Problems with serving a website from root while WordPress in sub directory

  • novaroam

    (@novaroam)


    10 years, 3 months ago

    Need help with using a pre-existing subdirectory install of WordPress and trying to configure it so that the website is served from the website root.

    I have been using “Giving WordPress Its Own Directory « WordPress Codex” from wordpress.org with the specific “Using a pre-existing subdirectory install” instructions.

    The steps performed were:
    1, Under “General” settings changed the Site Address (URL) to the website root and selected “save changes”

    2, Copied the index.php file from the wordpress sub directory and changed the line that says:
    require( dirname( __FILE__ ) . ‘/wp-blog-header.php’ ); to “require( dirname( __FILE__ ) . ‘/working/wp-blog-header.php’ );” which now points to my WordPress folder.

    3, Was unable to find the hidden file .htaccess file in the WordPress folder

    4, Under the “Permalinks” menu item was selected and “save changes” was performed

    After launching the website in another browser the web page came up blank without displaying any of the web content.

    Called my hosting company, Aabaco Small Business, and they were of little to now help saying they were not trained on WordPress and hence do not support it. Great!

    I was able to revert back to my original configuration, running out of the WordPress sub directory and all is well.

    My web site is sandcastle1.com.

    Any suggestions and or help is much appreciated. Hopefully one of you WordPress gurus can lend some wisdom to my problem.

    Thanks in advance.
    Paul

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • AshleyCooperWP

    (@ashleycooperwp)

    10 years, 3 months ago

    Hi novaroam,

    There have been others with the same issue where they just gave it some time (around 20 minutes or so) and the solution went into effect (no more blank screen).

    If you can’t find your .htaccess, make sure you’ve enabled your FTP client or cpanel to force hidden files into view. If it’s still not visible, it’s because there probably isn’t one yet. However, one should be generated once you’ve set a permalink structure.

    Still no .htaccess? If that’s the case then I wonder if you’re on a Windows server, where the equivalent will be a file called web.config. If so, MOVE web.config to the root – not copy.

    If you’ve managed to generate and copy .htaccess or move web.config but are still having problems (or are still stuck on finding a .htaccess/web.config file), I’d be happy to try and install the plugin for you from scratch if you’d like?

    Thread Starter novaroam

    (@novaroam)

    10 years, 3 months ago

    Thanks for the response AshleyCooper!

    Unfortunately giving it more time didn’t work. I gave it 8 hours and it still didn’t load.

    Talked to the tech support folks at Aabaco Small Business (formally Yahoo) Small Business) and they claim they don’t support .htaccess. Since I’m not a web expert I’m not sure what this really implies. So if anyone knows please inform me.

    I’m going to investigate permalinks and see if that provides any clues.

    Paul

    AshleyCooperWP

    (@ashleycooperwp)

    10 years, 3 months ago

    That’s unfortunate that they don’t support .htaccess, as it controls the behaviour of the directory it’s in. I’d imagine that’s why the plugin isn’t working for you.

    The best resolution is to move to a web host where you have free reign to run PHP scripts to their fullest extent. You’re having to deal with a limitation that is neither standard nor necessary.

    It’s a pain having to move hosts, especially if you’ve paid for a year’s worth already. Still, it’s worth it; think of the time and business you’ll save when things are running seamlessly!

    Ash

    Thread Starter novaroam

    (@novaroam)

    10 years, 3 months ago

    Timing is everything – I was just in the process of researching web hosting companies. I have pretty decided it is time to move on to a company which supports WP.

    Do you have any recommendations on Web hosting companies?

    Thanks again.

    Paul

    AshleyCooperWP

    (@ashleycooperwp)

    10 years, 3 months ago

    Good idea Paul. It depends on your budget; if you want something cheap then go for one of the big players such as Hostgator or Dreamhost. They’ll give you decent enough performance and they provide responsive customer service.

    Be careful when reading web host reviews online, as a lot of them are written untruthfully just to drive affiliate sales. I once signed up to an unknown host via a gleaming review, only to be met with poor service, and the reviewer having made a chunky affiliate commission out of me.

    If you’re ever looking to seriously scale up your WP site in terms of traffic and usage, you’ll need something like WP Engine, which requires a bit more of a budget. But Hostgator, Dreamhost or Bluehost will suffice for most small businesses.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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