WordPress Permalinks & the OS X Apache Install

April 9th, 2005Apple, IT, WordPress

If you’ve installed WordPress on an OS X system and can’t figure out why your permalinks won’t function, take a peak in your httpd.conf file.

The default Apache install on OS X (1.3.33 for OS X 10.3.8 as of this writing) has AllowOverride set to None. It will be down around line 400, give or take. So even though the mod_rewrite module is installed and turned on by default, Apache will promptly tell any .htaccess file to take a long walk off a short pier. All those beautiful rewrite rules that WordPress politely puts in your .htaccess file for you will be for nought. Fix this by changing None to FileInfo (or All if you like to live life way out there on the edge).

Also, some hosting providers that have you set up in a shared environment (like mine, Media Temple) will require that the Options FollowSymlinks directive be included in your .htaccess file, or in a separate .htaccess file at your site root (the latter of which will spare you from having to include it in all of your .htaccess files).

Comments

Bobby Truth April 9th, 2005 at 11:36 pm

I like your theme.. can I have it too? Thanks!

David Sleight April 10th, 2005 at 1:26 am

Thanks! I’m afraid I won’t be distributing Ghost (the theme for the Stuntbox blog) as it’s largely based on the graphics I designed for my main portfolio site. Sorry. It’s a branding thing. I do hope to find some time soon to design a few WordPress themes for folks to download though.

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David Sleight is a web designer living and working in New York City, and the Deputy Creative Director of BusinessWeek.com

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