How to use pretty permalinks

  • Hi I am using Word Press which is on my host server and was installed via fantastico in C Panel. I would like to use pretty permalinks but when I have gone to the using permalinks page I read this:-
    # In WordPress’s home directory,

    * The FollowSymLinks option enabled
    * FileInfo directives allowed

    I have looked at the folder where word press is installed but cannot find how to enable ‘The FollowSymLinks’ nor FileInfo directives.

    I have looked via the dashboard and there is no enable there either, although there are other options.

    Can anybody help me here?

    regards Weems

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

  • You’re making it harder than it has to be. Did you go into your WP dashboard and set the permalink structure? If not, do so. If so, did you receive an error message? You should be able to, in most circumstances, be able to write to the .htaccess file from within the WP dashboard.

    Thread Starter weems

    (@weems)

    Thanks for your reply. I have looked at it but not tried it yet as I was following the info on the codex ‘using permalink’ page. I thought that using the %category% way was called less pretty and has some issues with it, but please correct me if I am wrong.

    Regards

    Weems

    Nope. %category% is just the code used to tell WP what your category slug will be.

    Pretty permalinks are explained at https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Introduction_to_Blogging; the % prefix and suffix is just WP’s mechanism for deploying whatever permalink scheme you want.

    From the article:

    “Pretty” Permalinks is the idea that URLs are frequently visible to the people who click them, and should therefore be crafted in such a way that they make sense, and not be filled with incomprehensible parameters. . . . [E.g.,] /index.php?p=423

    How is a user to know what “p” represents? Where did the number 423 come from?

    In contrast, here is a well-structured, “Pretty” Permalink which could link to the same article, once the installation is configured to modify permalinks:

    /archives/2003/05/23/my-cheese-sandwich/

    Dgold

    (@dgold)

    It’s easy. Nevermind the jargon in the Codex there.

    All you need to do is go WP Admin > Settings > Permalinks

    Click “Custom Structure”

    Enter this in the box
    /%year%/%post_id%/%postname%

    Click Save.

    Click thru some pages and posts of your site now. Check out your cool new website URL’s.

    If you don’t like what it did, go back to the same screen in WP-Admin and change it to something else.

    Do this after Midnight if you don’t want your readers to see you playing around.

    Once you settle on something — you should stick with it, and don’t change it again. But it is ok to change it a few times the first day, while you decide the way you want the permalinks to read.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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