WordPress MU

I'm trying to get a static front page. I added this to my apache config: DirectoryIndex home.php index.php and restarted apache.

Then I created a generic link back to the domain.com/index.php to see if it would load my blog and no go. it just refreshes back to domain.com

what am i doing wrong to load up the blog from the static page?

Try deleting your home.php, that's my guess.

i was using the home.php in the root as the static page. which home.php are you referring to?

"i was using the home.php in the root "

That's what you're doing wrong. :)

make a home.php file and place it *in a theme directory*. Do not change anything in the root.

yeah, i thought about that at around 1am and couldn't get it to work either. i also tried the built in option of settings>reading>static page, with a template and can't get that to work either. my brain hurts...

no idea what is wrong. might just be a combination of beta loads.

ok, i figured out my other issues, now i have the same one as above.

mu splash page has almost everything "wordpress" removed. i wanted to start with a pretty bare page. now, how do i link to what used to be the index page to load up the home theme?

Where's your splash page?

and it's the same answer - stick your page in the them directory, in it's own theme folder - ie; make it a "theme" - a really bare theme.

Then select that theme on the main blog.

ok, i thought from your last reply that I needed to integrate it into my existing theme. another theme makes sense. off to try it out!

"Then select that theme on the main blog." andrea_r

I guess this would make my main blog (static front page) the actual domain.com and the real guts of the site would end up being a sub-domain like main.domain.com?

Depends on what you wanted. What do you mean by "real guts of the site"?

Everything still runs thru the main blog regardless.

if the main URL has one theme (slimmed down to static front page), and the other theme (sub domain) has all the components of the site, that would make the 2nd theme the "real" site.

Well my head is hurting after reading this... I am highly confused by your last post. It make sense, but what is the point? What are you trying to do?

i want a static page that doesn't look like a blog. from that static page i want to link to WPMU.

You could just make the home.php like you want it to, put that in the theme you now call theme2 and just use that as the default frontpage for the complete website.

The fact you can add in the header and footer of the theme, doesn't mean you HAVE to ;)

I believe this would take less time.

illutic - that's what I've been trying to explain this whole time.

B - don't use two themes. you can't use two themes for one blog. you CAN put whatever you like in the home.php file, which is in a THEME folder. Any theme folder. As in, the THEME for your main blog.

Edit:

So it looks like this -
wp-content
- themes
- main blog theme
home.php (has whatever you like for the main landing page)
index.php
style.css

and any other theme files that were there.

WP and WPMU will always always always use the home.php file first if there is one present. but it has to be in a theme folder.

by "static" in this case, we mean one that is not changing much on a regular basis. Technically the About page is static too, but I'm splitting hairs and getting off topic.

i have tried the home.php route, and it isn't working for me. that is what i tried initially. the home.php loads fine, but when i try to load the index.php it refreshes back to home.php

I'm guess this is a theme issue i am running into.

the two theme solution seems to be working. I'll just go that route and see if i run into any issues because of it.

"but when i try to load the index.php it refreshes back to home.php"

Because you can't. you can never get it to load index.php specifically if there's a home.php file in the theme. The blog will use index.php as a template for posts as long as there isn't a single.php or a page.php.

If you want a blog index as usual, then make a page template.

I'd be interested in knowing how you're going to use two themes on one blog. ;)

"If you want a blog index as usual, then make a page template."

once i make a page template, how do i link to that from my static (splash screen) page? do i have to link to it like normal from a wordpress page?

Just make a normal hyperlink.

so i can link directly to the template-page.php or i have to link to domain.com/template-page/ ?

I suspect the reason B is still having issues is because of this:

I'm trying to get a static front page. I added this to my apache config: DirectoryIndex home.php index.php and restarted apache.

Remove home.php from the apache config, restart apache & you should be golden.

tks web, i double checked and that was already gone. i think i have this going now, just wanted to make sure the link to domain.com/template-page/ was the way to go.

link to the page slug that's created. So if it was, for example, the about page, it'd be domain.com/about/ - because that's what you called the page when you created it - regardless of the template it uses.

ok, that's what i thought. stinks that the main part of my site has to be domain.com/page-slug/

with the 2 themes that i was trying, it works good but a similar type give and take. instead of domain.com/page-slug/ it is sub.domain.com and when you signup from sub.domain.com you get sub.sub.domain.com (not good)

i guess the page slug is the best option.

Right, but if you call the page "blog".... :D