Need help tweaking this htacces code please?

[Jeff_Mott]

@EricWatson

Aside from checking the request, is it also making sure its letter a-z and numbers 1-9 or something also?

Not exactly. The value of THE_REQUEST will look something like this:

GET /index.html HTTP/1.1

The initial letter-matching pattern is meant to match the HTTP method (GET, POST, HEAD, etc.), followed by a space. Once we get into the request path, then the condition matches on .*.

[Jeff_Mott]

I think I found your other guy on your other forum. Want me to rebut directly?

[rpkamp]

This code removed index.html at the end of a URL, so that when people request example.com/index.hml they are 301 redirected to example.com/

The reason people use THE_REQUEST for this, is because that’s the only way you can effectively remove the DirectoryIndex to another place, since the requested URI as far as Apache is concerned is index.html when you request /, leading to an infinite loop of redirects.

THE_REQUEST shows you the raw headers of the request, i.e., the URL people requested, instead of the URL apache inferred people were requesting.

@EricWatson

Hey Jeff. Looking around the web every other example of this code to strip the index adds another line above your example like so. Is there a reason you removed it? And do you think it’s necessary? And what does it do? Thanks!

 
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\\ /.*index\\.html\\ HTTP/
RewriteRule ^(.*)index\\.html$ /$1 [R=301,L]

[Jeff_Mott]

@rpkamp

…since the requested URI as far as Apache is concerned is index.html when you request /, leading to an infinite loop of redirects.

Did you actually try it to confirm? Because I don’t get any redirect loop.

EDIT: And the reason why there’s no loop seems to be because when mod_dir handles the request, mod_rewrite isn’t run.

[PicnicTutorials]

@Jeff_Mott

I think I found your other guy on your other forum. Want me to rebut directly?

Sure feel free http://www.webmasterworld.com/apache/4562115.htm I hate to pit your two minds against each other but my need to get to the bottom of this is greater. I wish I could participate in the discussion. But I’m afraid I will never fully get this stuff. I’m guessing you already jumped in?

[rpkamp]

@Jeff_Mott

Did you actually try it to confirm? Because I don’t get any redirect loop.

EDIT: And the reason why there’s no loop seems to be because when mod_dir handles the request, mod_rewrite isn’t run.

Right, I was confusing index.html via mod_dir with index.php served via RewriteRule (“catch-all”); in the latter case you DO need to use THE_REQUEST if you want to redirect away from index.php.

But indeed, in the case of index.html I have no idea why one would use THE_REQUEST.

[PicnicTutorials]

Ahh shes a quick one.

“” It’s unusual to meet such a vigorous defense of inefficient rules and careless coding. Can’t help but wonder if there’s a backstory we’re not getting. “”

I’ll come clean over there. But I do not feel bad because they refused to answer my original question I proposed to you with 3 weeks ago about auto non redirects to addon domains. And they refused to answer I suspect because there is no answer using their preferred method of thinking.

[rpkamp]

Since you seem to have taken the thread over to the other forum I don’t think this one is needed anymore.

Thread closed.