How Can I Create User-Friendly URLs with .htaccess and Rewrite Rules?

Creating Friendly URLs with .htaccess

Introduction

Establishing user-friendly URLs is crucial for website usability and search engine optimization. .htaccess offers a versatile tool for achieving this by rewriting URLs into a more aesthetically pleasing and intuitive format. This article addresses a common challenge with .htaccess, namely, converting complex URLs into simpler ones while also incorporating additional parameters based on user input.

The Challenge

The provided sample URL demonstrates the need to convert complex URLs like "http://website.com/index.php?ctrl=pelicula&id=0221889" into more concise and user-friendly versions such as "http://website.com/pelicula/0221889/". Additionally, there is a requirement to include the article title at the end of the URL.

Solution

To craft friendly URLs with .htaccess, we can leverage rewrite rules. Here's a breakdown of how it works:

1. Enable .htaccess: Start by ensuring that the mod_rewrite module is enabled in your web server configuration.
2. Rewrite Rules: Create a .htaccess file in the document root directory containing the following rewrite rules:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?url= [QSA,L]

3. PHP Script: In the PHP script, you can access the rewritten URL parameters by manipulating the $_GET['url'] variable. For example:

$path_components = explode('/', $_GET['url']);
$ctrl=$path_components[0];
$id=$path_components[1];
$tab=$path_components[2];

Additional Considerations

1. **Article

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