Common problems and what they mean

On this page

Every message below is one that Tentmaker really shows. They are grouped by what you were doing. Where a message has a name or a number in the middle, this page writes ... in its place. If you cannot fix a problem with what is here, ask the person who looks after your Tentmaker, and tell them the exact words on the screen.

Signing in Link to this section: Signing in

Signing in
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Enter a valid email address."The box does not hold something that looks like an email address.Check for a typo or a space, then try again.
"Too many sign-in requests. Please wait an hour and try again."Sign-in links were asked for too many times for this address. The limit is five an hour from one connection for each address (and fifty an hour from everywhere). Someone else asking for your address's links from elsewhere does not use up yours.Wait an hour. Use the newest email that arrived, since older links may have been replaced. If you are still locked out, ask whoever runs your Tentmaker: a platform administrator can clear it and send you a fresh link.
"We could not send the email just now. Please try again in a few minutes."The email service did not answer.Wait a few minutes and try again.
"If that address has an account, a sign-in link is on its way. It works once and expires in 15 minutes."Not a problem. This is the same answer for every address, so strangers cannot learn who is on a team.Open your email. If nothing comes, check spam and check the address.
"That sign-in link has expired or was already used. Request a new one below."The link is older than 15 minutes, or you already used it. Some email programs open the link before you do, which can use it up.Ask for a new link and open it soon.
"That invitation is no longer valid"An invitation lasts 7 days, works once, and stops if it was cancelled.Ask the person who invited you to send a new one.
"You cannot do that"Your role does not allow this. The line under it says who can, for example "Only managers and owners can do this."See Members and roles. Ask a Manager or Owner if you need it done.
"Not found"The address does not exist, or belongs to another church.Go back to your churches and start again.
"You are not on any church's team yet."You are signed in, but no church has added you.Ask a church's owner to invite you.

Writing and publishing pages Link to this section: Writing and publishing pages

Writing and publishing pages
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Someone else saved a newer version of this page while you were working."Another person saved the page after you opened it.Press Open the newer version to see theirs, or Save mine as a new draft to keep yours too. Either way, nothing is lost.
"Could not save, retrying."The connection dropped or the server was busy. Your changes are still in your window.Wait. It tries again by itself. Do not close the page.
"You were signed out. Sign in again; your changes are kept in this window."Your sign-in ended.Open the sign-in page in a new tab, sign in, and come back. Then press Save draft.
"You do not have permission to change this page."Your role may not do that.Ask a Manager or Owner.
"Saving too fast, it will retry in a moment."A lot of saves came at once.Wait a moment.
"That page is too large to save."The page holds too much.Remove some content, or split it into two pages.
"This page is too large to save. Remove some content."The same, found a different way.Remove some content.
"A page holds at most ... blocks."The most a page can hold.Remove some blocks or use two pages.
"A column holds at most ... blocks."The most a column can hold.Move some out of the column.
"A sidebar holds at most ... blocks."The most a sidebar can hold.Remove some.
"Give the page a title first."A page needs a title.Fill in Title.
"The title is too long (120 characters at most)."The title is longer than 120 letters.Shorten it.
"Web address: a page at ... already exists"Another page already has that web address.Choose a different title or Web address (optional).
"Web address: the title needs some letters or digits to make an address from"The title has no letters or numbers, for example only symbols.Write a title with words, or type a web address.
"This page cannot be published yet."The Checklist found something that must be fixed first.Open the Checklist tab. Press Show me on each item.
"Not published yet: ... to fix."The same, shown as a short note beside Save.Open the Checklist tab.
"That is not one of the page starters."The page starter you chose does not exist.Choose one from the list.
"Choose whether to add the page starter's blocks or replace the page."The editor did not know which you meant.Press either Add a page starter's blocks or Replace the page with a page starter.
"A block this editor does not know"The page holds a kind of block from a different version of Tentmaker.Move it, or delete it. The page cannot be saved until it is removed.
"Could not refresh the page view. Your changes are still here."The preview of the page did not update.Keep going. Press Save draft, then reload if it persists.

What the Checklist asks for Link to this section: What the Checklist asks for

What the Checklist asks for
What you seeWhat to do
"Replace the sample text in '...'."Change the words, or press This reads fine as it is.
"Add a description to the picture in '...'."Fill in Describe the picture, or tick This picture is only decoration.
"Add a description to picture ... in '...'."The same, for a picture in a gallery.
"Choose at least one picture for the gallery '...'."Add a picture to the gallery, or delete the block.
"Add the words and the link address for the button '...'."A button needs both.
"Add both the words and the link address for the button in card ... of '...'."A card's button needs both words and a link, or neither.
"Add a caption to the table '...': it names the table for people using a screen reader."Fill in the table's Caption.
"Paste a link or embed code for the embedded content '...'."Paste the link into the block.
"Give the embedded content a title. It is the name a screen reader reads for the frame."Fill in the block's Title.
"The embedded content '...' cannot be published yet. ..."The site is not on your list of allowed sites. A Manager can press Allow this host.
"Paste a YouTube or Vimeo link for the video '...'."Paste the video's address.
"Give the video a title. It is the name a screen reader reads for the card."Fill in Video title.
"Choose a video for '...'."Choose a hosted video.
"This video has no captions: '...'. You can still publish, but people who cannot hear it will miss what is said. ..."A warning, not a block: you can publish anyway.Add captions on the Videos screen, or tick This video has no speech to caption.
"The captions chosen for the video '...' are not on that video. ..."The block names captions that are not this video's, so the page cannot go live.Choose its captions again, or leave the choice as the video's own captions.
"The shared block '...' has not been published yet. Publish it from Shared blocks first, or publish both together."Press Publish both, or publish the shared block first.
"The shared block '...' was deleted. Remove it from this page."Delete the block from the page.
"A picture on this page is no longer in your library. Choose another picture for it."A picture was deleted. Choose another.
"The video in '...' is no longer in your library. Choose another video for it."A video was deleted. Choose another.

Small suggestions that do not stop you from publishing: "The page has more than one main heading." and "The button '...' does not say where it goes. Try words like "Plan a visit"."

Fields in a block Link to this section: Fields in a block

Fields in a block
What you seeWhat it means
"Use a full web address starting with https://, an email or phone link, or a page on this site."A link must start with https://, mailto:, tel:, or be a page on your site such as /about.
"Use a YouTube or Vimeo link, such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=... or https://vimeo.com/123456789."The Video block only takes those two sites. Use Embedded content for others.
"That embed address is not valid. Paste the link or the embed code again."Copy it again from the other site.
"Use a real date, such as 2026-12-31."Write the date as year, month, day.
"That is too long (... characters at most)."Shorten the text.

Pictures Link to this section: Pictures

Pictures
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"That file is larger than 5 MB. Save a smaller copy of the picture and try again."Pictures can be 5 MB at most.Save a smaller copy, or lower the quality a little.
"Choose a picture file first."Upload was pressed with no file chosen.Choose a file.
"That picture file looks damaged. Save it again from the original and try again."The file is cut short or broken.Save it again from the original.
"That file is not a PNG, JPEG or WebP picture."Only those three are accepted. The message may add that SVG files are not accepted, or that GIF files are not accepted.Save the picture as a PNG or JPEG.
"which is larger than the site accepts"The picture is more than 8,000 pixels on a side.Save a smaller copy.
"This church's library is full (... pictures). Delete some you no longer use, then try again."You have 500 pictures.A Manager or Owner can delete some.
"Delete some pictures you no longer use, then try again."You have used the 200 MB.A Manager or Owner can delete some.
"That is a lot of uploads in a short time (... an hour). Please wait a while and try again."An hour's limit.Wait, then try again.
"Picture uploads are not set up on this server yet."A setup step is missing on the server.Tell whoever looks after Tentmaker.
"That picture could not be stored."A storage problem.Try again in a few minutes.
"Choose a different picture there first, then delete this one."The picture is still used somewhere. The message lists where.Replace it in those places first.
"That picture is not in this church's library."The picture was already deleted, or never was yours.Choose another picture.

Videos Link to this section: Videos

Videos
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Choose an MP4 video file (its name ends in .mp4). Other kinds, such as .mov or .avi, need to be saved as MP4 first."Only MP4 is accepted.Convert it. The How to make a video that works note shows how.
"That video is ... MB. The limit is ... MB. Save a smaller copy"The video is too big.Save a smaller copy. 720p is usually plenty.
"This church's video library is full (... videos). Delete some you no longer use, then try again."You have 40 videos.Delete one you no longer use.
"Delete a video you no longer use, then try again."You have used the 1 GB.Delete a video you no longer use.
"That is a lot of video uploads in a short time (... an hour). Please wait a while and try again."An hour's limit.Wait.
"You already have ... uploads in progress. Finish or cancel one first."You can send two at once.Wait for one to finish, or press Cancel upload.
"Your church already has ... uploads in progress. Wait for one to finish, or cancel one."The whole church can send five at once.Wait.
"That upload was left for too long and has expired. Start the upload again."An upload was not finished in time.Start it again.
"That upload is being finished right now."The video is being put together.Wait a moment, then check the Videos list.
"The video file looks damaged or cut short. Export it again from the original and upload the new copy."The file is broken.Export it again.
"This video uses HEVC (H.265), which many browsers cannot play."The video is in a format many phones and browsers cannot play.Convert it to H.264 with HandBrake. Similar messages name VP8, VP9 and AV1.
"This video is not H.264, the kind every browser plays."The same idea.Convert it.
"This video's sound is not AAC (an older MP3 or other format)."The sound is in the wrong format.Convert it.
"This is a QuickTime movie (.mov), not an MP4."A .mov file.Convert it to MP4.
"This video is not set up for the web"Its index comes after the picture data, so a phone must download all of it before it can play.Export again with Web optimized (Fast Start) ticked.
"This video is 10 bit or not standard 4:2:0 color, which many browsers cannot play."An unusual color format.Convert it with HandBrake.
"larger than 1080p"The video is bigger than 1080p.Save a smaller copy.
"This video is encrypted (copy protected), so it cannot be played from a church site."Copy protection.Use an unprotected copy.
"Video is turned off for this church. Turn it on under Modules first."The Video module is off.A Manager or Owner can turn it on under Modules.
"Video uploads are not set up on this server yet."A setup step is missing.Tell whoever looks after Tentmaker.
"Video storage is not answering. Please try again in a minute."A storage problem.Try again soon.
"This screen needs JavaScript to send a video. Your browser has it turned off."Uploads need your browser's scripts.Turn them on, or use another browser.
"That is not a WebVTT captions file: the first line must be WEBVTT."The captions file is the wrong kind.Download the captions as WebVTT (.vtt) from YouTube Studio.
"Choose a captions file first (a .vtt file)."No file was chosen.Choose one.
"That captions file is not plain text in UTF-8."The file was saved in another encoding.Save it again as UTF-8.
"A video can have up to ... caption files. Delete one first."The limit of three.Delete one.
"Use a short language code such as en or es."The Language code is wrong.Write en, es or similar.
"use a language code such as es-MX, pt-BR or zh-Hant (letters and hyphens only)"Shown after "Language:". The Language code for Another language on Settings is not a language code.Write a code such as es-MX, or choose a language from the list.
"languages written right to left are not supported yet, because the pages would not be laid out for them"Shown after "Language:". Arabic, Hebrew and similar languages are not supported yet.Choose another language from the list.
"Choose different captions there first, then delete this file."A page still uses these captions.Pick other captions on that page first.

Staff, missionaries, events and the blog Link to this section: Staff, missionaries, events and the blog

Staff, missionaries, events and the blog
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Name: a name is required"The Name box was empty.Fill it in.
"Title: a title is required"The Title box was empty.Fill it in.
"Date: use the date format YYYY-MM-DD"The Date was not filled in properly.Use the date box, or write the year, month and day.
"Last day: the end date cannot be before the start date"The Last day (if more than one day) comes before the Date.Fix one of them.
"Photo: choose a picture from your library"The photo must come from your library.Use Choose from your pictures.
"Photo: that picture is not in your library"The picture was deleted, or is not yours.Choose another.
"that group name is too long (40 characters at most)"The Group is too long.Shorten it.
"use a full address starting with https://, or choose a picture from your library"A picture address must start with https://.Choose from your pictures, or fix the address.

Settings and the look of your site Link to this section: Settings and the look of your site

These are for Managers and Owners. When one of these screens cannot save, it begins with "Nothing was saved yet. Please fix this:" and lists each problem.

Settings and the look of your site
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Enter a six-digit color code that starts with #, such as #1f3a56."A color must be in that form.Use the color box next to it.
"That color is too light for white text to be easy to read on it."The main color sits behind white words. The message gives a darker suggestion.Choose a darker shade.
"Keep the button words to 30 characters or fewer."The header button's words are too long.Shorten them.
"Add the address the button goes to, or clear the button words."A button needs both.Fill in both or clear both.
"Add the words for the button, or clear its address."A button needs both.Fill in both or clear both.
"That phone number is too long (40 characters at most)."Too long.Shorten it.
"That file is not a PNG, JPEG or WebP image."A logo can be those three only. SVG is not accepted.Save your logo as a PNG.
"Logos can be up to ... KB."The logo file is too big.Save a smaller copy. About 600 pixels wide is plenty.
"Logo uploads are not set up on this server yet, so nothing was saved. Leave the logo field empty to save your other choices."A setup step is missing.Save your other choices without a logo.
"That look cannot be saved: ... Nothing was changed."A combination of choices would fail the readability checks.Change the choice that the message names.

The menu and the sidebar Link to this section: The menu and the sidebar

The menu and the sidebar
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Someone else saved a newer version of the menu while you were working."Another manager saved first.Open the newer version, then redo your changes.
"Someone else saved a newer version of the sidebar while you were working."The same, for the sidebar.The same.
"The top of the menu holds at most ... items."Too many items across the top.Put some under a heading.
"The menu holds at most ... items in all."Too many items.Remove some.
"Type the words to show."A link needs words.Fill in Words to show.
"Use a full web address starting with https://, an email link (mailto:) or a phone link (tel:)."A link must start that way.Fix the Address.
"Type the heading's words."A heading needs words.Fill them in.
"The sidebar cannot be published yet."The Checklist found something.Open the Checklist tab.
"Only managers and owners can change the menu."An Editor tried.Ask a Manager.
"Only managers and owners can change the sidebar."The same.Ask a Manager.

Custom CSS and embeds Link to this section: Custom CSS and embeds

Custom CSS and embeds
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"That stylesheet cannot be saved."The CSS has a problem. The line and reason come with it.Fix the lines listed.
"The { opened here is never closed with a }."A curly bracket is missing.Add it.
"Nesting with & is not supported. Write each rule on its own."A newer CSS style that is not allowed.Write each rule in full.
"Animations are not supported yet. Transitions are."@keyframes is not allowed.Use transition instead.
"A url( here is not written correctly, so it is not allowed. Only /_media/ pictures of your library can be used."A picture address that is not your own.Use a picture from your library.
"Only the theme's own variables, which start with --tm-"Only --tm- names can be set.Rename or remove it.
"The most that can be saved is ... KB. Remove rules you do not need."The stylesheet is too big.Remove some rules.
"Someone else saved a newer version of the stylesheet while you were working."Another manager saved first.Open the newer one.
"Only managers and owners can change the custom CSS."An Editor tried.Ask a Manager.
"That does not look like a web address. Paste the link, or the embed code the other site gives you."The embed box did not get an address.Copy it again from the other site.
"Only https:// addresses can be embedded."The address must start with https://.Use the secure address.
"Scripts cannot be pasted."You pasted a script. Only addresses are used.Paste just the frame's code or link.
"That host is not on your list."You tried to change a site that is not listed.Add it first.
"Only managers and owners can allow a host."An Editor tried.Ask a Manager.
"Type only the name of the site, such as give.example.org, with no path, port or password."The Site name is too much.Type the name only.

Redirects Link to this section: Redirects

Redirects
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"That would send visitors round in a circle"Two redirects point at each other.Change one.
"That starts a chain of more than ... redirects in a row"Too many hops.Point the old address straight at the final page.
"There is already a redirect for ... Edit that one instead."Each old address has one redirect.Edit the existing one.
"This church has reached the limit of ... Delete some you no longer need first, or ask for a higher limit."The redirect limit.Delete some, or ask for a higher limit (see Limits, below).
"Start with a slash for a page on this site (/our-pastor), or with https:// for another site."The New address is not in a usable form.Fix it.
"That does not look like an address from the old site."The Old address is not a path.Write it like /about/our-pastor.
"Nothing was added. Fix these lines and paste again."A pasted list had bad lines.Fix the lines named under it.
"Each line needs an old address and a new address, separated by a comma."A line in the pasted list is missing a part.Fix it.

Domain Link to this section: Domain

Domain
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Custom domains are not connected on this server yet, so nothing was changed."The domain service is not set up.Tell whoever looks after Tentmaker.
"Enter just the address, such as www.yourchurch.org, with nothing after it."Only the name, no page or path.Remove the extra.
"... is the bare domain, with nothing in front of it, and Tentmaker cannot take it over directly. Use www...."You typed the domain with nothing in front of it. The message goes on to say what to do instead.Add www.yourchurch.org. When it is connected, the screen shows one more record that sends the bare domain on to www (see Domain).
"Your site already has an address on ... Enter an address on your church's own domain."The name is on Tentmaker's own domains.Use a name on your church's own domain.
"That address is already in use by another church on Tentmaker. Choose a different one."Someone else already holds it.Choose another.
"This church already has a custom domain. Remove it first to use a different one."One custom domain per church.Remove the old one first.
"The domain service did not answer just now. Nothing was changed. Please try again in a few minutes."A temporary problem.Try again.
"That address is already set up with the domain service somewhere else, possibly by an earlier website."The name is attached elsewhere.Ask whoever set it up to remove it there.

Templates Link to this section: Templates

Templates
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Someone changed this church's look while you were working. Reload the page and look again."Another manager changed the look.Reload, then try again.
"There is no earlier look to go back to."Nothing to roll back to.Choose a template instead.
"The earlier look cannot be restored as it was. Nothing was changed."The old look cannot be rebuilt.Choose a template instead.
"That look cannot be applied"The result would not pass the readability checks. Nothing was changed.Try a different template or choose its colors.
"The look could not be applied just now, and nothing was changed. ..."A temporary problem.Try again.

Members Link to this section: Members

Members
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"Enter a valid email address and choose a role."The invitation form is incomplete.Fill in both.
"That person is already on the team."They are a member.Change their role instead.
"A church must always have an owner. Make someone else an owner first."You tried to remove or demote the last Owner.Make another person an Owner first.
"You are not allowed to make that change."A Manager tried to change an Owner, or themselves, or give out ownership.Ask an Owner.
"That person is not on this church's team."They were already removed.Reload the page.
"This church has sent a lot of invitations this hour. Please try again later."An hourly limit.Wait.
"The invitation was saved but the email could not be sent. Cancel it and try again in a few minutes."The email service did not answer.Press Cancel under Waiting to accept, then invite again.

Shared blocks Link to this section: Shared blocks

Shared blocks
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"There is already a shared block named '...'. Choose another name."Names are used once.Pick another name.
"Give the shared block a name, such as 'Service times'."A name is needed.Type one.
"This shared block cannot be published yet."The same checks as a page.See the lists above.
"This picture is still used by"A picture is in use.Replace it where it is used.
"It is used on ..., so it cannot be deleted yet."Pages still use the shared block.Take it off the pages, or press Make it an ordinary block everywhere.
"Someone else saved a newer version of this shared block while you were working."Someone saved first.Open the newer version.

Limits Link to this section: Limits

Every church can hold only so much, so that one church cannot slow the others down. The limits are far above what a church normally needs: 300 pages, 500 people on the staff list, 500 missionaries, 2,000 events, 2,000 blog posts, 300 shared blocks, 500 redirects and 100 allowed embed sites. The message always says the number that applies to your church. If you really need more, the people who run Tentmaker can raise it for your church. Old versions of a page, the menu and the like are tidied up by Tentmaker on its own (the live version and the newest one are never removed), so those never stop you from saving.

Limits
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"This church has reached the limit of ... Delete one or ask for a higher limit."Your church holds as many pages, people, posts or the like as it is allowed. The message names which.Delete one you no longer need, or ask for a higher limit.
"This church has reached the limit of ... Delete some past events or ask for a higher limit."The events limit. Past events stay until someone deletes them.Delete old events, or ask for a higher limit.
"This church has reached the limit of ... Reuse one you have, or ask for a higher limit."The shared blocks limit. A shared block you deleted still counts.Use one you already have, or ask for a higher limit.
"This church has reached the limit of ... Save or discard some pages' changes, or ask for a higher limit."Too many pages have changes that were autosaved and never saved.Open those pages and press Save draft, or discard the changes.
"That would pass the limit of ... redirects (you have ...). Delete some first, or ask for a higher limit."A pasted list of redirects would go over the limit.Delete some redirects first, or paste fewer lines.

Download my site (owners) Link to this section: Download my site (owners)

Download my site (owners)
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"A download of your site is already being made. Wait for it to finish, or cancel it below, then ask again."One download is under way, and a church can have only one at a time.Wait for it, or press Cancel this download.
"A church can ask for ... downloads a day, and today's are used. Try again tomorrow, or use the one you already have."Three downloads were asked for in the last day. Deleting one does not give it back.Use one you already have, or try again tomorrow.
"Downloads are not set up on this server yet, so nothing was made."The place where downloads are kept is not connected on this server.Tell the people who run Tentmaker.
"This download would be about ..., more than one download can hold (...)."The site, with its videos, is larger than one download can be.Ask again with Include hosted videos turned off.
"Something went wrong while making the download, and it kept going wrong. Please ask for it again; if it happens again, tell support."The download failed several times in a row.Ask again, and tell support if it fails again.
"That download link has expired or is not yours. Open Download my site and choose Download again."The link on the button only works for a few minutes, and only for the Owner it was made for.Open Download my site and press Download again.
"Only the owner who asked for this download can take it."Another Owner is trying to take a download someone else asked for.Ask for your own, or ask that Owner to take it.
"It was deleted, or its seven days are over. Nothing is wrong with your site: you can make another one."A download is kept for seven days, then deleted.Make a new one.

Closing a site (owners) Link to this section: Closing a site (owners)

Closing a site (owners)
What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
"That does not match."The church's name was typed differently.Type it exactly as shown, or choose Cancel.
"This site is already being closed."A closure is under way.Nothing more to do.