Prepare WordPress for Drecha plugins

Check compatibility before you install

Drecha plugins run inside your own WordPress website. The Free plugins do not require a Drecha account, and ordinary forms, events, bookings, and submissions stay on your hosting. Your server must still meet the requirements of the plugin you install.

• Drecha Forms and Drecha Forms Pro require WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 8.1 or newer.
• Drecha Events & Bookings and its Pro add-on require WordPress 6.2 or newer and PHP 8.0 or newer.
• A current WordPress release and a supported PHP release are strongly recommended for security.
• Use HTTPS on a public website, especially when visitors submit personal information or when Pro connects to an external service.

To check the PHP version, open Tools > Site Health > Info in WordPress and expand Server. Ask your hosting provider to change PHP if the installed version is too old.

Prepare a safe installation

1. Sign in to WordPress with an Administrator account that can install and activate plugins.
2. Make a current backup of the website files and database.
3. Update WordPress and complete any pending database updates.
4. Test the installation on a staging website first when the live site already accepts forms or bookings.
5. Download the correct ZIP package and keep it zipped. Do not upload a folder extracted by your computer.
6. Install the Free core before installing the matching Pro add-on.

The public plugin names are Drecha Forms and Drecha Events & Bookings. Their Pro packages are separate plugins, not replacements for Free. Deactivating Pro leaves the Free data in place.

Confirm the hosting services you will use

Some features depend on normal WordPress hosting services even though they do not depend on a Drecha SaaS account.

1. Confirm that WordPress can write to its plugins directory.
2. Confirm that scheduled WordPress tasks can run. Drecha Forms uses WordPress cron for queued email work and maintenance; low-traffic websites may need a real server cron to call WordPress cron reliably.
3. Send a test message from the website if email notifications matter. Drecha Forms uses wp_mail and works with established SMTP plugins, but acceptance by WordPress does not prove inbox delivery.
4. If you will use Forms file uploads, make sure the server can provide a writable private directory outside the public document root. The plugin refuses a detected public storage path.
5. For Pro activation and updates, allow outbound HTTPS requests to drecha.com. Ordinary Free processing remains local.

Choose the correct package order

1. For forms, install Drecha Forms first. Install Drecha Forms Pro only after Free is active.
2. For events, install Drecha Events & Bookings first. Install Drecha Events & Bookings Pro only after Free is active.
3. Keep both plugins active when using Pro. Free owns the shared forms, entries, activities, bookings, and other core data.
4. Keep the original ZIP packages until the installation and a basic test are complete.

Troubleshoot common installation errors

WordPress says the package could not be installed

Download the ZIP again from its official source. Upload the ZIP itself through Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin. A ZIP that contains another ZIP, or only loose source files without the plugin entry file, is not installable.

WordPress reports an incompatible PHP version

Change PHP through the hosting control panel or ask the host to do it. Use PHP 8.1 or newer when both Forms and Events products will run on the same website.

Uploading stops or returns a file-size error

The server upload limit may be lower than the ZIP size. Increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size with the host, or use the host's approved file manager or deployment method.

WordPress cannot create the plugin directory

Check filesystem ownership, available disk space, and write permissions with the hosting provider. Do not solve this by making the whole WordPress installation world-writable.

The website shows a critical error after activation

Use the recovery email sent by WordPress, or disable only the new plugin through the hosting control panel. Record the exact error, PHP version, WordPress version, and plugin version before contacting support. Restore the backup if the site cannot be recovered safely.