Question

When I try to create a thumbnail for an uploaded image, I get a 500 error.

Answer

Generally, the reason for an Internal Server Error when thumbnailing is a problem with the Image::Magick Perl module or the ImageMagick binaries themselves.

Movable Type, when thumbnailing, requires the use of not only the ImageMagick libraries, but the Perl module used to interact with those libraries: Image::Magick, also known as PerlMagick.

If there is a problem, generally it is because one of these is missing or incorrectly/incompletely installed....

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Question

When I use the MTEntryExcerpt tag, all the HTML is stripped from the text.

Answer

When Movable Type auto-generates the excerpt, it first removes HTML from the entry body text, and then counts to the number of words you've specified for the Excerpt Length setting under Default Weblog Display Settings (on the Settings > General screen)1. If the HTML were not removed first, then the excerpt could inadvertently include open HTML tags, depending on where the word count ends.

The solution to this is to enter your own excerpt text into the Entry Excerpt...

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Question

If an author is not assigned to any weblogs, or deletes their only weblog, they see this error when trying to access the Weblogs menu: Can't use an undefined value as an ARRAY reference at lib/MT/App/CMS.pm line 714.

Answer

Applies to Version(s): 3.2

Download this new CMS.pm file, and install it at lib/MT/App/CMS.pm (overwriting the original file).

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Question

I see one or more very large files in my Movable Type installation folder which include core in the file name.

Answer

These are probably "core dump" files, which are created when a Perl script crashes. These files contain information about what the program was doing when it crashed and can be useful for debugging in some circumstances; but should just be deleted in most cases.

Core dumps don't happen very often, so if you've been experiencing unusual troubles with Movable Type recently, that could explain the presence of these...

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Question

How do I change the information on my account, such as my email address or password?

Answer

Changes to your account information must be made in your TypeKey Profile. Log into your TypeKey account and make your changes there; then, the next time you log into Your Account, you must say YES to "Share your email address?" so that it will update your account with us.

You can change your email address, password, and public name, but your username cannot be changed.

Note that if you change your email address, you will need to confirm...

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Question

My file names only display the first fifteen characters of the entry title; I want the full title included in the file name.

Answer

Assuming you're not concerned about breaking inbound links, you can override the default file naming behavior by setting up an Archive File Template for your Individual Entry Archives (do this in Settings > Publishing : Archive Mapping1): <MTEntryDate format="%Y/%m">/<MTEntryTitle dirify="1">.html

Save the change and rebuild your site, and this should create a file with...

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Question

No one can leave a comment on my weblog; everyone who tries sees an error which says You are not allowed to post comments.

Answer

This error message appears when the IP address of the commenter matches one which is on the list at Settings > IP Banning1,2.

If all comments are being rejected with this error, check your IP Banning list to see if you have inadvertently banned a particular IP, or you have a blank item on the list (which would cause comments from all IP addresses to be banned). If so, delete the item which is causing the...

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Question

I get an error that starts with Unmatched right curly bracket at [path/filename].pm.

Answer

This error is an indication that there was a problem uploading the specified file to your server: either it was not uploaded in ASCII mode, or the file was truncated during transfer.

Upload the file again, making sure to specifically choose an ASCII or plain text transfer mode; and verify that the file size on the server after the upload matches the original file size.

If the file referenced in the error is extlib/DateTime/LocaleCatalog.pm, and is also accompanied by messages stating...

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Question

When I upload an image, I do not get an option to thumbnail it.

Answer

The thumbnailing option depends on your server having both the ImageMagick libraries and the Perl module Image::Magick installed and working correctly. You can run mt-check.cgi to see if the module is installed.

If the module is not installed, you'll need to contact your host to request that it be installed. Once Image::Magick is detected and working correctly, the thumbnailing option should be visible.

If it does not, then the problem may be with the ImageMagick...

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Question

My domain name has changed and I need to update Movable Type to use the correct location.

Answer

• Update your CGIPath in mt-config.cgi1 to use the new domain name/location of your installation. Use a plain text editor to modify the file and be sure it is uploaded in ASCII mode when restoring it back to the server.

• Log into Movable Type and go to Settings > Publishing2 for your weblog(s). Update the paths there and save the changes.

Note that if your server has not changed, only the domain name, you only need to update the URLs for the new name. If both the server and the domain have changed, you'll need to update both the...

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Page: 1 2 3 3 Pages.

Blog Selective Hacks

One of the biggest problems of simple hacks to the system is that they occur system wide, e.g. if you hacked the entry page to specify a default category, that category would become the default for all blogs on the...

Continue reading "Blog Selective Hacks"

Posted on 07/30/2005 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Feedback during Power Editing

Many people have asked me how to display the status of comments and trackbacks on the power edit entries screen. This hack will guide you through the process of adding two fields, as shown by the screenshot. One is...

Continue reading "Feedback during Power Editing"...

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Question

How do I tell IIS to use the index.html file as the default directory page when loading my site?

Answer

• Open IIS manager • Select the web site • Right click and choose Properties • Go to the Documents tab • Click Add • Enter index.html into the dialog box and click OK • Click OK to close the Site Properties dialog • Close IIS manager

Please note that these instructions are provided as general information only. Support staff is unable to provide detailed assistance with server configuration issues.

...

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Question

Who makes Movable Type?

Answer

Movable Type is created by Six Apart. The system was originally developed by the husband and wife co-founders of Six Apart, Benjamin Trott and Mena G. Trott.

Benjamin Trott is co-founder and CTO of Six Apart. Ben developed all of the backend code for Movable Type and TypePad, contributes regularly to CPAN (the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network), and has written for Perl.com and contributed to “Essential Blogging”, along with posts to the Six Apart company weblog.

Mena Grabowski Trott is co-founder...

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Question

I downloaded both the Full Package and the Upgrade Package from my account, and they both look the same. Shouldn't they be different?

Answer

Due to improvements in the installation and upgrade process, including renaming the configuration file which ships with the download from mt.cfg to mt-config.cgi-original, we're now able to offer a single distribution package that works regardless of whether you're upgrading from an older version or installing Movable Type for the first time.

This not only simplifies our ability to prepare the...

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Question

I upgraded to the latest version, but my interface and/or weblog still show the older version number.

Answer

If your interface pages still show the older version, this means that all of the newer Movable Type files were not properly uploaded to your server. (At a minimum, the newest lib/MT.pm file is not present.)

Upload the new upgrade files again, ensuring that: • You use the appropriate mode (ASCII or BINARY) • All the older files were overwritten by the newer versions. • No files were truncated during the transfer.

Refresh the interface page in...

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Question

When trying to load the script in my browser, I get an error that says %1 is not a valid Win32 application.

Answer

Your server may only be configured to recognize files with .pl extensions as valid Perl scripts. Try changing the file extension on the script file from .cgi to .pl to see if the script will execute with this change.

If changing the file extension resolves the error, then this could indicate that .cgi is not mapped to the PERL executable; and you'll need to contact your host or server administrator to update the...

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Question

I've just installed Movable Type. How do I integrate my current site design into the system, so that the pages will now be updated with my Movable Type data whenever I publish a new entry?

Answer

Because each person's site is unique, there's not really a "one size fits all" way of integration with Movable Type; it's a process that differs according to your own preferences and needs. Overall, the best way to familiarize yourself with how the system works is to set up a test blog in a separate area of your site, and then make...

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Question

Can I receive upgrade credit for donations or commercial license payments for versions prior to 3.x?

Answer

If, in the past you have donated or paid for a Movable Type commercial license, we want to thank you by providing credit for your past payments.

Donations

You will need the Recently Updated Key(s) issued to you in exchange for your donation.

We will credit you $20 for the first key, $25 for your second key, and $20 for any subsequent keys up to the price of the license. Your keys can only be used once and if you subsequently...

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Question

How can I deal with comment spam on my weblog?

Answer

In January of 2005, we released our Guide for Fighting Comment Spam.

The guide covers many of the concepts and tools available to fight comment spam and explains the strengths and weaknesses that we've seen of each. We also included our "best practices" recommendations for not only keeping spam off of your site, but making sure that you and your readers have the best possible experience. The document is intended to be a fairly comprehensive, living document which will change and grow...

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Question

When running the script, I get an error message that says Got an error: Bad ObjectDriver config.

Answer

If no further information follows the error, this means mt-config.cgi1 has not been properly configured for your database; specifically, that you have not uncommented2 any of the database settings so that Movable Type will know which one you want to use.

If the error is followed by more information which includes Connection error, see Connection Errors (MySQL).

If the error is followed by more information which says Your DataSource directory ('/path/to/database/directory') does not exist....

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