Tuesday, August 27th, 2002
Adventures in website management
I finally got around to installing MT-Search. I don’t have enough posts on either of my blogs to need it yet but I think a search function is a good thing to have. And maybe one day someone will need it (probably me :wink).
Meanwhile, I’ve made changes to the archive pages of both my sites. It is basically the same changes for both but I think it will make them easier to navigate through. Again, on the assumption that it’ll be needed eventually.
The above makes it sound so easy…
Follow along for valuable step-by-step experience in problem-solving.
First I installed the search script on my site, and it didn’t work.
“Come on, the instructions are not difficult and I followed them exactly. It must be the browser.”
Shut down, reboot the browser, try again.
It still doesn’t work.
“Alright, maybe I missed something.”
Reread the instructions. Nothing has changed. But the script still won’t work. Reread again. Nothing. Reread a third time.
“Well, I didn’t set the permissions. But that wouldn’t make a difference, would it? I thought that with the security features…”
Set permissions, eureka. :blush
Then came setting up the templates. I got started making the changes to the archive pages at the same time I was setting up the pages for the search engine. In the middle of adding the search box to this blog, the entries disappear.
1. Panic
Look in archives, missing entries are still there and nothing else is missing from the other pages.
2. Look at the source code of the page being output.
There’s simply nothing there, which means it’s a problem with the system.
3. Ignore it
Keep working on the other pages and hope that the problem miracuously disappears.
4. Is it just this computer (I’ve seen stranger things)?
Try another computer. No, it’s not just the one.
5. Move on to another project to give mind a break from this one and the answer will be obvious when I return (this has actually worked on occasion).
6. As the new project is on a third computer of another platform, compulsively try “one more time” to see if problem has gone away yet.
It hasn’t.
7. Return to first computer, look at code.
There is nothing wrong with it.
However, the entries are still not showing up.
8. Comb through the “Support Forum” to see if anyone has similar problems.
9. Find some idiot who didn’t notice that their posts had expired past the date set to keep them on the main page.
“It couldn’t be…”
10. Reset the date in the blog configuration file. Entries reappear.
11. Bang head on desk until the pain overwhelms the embarassment. Leave date reset and vow to post more often.
By laura @ 3:38 pm in Website
August 27th, 2002 at 3:47 pm
Search Function
I’ve installed MT-Search on both my blogs. It’s not really needed yet but it’s there for when it is. I
August 27th, 2002 at 5:05 pm
LOL. Sounds like a rough day.
August 28th, 2002 at 9:36 am
The worst part was that it was fun. I’m in serious danger of becoming a true computer geek.