WordPress Jetpack development mode not working? You’ve tried Jetpack’s JETPACK_DEV_DEBUG parameter but still can’t activate some modules while working offline or developing locally? Me either.

You’re not alone. It turns out that this is more a feature than a bug. Or maybe it’s more of a known issue than a bug. I misunderstood some of Jetpack’s documentation and I suspect you may have too.

Their documentation

Here’s what their announcement says about Jetpack’s development mode (the emphasis is mine).

Of note is the new Development Mode in Jetpack. With this, features that do not require a connection to WordPress.com servers can be activated on a localhost WordPress installation for testing.

The key phrase there is that this mode only enables certain modules. Most of Jetpack’s modules require a connection to WordPress’ servers. Local or offline development doesn’t make that connection, so those modules are still off limits.

Which modules work offline?

This is the information I wish Jetpack/WordPress had made clear up front. So hopefully this saves someone the headache. Here are the lists.

Don’t work offline WordPress.com Stats

Publicize

Notifications

Jetpack Comments

Subscriptions

Likes

Post by Email

Related Posts

Spelling and Grammar

VaultPress

Widget Visibility

Tiled Galleries

WP.me Shortlinks

Google+ Profile

Shortcode Embeds

Extra Sidebar Widgets

Infinite Scroll

Photon

Jetpack Single Sign On

Monitor

Enhanced Distribution

VideoPress

JSON API [/column] [column width=”eight” place=”first” ] Work offline Carousel

Sharing

Gravatar Hovercards

Omnisearch

Contact Form

Custom CSS

Mobile Theme

Markdown

Beautiful Math [/column] [column width=”eight” place=”first” ][/column] [column width=”eight” place=”first” ][/column]

I submitted several support requests on this topic, one at WordPress.org and another at Jetpack.me. In both cases, the support team was responsive and helpful. I just wish they had better news to share!

My request/suggestion

A reqgestion, if you will. I wish Jetpack could find some way to enable a offline-mode for each of these modules. I just want to see the markup each module outputs so I can style it effectively. I don’t need to submit a comment or put any of the modules through heavy use. I just need to work them into my theme!

I’m sure the Jetpack crew would tell me that I don’t have to worry about that—they’ve styled them for me already. No way. I have a well-documented history of removing default Jetpack CSS and replacing it with my own. And this being WordPress, arguably the most user-friendly publishing platform on the web, you’d think that the Jetpack team would extend that user-friendliness to developers too.

Also, why do modules like Widget Visibility, Google+ Profile, Extra Sidebar Widgets, and Related Posts need to phone home in the first place?