in any other circumstance in which the page cannot be loaded.
