Redirecting old Query String URLs to CMSMS pretty urls

[steffeiter]

All -

This took me about an hour and a half to figure out, so I wanted to post for other users who use CMSMS and are coming from old php sites.

Pretty URLs (mod_rewrite) does not correctly interpret 301 redirects in the .htaccess file when the original url has a query string in it: index.php?someID=someVal

So the following works to make the .htaccess mod_rewrite work correctly:

Below the rewrite engine rule is where to edit:

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Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on

# Rewrite all the old php pages to the new CMS pages
# by adding lines here...

# 301 Redirect all requests that don't contain a dot or trailing slash to
# include a trailing slash

I used the following directionals based on an OLD url like this:

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http://www.example.com/originalPage.php?someID=someVal

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RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*someID=someVal.*$
RewriteRule ^originalPage http://www.example.com/the/pretty/url/path/to/your/new/page/? [R=301,L]

Notes:
The RewriteCond has the key-value pair that you have used in your old URLs. here it is "someID" and "someVal"

The RewriteRule has two important things. ^originalPage (this is the original page name from your site WITHOUT the extension .php or whatever)
the second important thing is to add the "?" after the last / - this removes the original query string from the new rewritten url.


I know this isn't totally a CMSMS issue, but this explanation is specifically for CMSMS so please leave this post.
It took me a while to figure this out.
If anyone has other things to add, please do....

-steff

[kendo451]

It's a lot easier to just put a canonical tag in your template.

See this entry:
http://forum.cmsmadesimple.org/viewtopic.php?t=37333

This post shows how to create a UDT to make a canonical link:
http://forum.cmsmadesimple.org/viewtopic.php?t=30923

[steffeiter]

Hi -

I am not sure that canonical urls are at issue here.
I am not rerouting previous or current cmsms pages.
I am rerouting old php pages from a former site that
have been cached by google but do not exist anymore.

How would a canonical url be used for page that doesn't exist?

-steff

[kendo451]

You are quite right, Steff. I misunderstood and thought you were attempting to create a redirect table for the regular CMSMS index.php?page=alias .

Of course the standard mod_rewrite .htaccess file does that for you already.

[Skulks]

I need to 301 my old url's

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http://www.torremolinos-nights.com/index.php?page=doyle-s-corner

To the new ones

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http://www.torremolinos-nights.com/bars/doyle-s-corner.html

Your instruction say use ? after the last slash but my address ends in doyle-s-corner.html

My htaccess looked like this

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# Attempt to override some php settings, these settings may be helpful on some hosts if your
# default configuration does not meet CMS's minimum requirements, and your host
# has given your account appropriate permissions
#php_value upload_max_filesize "10M"
#php_value session_save_path "tmp/cache"

#php_flag magic_quotes_gpc Off
#php_flag register_globals Off
#php_flag session.use_trans_sid Off

# (this is important, so uncomment if your host permit)
#Options -Indexes
#ServerSignature Off
#
Options +FollowSymLinks
#
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine on
#
#Sub-dir e.g: /cmsms
RewriteBase /

#
# 301 Redirect all requests that don't contain a dot or trailing slash to
# include a trailing slash
# but ignore POST requests.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !\.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} !POST$
RewriteRule ^(.*) %{REQUEST_URI}/ [R=301,L]

# Rewrites urls in the form of /parent/child/
# but only rewrites if the requested URL is not a file or directory
#
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?page=$1 [QSA]
</IfModule>

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*page=doyle-s-corner.*$
RewriteRule ^index http://www.torremolinos-nights.com/bars/doyle-s-corner.html [R=301,L]

Can anyone tell me whats wrong or give me a single example, please. I'm a bit scared to just carry on fiddling with the htaccess

[steffeiter]

...so I couldn't use your code as is and I had to try a load of different things but after a while I seem to have worked it out:

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RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*page=foo.*$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.example.com/the/pretty/url/path/to/your/new/page/? [R=301,L]

Thanks again, I wouldn't have know where to start so you saved me a lot of time!

I am pretty sure, though haven't tried it, but couldn't you have written:

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RewriteRule ^index ....

as by default the index page is what is being routed through?

[steffeiter]

@skulks

So I am looking at your code and tried to replicate on my server, and I am able to do what you need.

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RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^.*page=list.*$
RewriteRule ^index http://localhost/cmsmadesimple-1.9.4.2/uploads/index.html? [R=301,L]

I added the ? just after the html. It shouldn't affect anything, as the trailing ? is there just to remove the query string form the original url.

This code redirects this page:
/index.php?page=list

to

/uploads/index.html


I thought maybe it was because you have written "RewriteEngine on" twice in your .htaccess file.

Or maybe your server doesn't like that you are writing you rewrites outside of the <IfModule mod_rewrite.c></IfModule>

didn't seem to affect mine, but maybe?


-steff