Title: [Plugin: HTML Import 2] Postname Permalinks Not Working
Last modified: August 20, 2016
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# [Plugin: HTML Import 2] Postname Permalinks Not Working
* [suntower](https://wordpress.org/support/users/suntower/)
* (@suntower)
* [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-html-import-2-postname-permalinks-not-working/)
* I’m trying to use HTML Import 2 to import 400 static html pages into WP Posts
as drafts. The posts imported OK BUT there is something terribly wrong with the
permalinks and I can’t figure it out.
* I can edit the posts just fine in the WP admin, but again, if I go to ‘View’
the post… even if I use the shortcode URI, I get a 404… it just redirects to
the postname permalink and then throws a 404.
* Also, I checked the .htaccess and it’s the std one you see in the Codex post
on Permalinks.
* Here’s what I know.
* 1. All the posts and pages I’ve written (not imported) work fine.
* 2. All the posts I imported with HTML Import will only work with the default
structure (?p=3321)… when I try to use ‘pretty permalinks’ these imported posts
throw a 404.
* 3. BUT if I edit the permalink of an imported post–for example changing one char—
it then WORKS. However if I change it back to what it originally used (which
is usually what I want), it again fails.
* So… it seems as though the permalinks are somehow being ‘reserved’.. ie. they’re
being used by some draft or trash version of a post I can’t ‘see’?
* I don’t understand where the permalinks are stored in the db otherwise I’d go
searching for my theory.
* Any ideas?
* TIA,
* —JC
* [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/import-html-pages/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/import-html-pages/)
Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
* [mangal7](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mangal7/)
* (@mangal7)
* [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-html-import-2-postname-permalinks-not-working/#post-2849074)
* I’ve had the same problem, it’s been driving me nuts. I’ve ended up importing
them as published, then at least the permalinks work properly. Easier to paste
the generated redirects into .htaccess myself and bulk change the status of the
posts after importing, than edit the redirects by hand… since I’m dealing with
around 900 pages of HTML(!) Great plugin, really handy, but not without hitches.
* Thread Starter [suntower](https://wordpress.org/support/users/suntower/)
* (@suntower)
* [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-html-import-2-postname-permalinks-not-working/#post-2849075)
* After I wrote this, I found that I could save myself some real time by manipulating
the db directly. I’m comfortable doing this, but I caution others to think twice
and BACKUP before doing so. I learned (by somewhat painful trial and error) how
permalinks and revisions are stored–hence the reason for all my ‘phantom’ permalinks.
* The ‘trick’ (if there is one) is just to realise that if you are getting dupes
it’s because every draft/revision/or post of any type might share that same permalink(
name). You just have to search by that field and get rid of the dupes… Again,
you run the risk of de-normalising your data (creating orphans) if you’re not
careful.
Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
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* 
* [HTML Import 2](https://wordpress.org/plugins/import-html-pages/)
* [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/import-html-pages/#faq)
* [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/import-html-pages/)
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* 2 replies
* 2 participants
* Last reply from: [suntower](https://wordpress.org/support/users/suntower/)
* Last activity: [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-html-import-2-postname-permalinks-not-working/#post-2849075)
* Status: not resolved