WordPress.org

1. Sooz
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   I'm getting an XML Parsing error on my RSS feed and I'm not entirely sure where it is coming from. All was well just a few hours ago. I've been tweaking templates but just things like the sidebar and CSS. I didn't know where the RSS template was until a few minutes ago. According to the Feed Validator, there's a blank line but I have no idea what file that needs to be changed on ... or frankly how it got added in the first place.

   Any tips you have on how I can bring my RSS feed back to life would be immensely appreciated. Thanks!

   --

   http://www.sooz.com/?feed=rss2

   Error:

   XML Parsing Error: xml processing instruction not at start of external entity
   Location: http://www.sooz.com/?feed=rss2
   Line Number 2, Column 1:
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="wordpress/1.5.1.2" -->
   ^

   Feed Validator:

   http://feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http://www.sooz.com/?feed=rss2

   Source: http://www.sooz.com/?feed=rss2

   1.
   2. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="wordpress/1.5.1.2" -->

2. James
   Happiness Engineer
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Try disabling all active plugins and check the validation again.

3. brainwidth
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Check http://www.sooz.com/wp-rss2.php for the blank line.

4. Sooz
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   My site is at http://www.sooz.com and my WP1.5.2 installation is at http://www.sooz.com/wordpress

   I opened the wp-rss2.php file and took out any blank lines. It didn't help.

   I'm confused how this is now a problem all of a sudden. :(

5. James
   Happiness Engineer
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Try disabling all active plugins and check the validation again.

6. brainwidth
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Can you post the top of your wp-rss2.php file here? the actual php file, not the output from your browser.

7. Sooz
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Yeah, I disabled all my plugins. Fun! (not) It's still not working. FWIW: I haven't added any new plugins in a couple weeks.

8. James
   Happiness Engineer
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Never mind, I see your problem now. You have a blank line at the top of your theme's Header Template (header.php). Remove that blank line and your feed should be fine.

9. brainwidth
   Member
   Posted 8 years ago #
   

   Hey macmanx, I know you're just trying to help, but repeating your comments verbatim is patronizing and annoying. Please don't.

10. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Braindwidth: When you say "top of your wp-rss2.php" file ... how much of the file is the top? Ah nothing quite like feeling like an idiot. (More fun.)

11. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Thank you for lecturing me, Brainwidth. Your observational skills have not waned.

12. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    I removed all the blank lines on header.php ... doesn't seem to have helped, alas.

13. brainwidth
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Just down to where it says <channel>

14. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Sooz, when you go to your blog and view source, you'll see a blank line at the top. This is the problem that you are seeing reflected in your RSS feed. If it's not in the header template, then it's in a related file. Try both index.php files and wp-blog-header.php. The blank line will be only at the top of one of the files.

15. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Brainwidth: I posted the info. Thanks for checking it out.

    macmanx: I'll give that a try again. Thanks!

16. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Unfortunately I can't find the file where the blank line is it. It's not in index.php or wp-blog-header.php .... I guess if nothing else I'll delete everything and reinstall. But damn that would suck. :(

17. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    It has to be in one of those main files, otherwise it wouldn't affect your entire source output. Did you check both your theme's index.php and the index.php in the /wordpress/ directory?

18. Momo Chama
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    I know how you feel

19. brainwidth
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    It's got to be your wp-blog-header, because it has to be a file that's called in wp-rss2.

20. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    brainwidth, it could be any of his WP files. Just go to her blog and view the source output. It's not just RSS related, that blank line is in his source output too, and it's being mirrored in the RSS feed as an error.

    Ok, let's just attack this with a hatchet (especially since I need to get to work). Open every WordPress file in the /wordpress/ directory (and any WordPress file in your main directory) except for the plugin files and files in /wp-admin/ and /wp-includes/. Also, open every file in your current theme (it looks like the Default Theme). One of those files has a blank line at the top of the file, and that is what's causing the blank line at the top of your source output and also causing the feed error.

    It is also possible that one of the plugin would be causing this blank line. If that is true, deactivating all plugins would have fixed it.

21. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    macmanus: Yes, I see the blank line when viewing source. That's part of the reason this is so frustrating. I do see it. However, it's not showing up in t he files I've been looking at.

    I removed every extra carriage return on the following files:

    sooz.com/index.php
    sooz.com/wordpress/index.php
    sooz.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/default/index.php
    sooz.com/wordpress/wp-blog-header.php
    sooz.com/wordpress/wp-rss2.php

    No luck, alas.

22. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Sorry that I keep posting right before you like this. Just try all of the files as mentioned of above. We'll get this bugger.

23. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    I deactivated the plugins a while ago.

    Sooz = she.

    Thanks for the tip about opening all the files. I have a feeling it'd just be easier to re-install WP. Since I have no opened all of those files in the first place it seems strange that now there might be an extra line in one of them.

24. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Thanks, mcmanx. I think I'll just reinstall WP. After I figure out how to backup and import the entries.

    I was really happy to move from Movable Type but this has all been a bit much. LOL

25. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    If you are going to reinstall, just make sure to delete the files before replacing them. Overwriting via FTP can lead to incomplete transfers.

26. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    You shouldn't have to touch your database (which is also where all your posts are kept), but if you'd like to back it up, see this: http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/backup/

27. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    I think I'm just going to install it in the root of sooz.com instead of having it in a seperate directory.

    But the problem I now have is I have no idea how to install a new version of WP and have it work with my existing MySQL database. Egads. This sucks. LOL

28. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    When you install the new files in your root directory, don't run install.php. You will have to change the site_url and home values in your database. See this for help: http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/site-url/

    Once that's done, run /wp-admin/upgrade.php just to be safe.

29. Sooz
    Member
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    Thanks very much!!!

30. James
    Happiness Engineer
    Posted 8 years ago #
    

    No problem. Good luck! And please come back if you have any more questions. ^_^

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