wpsnoop: fix Co-Authors plugin conflicts, errors & issues

When the plugin Co-Authors conflicts or throws a PHP error we hope wpsnoop can help you to fix the issue quickly.


Discover which shortcodes wp-options PHP functions database tables and files are created by Co-Authors, plus learn which plugins and/or themes could be in conflict with Co-Authors.


Troubleshooting theme and plugin conflicts is easier when you know what Co-Authors leaves behind after uninstalling it from a WordPress installation, there is a list down below for your convenience.

Expert advice is recommended if you are not technically proficient with PHP, MySQL etc. View support options for Co-Authors

Get professional support for Co-Authors here

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What does Co-Authors version 1.0 (beta 6) add to WordPress? Answers Here.

This is an automatically generated report - it is possible for Co-Authors to perform differently in your installation, previous versions before 1.0 (beta 6) may have created a different set of shortcodes, used different function names or could have created entirely different database tables to store settings and operate. This is not an exhaustive list but shows how version 1.0 (beta 6) of Co-Authors behaves when installed and removed on a clean installation of WordPress.

We have not tested individual shortcodes, features or settings of this plugin but instead have concentrated on the potential for obvious errors and conflicts which can occur, if you need help with the plugin in your local installation you can get WordPress help and support for Co-Authors by clicking here.

Our testing covered the free version of this plugin there may or may not be a paid version or premium version available for purchase that unlocks additional features and could behave in a slightly or very different manner.

Which new files does Co-Authors add to WordPress?

This section will populate with a table showing an icon, size and filepath.

Type & Path Size Conflicts
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/ 35.06kB No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/admin.css 610.00B No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/admin.js 7.85kB No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/co-authors.php 20.27kB No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/localization/ No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/readme.txt 574.00B No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/screenshot-1.png 2.60kB No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.
wp-content/plugins/co-authors/screenshot-2.png 3.18kB No known conflicts with other themes or plugins.

Which new shortcodes does Co-Authors add to WordPress?

Which new database tables are created by the WordPress plugin Co-Authors?

Which new options are added to the wp-options table by Co-Authors?

Option Name   Known Conflicts
coauthors_version The coauthors_version option doesn't have any known conflicts with other themes or plugins.

During use Co-Authors may or may not create more options depending on how the plugin is configured and depending on which other themes and plugins are active in your specific hosting environment.

What new PHP functions does Co-Authors declare when it is active?

Function   Conflicts Common Errors
coauthors 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors()
coauthors__echo 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors__echo()
coauthors_firstnames 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_firstnames()
coauthors_ids 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_ids()
coauthors_lastnames 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_lastnames()
coauthors_links 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_links()
coauthors_nicknames 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_nicknames()
coauthors_posts_links 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_posts_links()
coauthors_wp_list_authors 2 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_wp_list_authors()
coauthors_add_stylesheet 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_add_stylesheet()
coauthors_delete_user_action 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_delete_user_action()
coauthors_init 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_init()
coauthors_modify_post_sidebar 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_modify_post_sidebar()
coauthors_posts_join_filter 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_posts_join_filter()
coauthors_posts_where_filter 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_posts_where_filter()
coauthors_update_post 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_update_post()
coauthors_updatedb 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_updatedb()
coauthors_user_has_cap 0 conflicts Fatal error: Cannot redeclare coauthors_user_has_cap()

Using Co-Authors from the command line with WP-CLI

The following commands are provided for convenience and should only be used if you understand how WP-CLI works. These commands refer to a single WordPress instance and may need to be modified if you are working with a Multisite installation.


How to install Co-Authors from the command line with WP-CLI

Navigate to the root of your WordPress installation and type the following command:

wp plugin install co-authors


How to activate Co-Authors from the command line with WP-CLI

To immediately activate Co-Authors after WP-CLI downloads the latest version you can use the following command:

wp plugin install co-authors --activate


How to reinstall Co-Authors from the command line with WP-CLI

To force a reinstallation of Co-Authors which overwrites the current plugin without asking for confirmation you can use the following command:

wp plugin install co-authors --force


How to update Co-Authors to the latest version from the command line with WP-CLI

wp plugin update co-authors


How to delete Co-Authors from the command line with WP-CLI

wp plugin delete co-authors

Where can you download earlier versions of Co-Authors?

Whenever possible you should use the latest version of plugins and themes, however if you have recently updated and discovered that you need to install an earlier version you may be able to download other versions of Co-Authors from the WordPress repository by visiting this link.

Please note that installing earlier versions of a theme or plugin is not generally a recommended course of action for most users and could re-introduce security, stability or other issues in Co-Authors

About our testing enviroment

Tests were conducted using Apache 2.4.29, PHP 7.2 on Ubuntu 18.04, MySQL 5.7.33 and WordPress 5.9

It is very possible that different versions of PHP such as PHP 8.0, PHP 7.4, or PHP 7.3 could behave differently with Co-Authors. Different versions of WordPress could implement the features of this plugin in slightly different ways as well.