Just learning how to use Filezilla

[smitty]

Hey Everyone: I'm brand new to Filezilla. Have actually had it on my desktop for months, but have only opened it once; had NO idea what to do with it, so closed it and left it.

I'm now having major problems with a brand new site I'm building: http://www.rjballoondude.com (I'm a family/kids entertainer)

I started on the site about a week ago and everything was going great, but this past Wed. I was trying to change the homepage and did something STUPID.

I went into my Dashboard of Wordpress (latest version) and in General Settings, I tried changing these:

WordPress address (URL) http://rjballoondude.com
Site address (URL) http://rjballoondude.com

To these:

WordPress address (URL) http://rjballoondude.com/rj-balloon-dude
Site address (URL) http://rjballoondude.com/rj-balloon-dude

Of course as soon as I clicked on Update, I got the 500 Internal Server Error

Luckily I was able to go back to my Dashboard and I immediately changed it back to the default setting, but, when I clicked on Update again, I got the 500 I.S.E. again & again.

So, I read on Wordpress where you could use an FTP to fix this error on this page:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_The_Site_URL#Edit_functions.php

I somehow managed to get Filezilla to open so I can see everything, and I found my rjballoondude.com info ok, but, I do not understand the instructions, as follows:

1. FTP to the site, and get a copy of the active theme's functions.php file. You're going to edit it in a simple text editor (like notepad) and upload it back to the site.

2. Add these two lines to the file, immediately after the initial "<?php" line.

update_option('siteurl','http://example.com/blog');
update_option('home','http://example.com/blog');

I've gone line by line through the functions.php file, but I cannot find "<?php"
anywhere.

ANY help would be MOST appreciated as I have clients waiting to visit my new site.

I did contact my hosting company first thing and spent about 40 minutes on the phone with them. They looked at everything and said I would need to get help from Wordpress, but they of course have NO Support or phone contact.

Can anyone help and get me back in business?

Warmest Regards.....RJ

[boco]

I've gone line by line through the functions.php file, but I cannot find "<?php"
anywhere.

Should be the very first line of the file. If it's not, the file may be corrupt and the source of the HTTP 500 error.

If you didn't install any hacks (modifications which would change that file), you can simply overwrite it with the original from the Wordpress package (of course same version as you are using). Then you should have a genuine Wordpress file and be able to apply the required modifications.

Btw. Wordpress forums may be much more helpful to solve your problem: http://wordpress.org/support/

[smitty]

Hey Boco: Many thanks for your reply. Yes, I was on the Wordpress Forum first and a chap there sent me to a WP Troubleshooting page. On that page I got the instructions and while it didn't say 'top line', it did say........after the initial "<?php" line

But as I mentioned I cannot find that line anywhere. I wonder though, if I'm looking in the correct place. When I double click on.....theme....and then functions.php, I'm going to the box near the top left where it lists all the: Command, Status, Response stuff.

And unfortunately I have NO idea how to overwrite it. Not that computer savvy unfortunately. So far no one on the WP Forum seems to know how to fix this error. The only advice I really got was to 'upload' stuff through Filezilla. But of course I don't know how to use it yet.

Hoping to maybe hear from Matt Wolfe, creator of WP Classroom, or one of his staff.

[botg]

When I double click on.....theme....and then functions.php, I'm going to the box near the top left where it lists all the: Command, Status, Response stuff.

Double-clicking a file in FileZilla transfers that file to the currently selected location in the opposite pane. What you are looking at is the log of the transfer. To see the file's contents, you need to open the downloaded file first.