WP setup: "Couldn't find a Vanilla Forum at this url :/" ?

artrelish

I set up a forum at artrelish.vanillaforums.com yesterday. This morning when I go to install on WP, I get the error "Couldn't find a Vanilla Forum at this url :/" I'm entering http://artrelish.vanillaforums.com/. What do I do now? Here's a screen shot, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonaut/7568079154

Lincoln

Hi @artrelish, are you using the latest version of the WordPress plugin? Also, have you tried again today? Sometimes it takes a little time for a new forum to show up in DNS.

artrelish

Thanks Lincoln, I'm using plugin version 1.1.11, which as near as I can tell is the latest plugin, with WP 3.4.1. WP tells me the plugin has not been confirmed compatible with this version. Maybe that's the problem?

Yes, I tried again today, same URL (http://artrelish.vanillaforums.com), same error (not found).

Lincoln

Hi @artrelish, are you able to tell whether your server has cURL available? It's a PHP extension that's required for it to find the Vanilla site. But that's OK if you don't, you should be able to "Save" the URL even if it can't validate it.

artrelish

I don't know about cURL but will check with the server admin. I get the same not found error when I click 'save'.

And strangely enough, I also set up a CNAME record to point to community.artrelish.com at artrelish.vanillaforums.com. The CNAME appears to be working, but goes to Vanilla's 404 page.

Lincoln

@artrelish Does the URL stay in the box when you leave the setup page and come back to it? It may throw the error but it should still save.

I'm inquiring about the CNAME issue.

Tim

Try without the trailing slash perhaps?

artrelish

Lincoln, the URL does stay in the box when I come back. Tim, I've tried with and without the trailing slash and get the same result from either.

Also, when the CNAME issue is resolved, would I enter artrelish.vanillaforums.com or community.artrelish.com into the VF WP setup box?

Tim

@artrelish the CNAME is not broken, you just haven't set up your custom domain properly yet.

It's not enough to just define your CNAME in DNS, you need to tell your forum what its new custom domain name is, here: http://artrelish.vanillaforums.com/settings/customdomain

Once you've done that, you can access your forum from either address, but it will immediately redirect to 'community.artrelish.com' if accessed from artrelish.vanillaforums.com

Lincoln

@artrelish As long as the URL saves, you can ignore the error. Be aware that because you likely don't have cURL, the widgets will not work. However, you should be able to use the comments fine.

artrelish

Alright, community.artrelish.com is resolving now, thanks for that missed step.

And so I understand... as long as the correct forum name is saved in the WP setup box, there's nothing to worry about. The thing I'll be missing without validation is widgets. Changing WP comment system over to VF will not be affected. To get the widgets to work, I have to validate and in order to validate, I need cURL on my server. All that's correct?

I appreciate your help.

Lincoln

Yup, you got it! The "Validation" doesn't actually block you from doing anything, it just helps make sure you've got it pointed at the right spot.

artrelish

Awesome. Looks like it's all set now. Thanks.