Installation

Installation Guide

Complete instructions for installing and activating MBR Cookie Consent on your WordPress website.

---

Before You Begin

System Requirements

Ensure your WordPress installation meets these minimum requirements:

Component	Minimum Version	Recommended
WordPress	5.8	Latest stable
PHP	7.4	8.0+
MySQL	5.6	5.7+ or MariaDB 10.2+
Web Server	Apache 2.4 or Nginx 1.18	Latest stable
Memory Limit	64MB	128MB+

Check Your PHP Version

1. Log into your WordPress admin
2. Navigate to Tools > Site Health
3. Click the Info tab
4. Expand the Server section
5. Check the PHP version field

If below 7.4, contact your hosting provider to upgrade.

Browser Compatibility

The admin interface requires a modern browser:

• ✅ Chrome 90+
• ✅ Firefox 88+
• ✅ Safari 14+
• ✅ Edge 90+

---

Method 1: Upload via WordPress Admin (Recommended)

This is the easiest method for most users.

Step 1: Download the Plugin

1. Visit the Releases page
2. Download the latest mbr-cookie-consent.zip file
3. Do not unzip the file - WordPress needs the ZIP format

Step 2: Upload to WordPress

1. Log into your WordPress admin panel
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New
3. Click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the page
4. Click Choose File and select the downloaded mbr-cookie-consent.zip
5. Click Install Now

Step 3: Activate

1. Once installation completes, click Activate Plugin
2. You'll be redirected to the plugins page
3. Look for "MBR Cookie Consent" in your plugin list with a green "Active" indicator

Step 4: Access Settings

1. In the WordPress admin menu, you'll see a new Cookie Consent menu item
2. Click it to access the plugin settings

That's it! The plugin is now installed and ready to configure.

---

Method 2: Manual FTP Upload

For users who prefer FTP or have restrictions on the WordPress admin uploader.

Step 1: Download and Extract

1. Download the latest mbr-cookie-consent.zip from Releases
2. Extract the ZIP file on your computer
3. You should see a folder named mbr-cookie-consent

Step 2: Connect via FTP

1. Open your FTP client (FileZilla, Cyberduck, etc.)
2. Connect to your web server using your FTP credentials
3. Navigate to your WordPress installation directory

Step 3: Upload Plugin Files

1. Navigate to: wp-content/plugins/
2. Upload the entire mbr-cookie-consent folder to this directory
3. Ensure the full path is: wp-content/plugins/mbr-cookie-consent/

Directory structure should look like:

wp-content/
└── plugins/
    └── mbr-cookie-consent/
        ├── admin/
        ├── assets/
        ├── includes/
        ├── mbr-cookie-consent.php
        └── readme.txt

Step 4: Set Permissions (if needed)

Ensure proper file permissions:

• Folders: 755
• Files: 644

# SSH command (if you have access)
chmod 755 wp-content/plugins/mbr-cookie-consent/
chmod 644 wp-content/plugins/mbr-cookie-consent/*.php

Step 5: Activate via WordPress

1. Log into WordPress admin
2. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
3. Find "MBR Cookie Consent"
4. Click Activate

---

Method 3: WP-CLI Installation

For developers and those comfortable with the command line.

Prerequisites

• SSH access to your server
• WP-CLI installed (Installation guide)

Install from ZIP

# Download the plugin
cd /path/to/wordpress
wget https://github.com/harbourbob/mbr-cookie-consent/releases/latest/download/mbr-cookie-consent.zip
Install the plugin
wp plugin install mbr-cookie-consent.zip
Activate the plugin
wp plugin activate mbr-cookie-consent
Verify installation
wp plugin list

Install from Local File

# If you already have the ZIP file
wp plugin install /path/to/mbr-cookie-consent.zip --activate

Verify Installation

# Check plugin status
wp plugin status mbr-cookie-consent
Should output:
Plugin mbr-cookie-consent details:
Name: MBR Cookie Consent
Status: Active
Version: 1.0.7

---

Post-Installation Steps

After installation, follow these steps to complete setup.

1. Database Tables

The plugin automatically creates database tables on activation:

• wp_mbr_cc_consent_log - Stores consent records
• wp_mbr_cc_blocked_scripts - Stores blocked scripts

Verify tables were created:

SHOW TABLES LIKE 'wp_mbr_cc_%';

If tables are missing, try deactivating and reactivating the plugin.

2. Default Settings

The plugin sets sensible defaults:

• Banner Position: Bottom
• Banner Layout: Bar
• Primary Color: #0073aa
• Show Reject Button: Yes
• Show Customize Button: Yes
• Cookie Expiry: 365 days

These can all be changed in Cookie Consent > Settings.

3. File Permissions

Ensure WordPress can write to necessary directories:

chmod 755 wp-content/plugins/mbr-cookie-consent/

4. Test in Private Browser

1. Open an incognito/private browser window
2. Visit your website homepage
3. You should see the cookie consent banner
4. Test the Accept/Reject/Customize buttons

---

Verification

Check Plugin is Active

Via WordPress Admin:

1. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
2. Find "MBR Cookie Consent"
3. Status should show Active in blue

Via WP-CLI:

wp plugin list --status=active | grep mbr-cookie-consent

Check Frontend Display

1. Clear all browser cookies for your site
2. Open your site in a private/incognito window
3. The cookie banner should appear immediately

If banner doesn't appear:

• Check browser console for JavaScript errors (F12)
• Verify no theme/plugin conflicts (disable other plugins temporarily)
• Check if banner is hidden by another element (use browser inspector)

Check Admin Menu

1. Look for Cookie Consent in the WordPress admin sidebar
2. Click it to access settings
3. You should see 4 tabs:
   • Settings
   • Cookie Scanner
   • Consent Logs
   • Policy Generator

Check Database Tables

Via phpMyAdmin:

1. Open phpMyAdmin
2. Select your WordPress database
3. Look for tables: wp_mbr_cc_consent_log and wp_mbr_cc_blocked_scripts

Via WP-CLI:

wp db query "SHOW TABLES LIKE 'wp_mbr_cc_%';"

---

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Plugin could not be activated"

Possible causes:

• PHP version too old (< 7.4)
• Missing required PHP extensions
• File permission issues

Solution:

1. Check PHP version in Tools > Site Health
2. Ensure these PHP extensions are enabled:
   • json
   • mbstring
   • mysqli
3. Check file permissions (755 for folders, 644 for files)

Issue: "Cannot upload plugin - file too large"

Cause: PHP upload limits too low

Solution:

Edit php.ini (or ask your host):

upload_max_filesize = 10M
post_max_size = 10M

Or use FTP upload method instead.

Issue: Banner not appearing on frontend

Troubleshooting steps:

1. Clear browser cache and cookies

   • Use Ctrl+Shift+Delete
   • Or try incognito/private window

2. Check JavaScript console (F12)

   • Look for errors
   • Verify banner.js is loading

3. Check for conflicts

   # Temporarily disable all other plugins
   wp plugin deactivate --all
   wp plugin activate mbr-cookie-consent
   

4. Check theme compatibility

   • Switch to a default theme (Twenty Twenty-Three)
   • If banner appears, your theme has a conflict

5. Verify banner is in HTML

   • View page source (Ctrl+U)
   • Search for mbr-cc-banner
   • If not found, plugin isn't loading properly

Issue: Settings page not saving

Possible causes:

• JavaScript error
• Browser caching old JS files
• Nonce timeout

Solution:

1. Hard refresh settings page (Ctrl+Shift+R)
2. Clear browser cache
3. Check browser console for errors
4. Try different browser

Issue: Database tables not created

Solution:

Manually create tables via phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI:

-- Consent Log Table
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `wp_mbr_cc_consent_log` (
  `id` bigint(20) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `user_ip` varchar(45) DEFAULT NULL,
  `consent_data` text NOT NULL,
  `user_agent` text DEFAULT NULL,
  `page_url` varchar(255) DEFAULT NULL,
  `created_at` datetime NOT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  KEY `created_at` (`created_at`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
-- Blocked Scripts Table
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS wp_mbr_cc_blocked_scripts (
id bigint(20) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
name varchar(255) NOT NULL,
identifier text NOT NULL,
type varchar(50) NOT NULL,
category varchar(50) NOT NULL,
description text DEFAULT NULL,
created_at datetime NOT NULL,
PRIMARY KEY (id)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;

Or deactivate and reactivate the plugin to trigger table creation.

---

Uninstallation

Standard Uninstall (Keeps Data)

This removes the plugin but keeps your settings and consent logs.

Via WordPress Admin:

1. Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins
2. Find "MBR Cookie Consent"
3. Click Deactivate
4. Click Delete
5. Confirm deletion

Via WP-CLI:

wp plugin deactivate mbr-cookie-consent
wp plugin delete mbr-cookie-consent

What remains:

• Database tables (consent logs, blocked scripts)
• Settings in wp_options table

Complete Uninstall (Remove Everything)

This removes the plugin AND all data.

Before uninstalling:

1. Export consent logs if needed (Cookie Consent > Consent Logs > Export CSV)
2. Backup settings

Via WP-CLI:

# Deactivate plugin
wp plugin deactivate mbr-cookie-consent
Drop database tables
wp db query "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wp_mbr_cc_consent_log;"
wp db query "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wp_mbr_cc_blocked_scripts;"
Delete options
wp option delete mbr_cc_banner_position
wp option delete mbr_cc_banner_layout
... (repeat for all plugin options)
Delete plugin
wp plugin delete mbr-cookie-consent

Manual cleanup:

-- Remove database tables
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wp_mbr_cc_consent_log;
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wp_mbr_cc_blocked_scripts;
-- Remove options
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE 'mbr_cc_%';

---

Next Steps

✅ Plugin installed successfully!

Now proceed to:

---

Need Help?

• 📖 Full Documentation
• 🐛 Report Issues
• 💬 Community Discussions
• 📧 Contact Support

---

Updated: February 2026 | Plugin Version: 1.4.1