Problem: The client experienced issues with the htaccess file being overwritten after installing WPML, which caused problems logging into the backend. The specific problem was with the rewrite rules for the login pages in different languages. Solution: We recommended checking if the snippet provided in our documentation is still present on the site. If it is, and the issue persists, it might have been overwritten during a theme update. To prevent this, we suggested using a child theme or a plugin that allows adding PHP functions safely without being affected by theme updates. Additionally, we advised ensuring that the snippet is correctly implemented as per the guidelines in our documentation at https://wpml.org/faq/why-is-htaccess-getting-overwritten-with-the-language-folder-on-my-wpml-website/.
If this solution does not resolve the issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If problems persist, please open a new support ticket at our support forum.
Problem: You are experiencing an issue where WPML incorrectly rewrites the htaccess file, causing your website to go offline. The incorrect entry in your htaccess file is
RewriteBase /it/
, which should be
RewriteBase /
. Solution: First, correct the htaccess entry from
RewriteBase /it/
to
RewriteBase /
. If you are not using a Child Theme, consider installing one, and add the workaround to the functions.php file. Alternatively, create a custom plugin with the following code:
<?php
/**
* Plugin Name: Custom Rewrite Rules
* Description: A custom plugin to fix and force rewrite rules to be applied correctly.
* Version: 1.0
* Author: Your Name
*/
// Hook into 'init' to ensure this runs at the right time
add_action('init', 'apply_custom_rewrite_rules', 10);
function apply_custom_rewrite_rules() {
// Apply custom mod_rewrite rules on 'mod_rewrite_rules' filter
add_filter('mod_rewrite_rules', 'fix_rewritebase');
// Flush rewrite rules on plugin activation
if (is_plugin_active('custom-rewrite-rules/custom-rewrite-rules.php')) {
flush_rewrite_rules();
}
}
function fix_rewritebase($rules) {
// Get home URL and WPML root URL (if applicable)
$home_root = parse_url(home_url());
if (isset($home_root['path'])) {
$home_root = trailingslashit($home_root['path']);
} else {
$home_root = '/';
}
$wpml_root = parse_url(get_option('home'));
if (isset($wpml_root['path'])) {
$wpml_root = trailingslashit($wpml_root['path']);
} else {
$wpml_root = '/';
}
// Replace default home root with wpml root in rewrite rules
$rules = str_replace("RewriteBase $home_root", "RewriteBase $wpml_root", $rules);
$rules = str_replace("RewriteRule . $home_root", "RewriteRule . $wpml_root", $rules);
return $rules;
}
// Force rewrite rules flush on plugin activation and deactivation
register_activation_hook(__FILE__, 'flush_rewrite_rules');
register_deactivation_hook(__FILE__, 'flush_rewrite_rules');
Save this file as custom-rewrite-rules.php and place it in /wp-content/plugins, then activate the plugin.
If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket at https://wpml.org/forums/forum/english-support/.
