Change the WordPress 30-Second Timeout

WordPress

The WordPress import plugins are very helpful. Unfortunately, some clients have a LOT of blog posts to import, and the WP importer chokes on them. When that happens, you’ll often get this error:

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded…

Edit your wp-config.php file (in the top-level directory of your WordPress website). Right above the line that says That’s all, stop editing!, paste the following:

set_time_limit(60);

Remove WordPress Multisite

WordPress

There’s a lot of information online about how to set up a multi-site WordPress installation. I had a little trouble finding specific answers about how to UNDO one. I recently set up a WP website, expecting to need a multi-site process later. Turns out I won’t need that, so I wanted to go back to a single-site installation. Reverting didn’t seem very straightforward.

Here’s what I did:

I opened my config file (config.php, in the main installation folder). Near the bottom, I found these 2 lines:

define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);
define('MULTISITE', true);

I changed “true” to “false” and reuploaded the edited file. Next, I logged into my Control Panel and edited the database directly. Simply put, I went to the Users table and dropped two fields: “spam” and “deleted”. That’s it! My WordPress website was no longer a multi-site installation, but a normal old single website. Voila! I hope this helps.

Custom WordPress Designs

WordPress

WordPress is awesome. It’s a Content Management System (CMS) that allows people who don’t know code to edit their own websites. What a lifesaver!

Of course, there’s a downside as well. WordPress (like most CMS’) uses a templating system. A WordPress website is pulled together from a number of different places: it includes a separate header file, footer file, content information, image storage, and so on. It’s a great system, but it’s not the most flexible. I spent years learning how to hack my way through a WordPress template, customizing its look and feel.

Finally, I learned how to make my own WordPress templates. That really changed things! Instead of choosing a pre-defined template and living with its shortcomings, I can create my own WordPress designs from scratch, or from your graphic designer’s Photoshop files. I’m pleased to be able to offer 100% custom WordPress websites.

You can have your cake and eat it too: you can have exactly the design you want, plus the flexibility of managing your own website’s content. Let’s talk about it! I also create templates for Adobe Business Catalyst, if you’d prefer.

Of course, if you’d rather not manage your own website, I do that as well.