Upgrade pangs — solved
JISHOU, HUNAN – One thing I hate about upgrading website applications is the tinkering necessary to make everything work again. I started my upgrade of this site 18 hours ago, and finally got things working right again after 16 hours.
My main problems were (a) a slow DSL connection, which would lead to (b) the FTP server/client connection timing out. So, some files were not uploaded in their entirety, despite several attempts using two different FTP clients (gftp and ftpcube for Ubuntu Hardy). FileZilla finally did the trick late last night; it seemed able to handle connection problems without corrupting the files.
Next problem: WordPress plugins. The plugins I have installed seemed to work fine with the public side of Wheat-dogg’s World, but were preventing me from accessing the administration control panel. I would enter my username and password, and come right back to the login screen. It’s the same blockade I encountered when I tried my last upgrade, to 2.6.
After trolling the Internet for a couple of hours this morning, I found any number of solutions, sprinkled among what seems to be hundreds of complaints all centering around the same problem I had. Meanwhile, the WordPress.org moderators were trying to be patient with the complainers, who I have to say were bitching more than specifying exactly what was wrong with their sites.
If you are one of those hundreds, here’s how to fix the admin login loop.
First, I added the secret keys (security codes) that are now a feature of WP to wp-config.php. Wordpress.org has a webpage that generates the keys and code for you to copy and paste into your wp-config.php.
Second, following the suggestion of another user, I renamed my plugins folder. This effectively removes all plugins from WordPress’ sight. And lo! It worked! I could log in as the admin finally. The same user also recommended naming the plugins folder back to its original name, then re-activating your plugins one by one. This technique also worked for me; I also updated some plugins with the auto-update feature.
Deactivating your plugins before upgrading, by the way, is SOP for WordPress upgrades. I had forgotten that little detail, twice.
WP experts suggest clearing your browser’s cookies and cache as a possible solution. It did not work for me, despite several reiterations of the process. Renaming the plugin folder did the trick, so if you are stuck, try it before the cookie/cache purge.
Now that the site is up and running again, I am going to try new themes. So, if the site looks different each time your visit, don’t panic. I want to see how they look.
Switching to a new theme is another pain in the butt, since my current theme’s code is so customized. I will need to reproduce all the changes in whatever theme I finally settle on. I have a lazy weekend ahead of me, and the current midday temperatures of 95+ Fahrenheit do not encourage me to wander too far from my flat. So, I have time to tinker.
