This article provides a comprehensive guide to fixing an issue where Polylang breaks the WordPress permalink structure described in this link, ensuring smooth navigation and functionality of your multilingual website.
Understanding the Issue
Polylang is a popular WordPress plugin that enables users to create bilingual or multilingual websites. It offers the capability to manage translations of posts, pages, media, categories, and tags. One of the features Polylang provides is its own permalink structure, which is designed to accommodate language prefixes or domains for different languages. However, this feature can inadvertently interfere with the default WordPress permalink settings.
The core of the problem lies in Polylang’s approach to handling permalinks. The plugin modifies the rewrite_rules option within WordPress to implement its permalink structure. WordPress, by its design, occasionally regenerates these rewrite rules. When this regeneration occurs, it can overwrite the custom settings imposed by Polylang, leading to broken permalinks and potentially causing 404 errors for site visitors.
The Solution: A Custom Code Approach
To resolve the conflict between Polylang and WordPress’s permalink structures, a custom code snippet can be employed. This code effectively prevents WordPress from overwriting Polylang’s customized permalink settings by removing the rewrite_rules option under specific conditions. Here’s how to implement the solution:
Step 1: Access Your Theme’s Functions.php File
The fix involves adding a custom function to your theme’s functions.php file. Access this file through your WordPress dashboard by navigating to Appearance > Theme Editor. Alternatively, you can use an FTP client to edit the file directly on your server.
Step 2: Insert the Custom Code
Copy and paste the following code snippet into your functions.php file, preferably at the end:
add_action('wp', 'polylang_remove_rewrite_rules');
function polylang_remove_rewrite_rules()
{
if (function_exists('pll_the_languages')) {
delete_option('rewrite_rules');
}
}
This code hooks into WordPress’s wp action, which runs after WordPress has finished loading but before any headers are sent. The function polylang_remove_rewrite_rules checks if Polylang is active (by checking for the existence of the pll_the_languages function). If Polylang is active, it deletes the rewrite_rules option from the WordPress database, effectively preventing WordPress from overwriting Polylang’s custom permalink structure.
Conclusion
Integrating Polylang with WordPress offers a powerful solution for creating multilingual websites. However, conflicts like the one described here can arise, affecting site navigation and user experience. By implementing the custom code solution provided, you can ensure that your website’s permalinks remain intact, allowing visitors to smoothly access content in their preferred language. As with any code modifications, remember to backup your website before making changes to avoid potential issues.
If you encounter difficulties or if the issue persists after applying this fix, consider reaching out to the WordPress and Polylang support communities or seeking professional assistance. The collaborative nature of the WordPress ecosystem ensures that help is always available to those who need it.