NextGEN Permission on root directory – why?

@tlembke If the directory is not writeable there is a high probability that the permissions are not the right ones.
Otherwise there is not enough info to assume something else.
You may ask to your provider.

Thanks @tizz

I guess I am wondering why the message points out a permission problem in the root directory rather than the wp-content/gallery directory.

If I make the root directory owned by the user running apache (nobody), or chown 777, I can create a new gallery in wp-content/gallery

I can’t see that NextGEN has modified any files in the root directory

Why does NextGEN check for write access to the root directory?

(Using WordPress 4.0 and NextGEN Version 2.0.66.29 on self-hosted FeeBSD server)

@tlembke Do you really see the error message
Directory /usr/home/mblanc/htdocs is not writeable ! written in this way?

Yes, even including the !

Directory /usr/home/mblanc/htdocs is not writeable !
Check this link, if you didn't know how to set the permission : https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Changing_File_Permissions

I have changed the ownership of htdocs (the root directory) to user nobody, the user running apache, and it now works. That is unusual as WordPress otherwise runs quite happily with the root directory owned by the FTP user.

@tlembke Maybe not so unusual since WordPress has foreseen it here
Ultimately it’s a server configuration matter, not NextGEN’s.

@tlembke – @tizz is correct (thanks!) although we have been looking at how to get around these (rare?) types of WordPress installations where the root directory is intentionally set to non-writable.

As it is, the easiest work-around is to all the root directory to be writable as noted.

– Cais.