Permalinks infinite frustration: a huge WP limitation problem!

  • No matter how many WordPpress sites I develop, I always get to the point where I struggle with permalinks structures, and that is because WordPress STILL manage permalinks with a BLOG approach, not a WEBSITE approach.

    You see, I use to build websites where everything is structured into sections, so it’s only logical that permalinks should reflect that sections-structure, and WP always gives me a hard time with that, due to some frustrating limitations that it imposes.

    Let’s say you have a website with different sections (or areas or whatever you want to call it), like this (which is my case):

    Academy
    Blog
    Videos
    Agenda
    Extras

    Now, I want permalinks to reflect that structure, which feels like a logical choice:

    mywebsite.com/academy/page-1
    mywebsite.com/academy/page-2
    …

    mywebsite.com/blog
    mywebsite.com/blog/post-name
    …
    mywebsite.com/blog/category/

    mywebsite.com/agenda
    mywebsite.com/agenda/event-name-1
    mywebsite.com/agenda/event-name-2
    …

    mywebsite.com/videos
    mywebsite.com/videos/video-name-1
    mywebsite.com/videos/video-name-2
    …
    mywebsite.com/extras
    mywebsite.com/extras/quotes
    mywebsite.com/extras/links

    Now, “Academy” is a group of static pages. And there, non problem.
    “Blog” uses the default Posts.
    “Videos”, ” Agenda” and “Quotes” (the latter under “Extras”) are Custom Post Types.

    In order to get the desired permalinks structure I have a page (Blog) with a slug-name of “blog” to display an index of Posts (Articles). I than have a page for Agenda with slug-name of “agenda” to display an index page of Events (Custom Post Types). Same for Videos.

    Now, the problem is that this is fine for the index pages. But if you want to keep the a “base name” for each Section, WP just makes it hard if not impossible to achieve.

    At first I thought I found the solution by assigning a category base name of “blog” in the Permalinks Structure, and by giving the Custom Post Types the slug-name of “agenda”. So I indeed had:

    mywebsite.com/blog (where “blog” is a page name)
    mywebsite.com/blog/post-name (where “blog” is the category base name)

    mywebsite.com/agenda (where “agenda” is a page name)
    mywebsite.com/agenda/event-name-1 (where “agenda” is the custom post type name)

    What I didn’t know is that this set up TOTALLY SCREW UP PAGINATION. After some investigation I discovered that you are not supposed to assign the same name to a PAGE and to a CATEGORY or to a PAGE and to a CUSTOM POST TYPE.

    So I wonder, how can someone easily get the structure I am looking for with WordPress?
    Whether I am missing something here, or WordPress is limiting us with permalinks structure in a way that goes beyond my believe.

    I am sure the world is full of WP users who need to have a WEBSITE (not a BLOG) with this kind of section-structure, where each webpage lives under a base name. How do they deal with WP limitations.

    Is there a workaround that I am missing?
    At some point I considered setting up a multiblog network, to have that kind of structure, where each section is a WP “blog” within the network. But c’mon, is that a solution?

    Well, I hope someone will enlighten me, becasue I can’t believe it’s THAT HARD to get this kind of thing with WordPress, which I consider to be a BASIC NEED.

    I Googled it, I looked on the Forum, no way to find a solution.

    So, anyone?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Thread Starter Gianfranco

    (@gian-ava)

    Really, no-one on this one?

    Hi Gian-ava,

    I am also searching help for a similar problem.

    I found a little help on this page (https://www.bloggingtips.com/2009/02/01/remove-the-category-base/ ). Check it, it may help you.

    –Susanta

    Thread Starter Gianfranco

    (@gian-ava)

    Thanks for the link and the interest, Susanta!

    I’ll have a look at it and see.
    Still, it’s killing me that such a basic structure is impossible to achive in WP by default.

    And even worse, no-one seem to care about this limitation.

    Thread Starter Gianfranco

    (@gian-ava)

    Is there anyone who got this sorted out?
    How about the usual suspects gurus?
    ??

    No replies for 6 months? I may have a solution. (IF I understand you correctly?) Note: I am using maybe the best free wordpress theme: Weaver 2.2.6. Never left Home without it. So this newbie is uncertain this capability applies to other Themes or not? Anyway if not, get Weaver, donate a few dollars. Here it is.

    1. Create an extra Page (not a Post). This can be blank or a category introduction page.
    2. Edit -> Permalink: Edit: assign the slug that you want to be the Category slug. Example: assign the slug “videos” if you want yoursite.com/videos/any-video-page-URL-ends-here
    3. In the edit interface for any “video” page, look for Page Atributes: Parent. Assign the parent “videos.” Save.
    4. That’s it. Unless I am mistaken, every videos page can have the URL yoursite.com/videos/pagenname
    5. In the Weaver Theme, there are several ways to remove a blank Category page from navigation menus, if desired. The Page Widget automatically lists every Page EXCEPT those with the ID’s you specify. (ID number is shown in URL when editing the page.) Or the HTML Widget enables you to hand-code any navigation menu.

    Also basically, I feel myself on the same Page with Gian-ava. I am a webmaster first and blogger second, while WordPress was created as a blogsite first and website second. It took me several years to realize that webdesign is now nonessential, CMS is the way to go and that WordPress is the best CMS whether free or paid.

    So, I am eager to understand several nuisances with WordPress Networking not made very clear (to me anyway) in the codex instructions. Here are my notes. Someone please tell me where I am right or wrong?

    • Susantabeura kindly referenced an interesting “remove the category base” PHP hack above. I would say however, unless you are an avid PHP hacker, avoid PHP hacking which might need to be re-done with each update, especially obscure ones.
    • Potential loss of permalinks seems to make it best to create a multisite first if you ever might want one? A multisite installation requires adding a new prefix such as “blog” to every blog post. Although customizable, all existing offsite links are permanently broken. You can compensate by creating a static “Page” with the same URL as any former “Post.” This Page can be converted from the Post or it can redirect visitors.
    • Small addition needed in codex? The Permalinks problem is mentioned at WordPress Codex -> Network Installation: Things you need to know: Permalinks. But I think a few words should be added about how serious this is? For all pre-MS blogposts permanently to lose all offsite links, if I understand correctly?
    • Conflict between Sites and Pages. Evidently, WordPress allows new sites to be registered using the same name as any Page of the primary site (domain.com/PAGENAME) thus breaking any link to the Page… If however your primary site conversely attempts to create a new Page with the same name as an existing blog… it seems this Page will automatically receive a suffix (domain.com/PAGENAME-2). It seems to me that WordPress should not allow new sites to be registered with the same name as existing Pages. Currently however, you can blacklist the names of any primary Pages from being used for new sites. Of course as Administrator, you can also armtwist network members into changing their site names.
    • It might be best to activate subdomains? I don’t want to activate subdomains because it’s an unnecessary bother. And I am just guessing, but maybe the subdomain setting might remove the conflict between Sites and Pages? However an older site may also be forced NOT to use subdomains, although this seems fixable. See https://wpmututorials.com/hacks/forcing-subfolder-blogs/
    • Incidentally, as clearly explained in the codex, for multisite operation, it is best to have WordPress installed in the ROOT directory (public_html).
    • Any additions or corrections to my list of “network nuisances”? Thank you anyone.
Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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