Activate Plugin in Bedrock

### Steps to Activate a Plugin in Bedrock:

1. **Install the Plugin**:
– Go to the `wp-admin` dashboard of your WordPress site.
– Navigate to **Plugins > Add New**.
– Search for the plugin you want to install or upload it via the **Upload Plugin** option.
– After installation, you should see an option to activate the plugin.

2. **Activating the Plugin**:
– Once the plugin is installed, you'll see an **Activate** button under the plugin name in the **Plugins** list.
– Click **Activate** to enable the plugin.

3. **Location of Plugins**:
– In a Bedrock setup, the plugins are located in the `web/app/plugins` directory, not in the standard `wp-content/plugins`.
– When installing or updating plugins via the admin dashboard, WordPress will place them in this `web/app/plugins` directory, which is the default location for Bedrock installations.

### Additional Considerations:
– **Composer Managed Plugins**: If you're managing plugins with Composer (which is common in Bedrock setups), you can add the plugin to your `composer.json` and run `composer install` to download and install it. After that, activate it via the WordPress admin dashboard.

Example:

composer require wpackagist-plugin/plugin-name

– **Plugin Folder Structure**: Make sure the plugin files are located in `web/app/plugins/`, as that's where Bedrock expects them. The plugin's `.zip` file or code will be extracted into this folder when activated.

Once the plugin is activated, you can configure it according to your needs from the plugin's settings page in the admin area.

### 1. **Check User Permissions**:
– Ensure that the logged-in user has the correct permissions to install and activate plugins. Only **Administrators** can install or activate plugins.
– You can verify this by checking the user's role in **Users > All Users** and ensuring they are assigned an **Administrator** role.

### 2. **Network Mode or Multisite**:
– If your WordPress setup is a **Multisite** installation, the "Add New" option may not be available in the individual site dashboards. Network administrators typically manage plugins from the **Network Admin**.
– To check this, go to **My Sites > Network Admin > Plugins**.
– If you're on a multisite, you'll need to install and activate plugins through the **Network Admin** interface.

### 3. **Bedrock Configuration**:
– In Bedrock, if you have **Composer-managed** plugins and you're relying on Composer to install and manage them, the **Add New** option may be hidden by configuration or WordPress settings.
– To allow plugin installation from the admin panel, you can manually change your `wp-config.php` file (located in the root directory of your Bedrock setup):
– Check if there’s a constant for disabling plugin installation, such as `DISALLOW_FILE_MODS` or `DISALLOW_PLUGIN_INSTALLATION`. If these constants are set to `true`, you will need to set them to `false` or remove them.

Example:

define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS', false); // Allow file modifications

This should allow the "Add New" option to appear again.

### 4. **Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts**:
– A theme or another plugin may be hiding the "Add New" button. You can test this by disabling all plugins and switching to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Three).
– If the "Add New" button reappears, reactivate the plugins one by one to find the culprit.

– To disable plugins and themes manually in Bedrock:
– Go to `web/app/plugins` and temporarily rename the plugin folder to disable it.
– Similarly, go to `web/app/themes` and change the theme folder name to switch to a default theme.

### 5. **File Permissions**:
– Ensure that your file and folder permissions are set correctly, especially for the `web/app/plugins` directory. Incorrect permissions might cause issues with plugin installation.
– Check that the permissions for the `web/app/plugins` folder are writable by the web server.
– For example, set folder permissions to `755` and file permissions to `644`.

After resolving these potential issues, you should be able to see the "Add New" option in the **Plugins** section again. If none of these solutions work, please share more details about your setup, and I'll help you investigate further.

### 1. **Check if You Are in Multisite Mode**:
In a **multisite** installation, plugins are managed from the **Network Admin** panel. If you are running WordPress as a multisite network, the "Add New" option might be available only in the **Network Admin**.
– To access the **Network Admin**, go to **My Sites > Network Admin > Plugins** and check if the "Add New" option is visible there.
– If you're working on a single-site installation, make sure you're logged into the correct admin panel.

### 2. **Check for the `define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);` Constant**:
If this constant is set in your `wp-config.php`, it will enable Multisite features, which might restrict plugin installation. Double-check if this constant is present:

define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', false);  // Set this to false if it's set to true

### 3. **Inspect for Plugins or Themes Modifying Admin UI**:
Some plugins or themes might hide certain admin options, like **"Add New"**, to limit the ability to install plugins. Here's how to diagnose this:
– **Disable All Plugins**: Rename the plugin directory under `web/app/plugins` (e.g., `plugins_disabled`), and check if the "Add New" button appears.
– **Switch Themes**: Temporarily switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Three) by renaming your current theme folder in `web/app/themes` and checking again.

### 4. **Verify File and Folder Permissions**:
Ensure that the `web/app/plugins` directory has the correct write permissions. The user running the web server must be able to write files to that directory.
– You can use `chmod` to set correct permissions:

chmod 755 web/app/plugins

– This will allow the web server to create and manage plugins in this folder.

### 5. **Disable `define('FS_METHOD', 'direct');` if Present**:
If the `FS_METHOD` constant is set to `direct` in your `wp-config.php`, it might block plugin installation via the admin panel, as WordPress will bypass its file-handling methods.
– To fix this, you can comment out or remove the line in your `wp-config.php` file:

// define('FS_METHOD', 'direct'); // Comment or remove this line

### 6. **Clear Caches**:
– Sometimes caching plugins or server-side caching can cause issues with loading the admin panel correctly. Try clearing your browser cache, clearing any caching plugins you might be using, or temporarily disabling your server-side cache.

### 7. **Debugging Mode**:
Enable debugging in your `wp-config.php` file to see if any errors are being suppressed. This might reveal hidden issues:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
   define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
   define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);

### 8. **Check User Role**:
Ensure the user logged in is an **Administrator**. Only Administrators have the capability to install and activate plugins. You can double-check this by navigating to **Users > All Users** in the dashboard and verifying the role.

### 9. **Check for Any Custom `wp-admin` Tweaks**:
Bedrock, or custom themes or plugins, might be modifying the WordPress admin panel. Look through the `functions.php` files or custom admin code that could be removing the "Add New" option from the admin menu.

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After performing these checks, you should hopefully find the cause of the missing "Add New" option. If you're still having trouble, let me know what you've tried, and I can help you further debug the issue.