DVD Guide Blog

I have installed a new WordPress theme called “Blix” (version 0.9.1) by Sebastian Schmieg. So far, it seems very nice—clean.

After my first attempt to install WordPress 1.5.1.1—right over WordPress 1.5—failed with an e-mail from DreamHost’s “one-click” installation robot complaining about how the directory was not empty, I grudgingly deleted the contents of the directory (I had already saved a copy of my content to my local system) then repeated the series of clicks (”few-click” installation is more like it) necessary to try again. Now WordPress 1.5.1.1 is installed, but the .htaccess file is gone, so none of the links into the “wordpress” directory work. Oops.

I tried to edit the .htaccess file, hoping WordPress would generate a new one, but it did not; it merely complained about there not being one. I also tried editing a link category name (without actually changing it), but that did not seem to do anything either. Ugh.

I would ask if anyone knows how to regenerate the .htaccess file, but the comment links are among those that are not presently working. I wish I had saved a backup copy of my .htaccess file along with that copy of my content.

Update (Just Minutes Later): I got WordPress to rebuild the .htaccess file, fixing the links into the “wordpress” directory, by loading Options > Permalinks then clicking on the “Update Permalink Structure »” button (it was not necessary to actually make any changes, only to click on the button).

Update (4:40am): With all of the bug-fixing that the WordPress team did for version 1.5.1.1, they missed one that has already been mentioned on their Web site: changing a post slug does not change the value of wp_posts.guid (the URL) for that post. I discovered this while looking into a broken link that showed up in my index table. Curiously, the sidebar link to the same article had the correct URL.