Locking Down Modx Question.

Good day all, I am having a real "brain drain" today.

In the past I have setup many Revo Sites and have moved the following folders successfully:
1) core -> Outside or Root
2) Manager -> Outside of Root.

Modified these files:
core/config/config.inc.php (changed the $modx_core_path variable)

$modx_core_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/NEWNAME/';
$modx_processors_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/NEWNAME/model/modx/processors/';
$modx_connectors_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/connectors/';
$modx_manager_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/NEWNAME/'; (also the $modx_manager_url)
$modx_base_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/';
$modx_assets_path= '/path/to/modx_doc_root/assets/';

/config.core.php (the one in the site root)
/connectors/config.core.php
/manager/config.core.php

Now with a NEW site, I am following the same steps that we had documented months ago (in fact using the same folders and paths).

This is essentially and "empty site", i.e.: run setup, then do the "move thing", so no content etc - right out of the box.

When I try to launch back-end, I get a blank page. I dropped a simple html doc into that folder and URL'd to the html doc, still get a blank page.

I've dumped the "cache" and no go.

I've checked and rechecked perms and had 2 other of my middleware types recheck my work. I just can't get this one to work. Even tried different folder names and moved the core and manager folders to a different location.

If I rerun setup (which is the recommendation and I have done in the past), I get (paraphrasing) "the core directory is invalid..."

If I move the Manager folder Back Into the Site Root Folder - all is well. I can leave the core where I moved it (including the new name), just can't move Manager

Using Revo modx-2.5.1-pl Standard (1st setup with this version)
Tried Revo modx-2.4.2-pl_Standard (which is the version we've been using)

Any suggestions?

When I try to launch back-end, I get a blank page. I dropped a simple html doc into that folder and URL'd to the html doc, still get a blank page.

This suggests a problem with the .htaccess file -- maybe the RewriteBase line or some other rewrite rule.

It doesn't look like you have actually moved the 'core' outside the document root. Since

appears to be the document root -- accessible from the Internet.

Then:

is also accessible from the Internet

To move the 'core' outside the document root it should be in a directory below the document root like:

see: https://docs.modx.com/revolution/2.x/administering-your-site/security/hardening-modx-revolution#HardeningMODXRevolution-core

The manager path can be renamed but must remain accessible from the Internet - so it needs to be in the document root.

In other words, to be safe, the core should be below a directory that's as far *above* the directory containing the other MODX files (e.g., Manager) as you can put it, preferably with an uninteresting name -- e.g.,