When a block stays empty or sign-in stops working, you rarely have to guess. The settings screen in WordPress, under Settings, then memberarea, ends with a Status section that says what the plugin last saw.
Reading the status panel
| Row | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Connection | Whether member sign-in is set up, and whether the memberarea has answered since. |
| Domain | The memberarea this site is pointed at. |
| Last successful call | When the memberarea last answered, and how long ago. |
| Last error | The last failure, in words, or "None recorded". |
| Cached responses | How many answers are stored on this server right now. |
| Clock | Whether this server's time matches the memberarea. |
Above the table, the plugin names the problem it found, with the fix. There is no error code to look up: each state has its own sentence.
The problems it names
- Not connected yet. No domain or no key saved.
- The API key is not accepted any more. It was replaced or removed in your memberarea. Create a new one and paste it in. Members who are already signed in stay signed in, because sign-in uses a separate secret.
- The API key is missing a permission. Open the key in your memberarea and tick View under WordPress, plus Manage for sign-in.
- The memberarea plan does not include the API. The plugin needs a paid plan; the API is part of Starter and above. An expired trial falls back to a restricted plan and produces this message.
- The memberarea could not be reached. A network or DNS problem between your host and your memberarea.
- This server clock is wrong. Sign-in codes are valid for a minute only, so a drifting clock breaks sign-in with no useful message. Ask your host to enable time synchronization.
- Member sign-in cannot work with plain permalinks. Pick any other permalink structure.
- The site address changed after sign-in was set up. Set member login up again.
- The memberarea no longer knows this website. The connection was removed or switched off there. Set member login up again.
- Membership checks are paused or Pausing after too many requests. The memberarea asked this site to slow down. It resumes on its own.
- Protected content was withheld because the memberarea could not be asked. The plugin kept a locked page closed rather than risk opening it.
When everything is fine, the panel says so: Everything is working, member sign-in included.
Clearing cached responses
The plugin keeps answers for a short time so every page view does not become an API call: access decisions for two minutes, course lists for one minute, catalogues and product data for five.
If you changed something in your memberarea and WordPress still shows the old state, press Clear cached responses under the status table. It only drops stored answers. It does not touch your settings, your connection or anyone's session, and the next page view fetches fresh data.
Signing out clears that member's own cached answers immediately, so you do not need this button after a membership change for a single person.
When a block stays empty
- In the editor, the product or course list is empty. The connection is not working, or the key is missing View. Press Check connection.
- On the page, a block shows a short hint instead of content. The block is not configured yet: it has no product, course or form selected.
- The login block shows nothing at all. Member login is not set up. It is a separate step from saving the API key.
- A signed-in member sees "your membership could not be checked". The memberarea did not answer. The plugin fails closed on purpose; the status panel will show the same error.