mod_rewrite help

[limitphp]

I'm trying to do a url rewrite.

I want to transform this:

mysite.com/artist.php?artistID=2&artistName=The Strokes

 

into this:

mysite.com/artistName/The-Strokes/

 

 

Will modifying the htaccess file do this?

 

Would I have to make some type of rewrite rule?

RewriteRule ^artistName/([a-zA-Z0-9 ]+)/$ /artist.php?artistID=$1

 

 

[gevans]

Yes, it would be similar to the following

 

RewriteRule ^artistName/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/$ /artist.php?artistID=$1&artistName=$2

[limitphp]

Also, when I do the url rewrite, will the querystring still be passed?

[cytech]

The query string gets rewritten at the end of the rewrite "/artist.php?artistID=$1&artistName=$2"

[limitphp]

Ok, I put that rewrite in the .htaccess file.

RewriteRule ^artistName/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/$ /artist.php?artistID=$1&artistName=$2

And I clicked on the link:

http://localhost/greckle/artist.php?artistID=1&artistName=The%20Strokes

 

and it took me to the artist.php page, but nothing happened.

The link stayed the same and when I tried to grab the artistName:

$artistname = $_GET['artistname'];

 

it didn't work.  As in, when I displayed it:

echo $artistName

 

nothing appeared.

[limitphp]

I'm starting to understand.....in my website, I should write the url like this:

mysite.com/artistName/The-Strokes/

 

not with the querystrings.....

 

: )

 

I had it backwards......I kept thinking it was going to take my url from my website with the querystrings and rewrite it without........

No....

 

it takes the nice looking one and converts it to the appropriate one (secretly).....

: )

 

I'm starting to get this....

 

[limitphp]

Ok, if I rewrite a url like this:

mysite.com/artist/The-Strokes

 

and my rewrite rule is this:

RewriteRule ^artist/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/$ /artist.php?artistName=$1

 

in the database, the name is "The Strokes", not "The-Strokes" with a dash.

 

Will it match up?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cytech]

Hey limitphp,

 

No it will not match up, a quick fix would be to run the artistName through a "cleaning" function.

 

Basically remove - and replace it with a space.

 

$artistName = str_replace("-"," ", $artistName);

(use the above code before you search artistName in your database).

 

Normally though you should have whats known as a hash for each artist and save it in your database. So for example "The Strokes" would have a hash like "The-Strokes" and this is what you would use to check to see if theres a match.

 

[limitphp]

Hey limitphp,

 

No it will not match up, a quick fix would be to run the artistName through a "cleaning" function.

 

Basically remove - and replace it with a space.

 

$artistName = str_replace("-"," ", $artistName);

(use the above code before you search artistName in your database).

 

Normally though you should have whats known as a hash for each artist and save it in your database. So for example "The Strokes" would have a hash like "The-Strokes" and this is what you would use to check to see if theres a match.

 

 

A hash for each artist?

So, in my artist table, which contains artistID, artistName, etc....

add artistNameHash

 

and it will be exactly like the artistName only it will have dashes if there are spaces?

 

And if there aren't any spaces, it will be exactly the same as the artistName?

[limitphp]

Ok, I added the hash entry to the artist table.

 

the link now looks like:

mysite.com/artist/The-Strokes/

 

and the rewrite looks like:

RewriteEngine on

 

RewriteRule ^artist/[a-zA-Z0-9-]+/$ /artist.php?artistName=$1

 

but when i click on the link I still get a 404 not found error.

As if, the page doesn't exist.

 

Does anyone know what could be wrong?

 

[limitphp]

ok, I tried chaning the rewrite to:

RewriteRule ^artist/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/$ /artist.php?artistName=$1

 

still no luck.

[limitphp]

ok, tried changing the rewrite to:

RewriteRule ^artist/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)/?$ /artist.php?artistName=$1 [NC,L]

 

added the ? mark....

still no luck.....404 error not found still.

 

 

[limitphp]

Can anyone help me?

 

I know the mod_rewrite is on....because it worked before.

I had some other really simple rule on to test it out....and it worked.

 

Is there something wrong with the rewrite rule?

[limitphp]

ok...i took out the last backslash.

Now it works!

 

Thank you limitphp!

 

By the way, what does the question mark do?