FAQ

Will it conflict with any existing robots.txt file?

No, it will not. If the file robots.txt is found in the root folder it will not be overridden. On the Settings page you will see a notification with two options: rename or delete the existing file robots.txt. The plugin provides this functionality directly in the admin interface.

Could I accidentally block all search robots?

Once the plugin is installed it will work fine for all search engine robots. If you are not aware of the rules for fine-tuning a robots.txt it is better to leave the file as is or read first a corresponding manual to learn more about the directives used for robots.txt.

Note: the following directives would block the corresponding search robot(s):

Disallow:
Disallow: /
Disallow: *
Disallow: /*
Disallow: */

You should use any of these directives only if you do not want any page of your website to be accessible for crawling.

Where can I read the up-to-date guide on robots.txt?

• Guide by Google
• Guide WordPress SEO

What happens when I update to version 4.0?

For regular users: Nothing changes! The plugin will automatically migrate all your settings. Everything continues to work exactly as before.

For developers: Version 4.0 introduces a complete code refactoring with modern PHP classes and namespaces. If you have custom code that references this plugin’s functions, constants, or options, please review the migration information below.

Migration to v.4.0 – Information for Developers

If you have custom code that integrates with this plugin, please note these changes:

Checking for deprecation notices: All deprecated elements will trigger _doing_it_wrong() notices when WP_DEBUG is enabled. Enable debug mode to identify any issues:
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);

Changed option names:
* db_robots_custom → bisteinoff_plugin_robots_custom
* db_robots_custom_google → bisteinoff_plugin_robots_custom_google
* db_robots_if_yandex → bisteinoff_plugin_robots_enable_yandex
* db_robots_custom_yandex → bisteinoff_plugin_robots_custom_yandex
* db_robots_custom_other → bisteinoff_plugin_robots_custom_other

Note: Options are migrated automatically. Old option names are removed from the database after successful migration.

Changed constants:
* DB_PLUGIN_ROBOTSTXT_VERSION → BISTEINOFF_PLUGIN_ROBOTS_VERSION
* DB_PLUGIN_ROBOTSTXT_DIR → BISTEINOFF_PLUGIN_ROBOTS_DIR

Note: Old constants remain defined for backward compatibility.

Changed functions (now deprecated):
* publish_robots_txt() → Use \Bisteinoff\Plugin\RobotsTXT\Generator::generate() instead
* db_robots_admin() → Use \Bisteinoff\Plugin\RobotsTXT\Admin::add_menu_page() instead
* db_robotstxt_admin_settings() → Use \Bisteinoff\Plugin\RobotsTXT\Admin::render_settings_page() instead
* db_settings_link() → Use \Bisteinoff\Plugin\RobotsTXT\Loader::add_settings_link() instead

Note: Deprecated functions continue to work with backward compatibility.

Action required:
Update your custom code to use the new naming conventions. All deprecated elements will be removed after Feb 16th 2027.