mod_rewrite/alias confusion

Two things:

I have an executable web app that dynamically handles all the pages
for my site. I don't thoroughly understand the difference between
using mod_rewrite and alias to direct all requests for a page to this
app. I'm pretty sure I should use mod_rewrite but would like someone
to verify that and, hopefully, explain why alias is not what I want.

I've gone through 27 books and 32 web sites, along with 101 variations
of mod_rewrite and, on variation number 37 from book 3, I think, I can
get http://www.mysite.com/ to properly work with the app; but only
that index page and nothing else, such as mysite.com/page1.

Obviously, I just don't get it.

So:
1) Is mod_rewrite what I want to do?
2) Can someone show me how to set it up so all page requests go to my
web app alone? (Minus images, stylesheets, etc.)

So this is what I have so far and it partly does what I want:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^/?(.*)$ cgi-bin/test [L]

I don't think that's what I want to run with because I think a problem
could come up with it matching everything, including impossibly long
or obscure matches. Another problem is that it also matches image
extensions, css stylesheets, javascripts and anything else I don't
need to serve dynamically.

On May 4, 2:09 pm, drhowarddrfine <robbel...@gmail.com> wrote:
> So this is what I have so far and it partly does what I want:
>
> RewriteEngine on
> RewriteRule ^/?(.*)$ cgi-bin/test [L]
>
> I don't think that's what I want to run with because I think a problem
> could come up with it matching everything, including impossibly long
> or obscure matches. Another problem is that it also matches image
> extensions, css stylesheets, javascripts and anything else I don't
> need to serve dynamically.

I forgot to add that I changed the rewrite rule to this:
^([a-zA-Z_]+)/([a-zA-Z_]+)/([a-zA-Z_]+)$ cgi-bin/test [L]

But it doesn't work at all.

drhowarddrfine schreef:
> So this is what I have so far and it partly does what I want:
>
> RewriteEngine on
> RewriteRule ^/?(.*)$ cgi-bin/test [L]
>
> I don't think that's what I want to run with because I think a problem
> could come up with it matching everything, including impossibly long
> or obscure matches. Another problem is that it also matches image
> extensions, css stylesheets, javascripts and anything else I don't
> need to serve dynamically.

you should read http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_rewrite.html
and look at RewriteCond

this way you can exclude the things you will not rewrite..

--
Luuk

"drhowarddrfine" <robbelics@gmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:817e5f36-1b8a-4ed2-b90e-89c88c1bd434@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On May 4, 2:09 pm, drhowarddrfine <robbel...@gmail.com> wrote:
A small note on the subject:
mod_rewrite modifies the mapping of an url to the filesystem to a lot wider
extend then mod_alias. The latter only unconditionally changes the mapping
for a complete folder.

>> So this is what I have so far and it partly does what I want:
Not sure whether you have full control over Apache or just only are twisting
it via .htaccess. Unfortunately the two have slightly different syntax and
behaviour... Assuming you are using a .htaccess at the root of the site.

>> RewriteEngine on
>> RewriteRule ^/?(.*)$ cgi-bin/test [L]
>>
>> I don't think that's what I want to run with because I think a problem
>> could come up with it matching everything, including impossibly long
>> or obscure matches. Another problem is that it also matches image
>> extensions, css stylesheets, javascripts and anything else I don't
>> need to serve dynamically.
Be more selective, example given only do html by:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule (.*\.html)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]

Note the NC for no(t) case-sensitive matching.

You might consider testing presence of static content before giving dynamic
response:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{ REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule (.*\.html)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]
(Might be handy for error documents ... )

Running .htaccess based rewrites has a performance penalty.
To minimize the effect, consider setting up folders like
\images
\scripts
\test
The latter will hold hardly no files, but at least a .htaccess reading like
RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{ REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule (.*\.html)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]

> I forgot to add that I changed the rewrite rule to this:
> ^([a-zA-Z_]+)/([a-zA-Z_]+)/([a-zA-Z_]+)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]
>
> But it doesn't work at all.
It does work, but the way you want it ;-)
It only matches a path like /a_B/bC/C_d, but NOT /a_B/bC/C_d.html.
Notice all dynamic urls MUST BE exactly 2 levels below the site's root.


HansH
--
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/rewrite/
"Despite the tons of examples and docs,
mod_rewrite is voodoo.
Damned cool voodoo, but still voodoo."

On May 4, 2:20 pm, Luuk <L...@invalid.lan> wrote:
> drhowarddrfine schreef:
>
> > So this is what I have so far and it partly does what I want:
>
> > RewriteEngine on
> > RewriteRule ^/?(.*)$ cgi-bin/test [L]
>
> > I don't think that's what I want to run with because I think a problem
> > could come up with it matching everything, including impossibly long
> > or obscure matches. Another problem is that it also matches image
> > extensions, css stylesheets, javascripts and anything else I don't
> > need to serve dynamically.
>
> you should readhttp://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_rewrite.html
> and look at RewriteCond
>
> this way you can exclude the things you will not rewrite..
>
> --
> Luuk

Read it over and over and over again. I think my problem is I keep
messing up with the regex. It's quiet today so I'm better able to
concentrate and may have found a way to get this work but would be
interested in what other people have to say:

RewriteRule ^/?([a-z/-]+)$ cgi-bin/test [L]

On May 4, 3:28 pm, "HansH" <ha...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> "drhowarddrfine" <robbel...@gmail.com> schreef in berichtnews:817e5f36-1b8a-4ed2-b90e-89c88c1bd434@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...> On May 4, 2:09 pm, drhowarddrfine <robbel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> A small note on the subject:
> mod_rewrite modifies the mapping of an url to the filesystem to a lot wider
> extend then mod_alias. The latter only unconditionally changes the mapping
> for a complete folder.
>

Ah, yes. I recall reading that. Thank you.

> Not sure whether you have full control over Apache or just only are twisting
> it via .htaccess.

Yes. htaccess only. Forgot to mention that. Also Apache version 1.3

>
> Be more selective, example given only do html by:
> RewriteEngine on
> RewriteRule (.*\.html)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]
>
> Note the NC for no(t) case-sensitive matching.
>

There are no extensions to any of the pages themselves.

>
> Running .htaccess based rewrites has a performance penalty.
> To minimize the effect, consider setting up folders like
> \images
> \scripts
> \test
>

Doing that, yes.

Thanks for all that, Hans. Glad to see I was doing some things right.

"drhowarddrfine" <robbelics@gmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:0e88e188-f2aa-4377-b1af-824c52f24f44@m3g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> Yes. htaccess only. Forgot to mention that. Also Apache version 1.3
>
>> Be more selective, example given only do html by:
>> RewriteEngine on
>> RewriteRule (.*\.html)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]
>> Note the NC for no(t) case-sensitive matching.
> There are no extensions to any of the pages themselves.

Just wondering what Google might think of those ...
.... anyway consider excluding anything with a dot:
RewriteRule ^([^\.]+)$ cgi-bin/test [NC,L]

HansH