• Resolved fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)


    I wanted to edit a certain theme but it says: “If this file were writable you could edit it.”

    And yeah, before I’ve posted this, I’ve already search for this one but can’t find a real solution for the problem.

    i really don’t know what to do. i have a domain hosted on another server, & wordpress customization is fine, i can edit the templates.. but with the new one, it’s like i don’t know what to do.

    i’m really getting frustrated. seriously. for 2 days, i’ve been googling like crazy searching for the solution but can’t find it. i even downloaded Filezilla but still… aahahhhh…

    please? please? somebody help me?

    my url is: http://www.missmelodrama.com

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
  • whooami

    (@whooami)

    youve searched? what did the search results tell you to do?

    http://wordpress.org/search/if+this+file+were+writable?documentation=1&forums=1

    this is like the 3rd or 4th link .. it explains the issue and how to resolve it.

    the solution is quite real, btw, its a permission thing, and nearly ALL of the answers to that problem say nearly the same thing.
    http://wordpress.org/support/topic/76253?replies=10

    You need to adjust the permissions. If you need more of an explanation, see this:

    http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions

    wp-content/themes/ – theme files. If you want to use the built-in theme editor, all files need to be group writable. If you do not want to use the built-in theme editor, all files can be writable only by your user account

    Thread Starter fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)

    ahm, i’ve followed some of the advice on the different posts related to this one.. even changing from the original 755 to different known permissions.. & yet, i can’t seem to make it writable.

    any specific help to guide me in the right direction would really be appreciated.

    geez. sorry for the bad english. =P

    rudolf45

    (@rudolf45)

    Not the folder/directory.
    If you want to edit online you need to change the file’s permission (usually to 666) <– that’s an evil number 😉

    Thread Starter fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)

    well, yeah, i’ve tried it just now & yet, it’s not working.

    it still the same.

    rudolf45

    (@rudolf45)

    Hmmm…

    for 2 days, i’ve been googling

    I don’t know. During those 2 days you could have edited that damn theme on your computer in a simple text editor and uplaod it about several thousand times.

    Thread Starter fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)

    yeah, time wasted i know.

    anyway, here’s some info about the files/directories/etc, these are the default permissions btw.. i thought putting it back to the real permission would be good to know if there are any more problems:

    WP-CONTENT – 755

    WP-CONTENT/Plugins – 755
    WP-CONTENT/Themes – 755
    WP-CONTENT/Uploads – 777

    All the folders under “WP-CONTENT/Themes” are in 755.

    And all the files under the 3 Themes folder (default, classic & MK) of the WP-CONTENT/Themes are in 644.

    I don’t know what the heck I’m going to change again since I’ve already change & followed the advices of the other posters when I’ve searched for this problem.

    I don’t know if this is a host/server issue, gah, i really don’t have any idea.

    I just wanted to edit the MK theme in the WordPress Theme Editor. That’s all.

    Thread Starter fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)

    gosh! i made it! i really really made it!

    somehow, i’ve stumbled upon an answer. thank god.

    rudolf45

    (@rudolf45)

    For the sake of the next poor guy who will struggle with the same issue… it would be nice if you could share what the solution was.

    Thread Starter fieryairah

    (@fieryairah)

    actually, i didn’t get what you mean at first.

    but then, i remembered a theme i downloaded eons ago & there was some CHMOD thingy in there. so i downloaded it again & wow..

    it says: “CHMOD to 666 all the .php files inside the Theme Folder in order to edit them from the admin panel.”

    i did just that & BAM! The Update button appeared.

    I’m so happy. really!! Have a nice day y’all! *hugs*

    cheers,
    aiRah

    Great, it worked for me!

    That would be it. The chmod thingy. 🙂

    It isn’t a hosting provider thing.

    Read this as well on potential security issues with 777 and the trade-off between security and functionality.

    http://codex.wordpress.org/.htaccess_for_subdirectories

    Here’s how I solved this issue (assumes shell access):
    1. create a new group:
    $ addgroup wp-theme-editor
    2. change the group of the theme files and make them group writable:
    $ cd <theme-directory>
    $ chgrp wp-theme-editor *
    $ chmod g+w *
    3. add apache user into the new group:
    $ usermod -a -G wp-theme-editor www-data
    4. restart apache (otherwise the apache process doesn’t knows that it’s it in the new group)
    $ /etc/init.d/apache restart

    I am so confused. Where will I change teh permission? How will I do it?

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
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