Manual:Short URL overview


 * Note: The original Manual:Short URL has become so complex I cannot clean it up. So I started the below Short URL overview with no how tos on this page but instead separate pages for Short URL solutions, linked below as subpages of Manual:Short URL. Eventually this Manual:Short URL overview may be moved to Manual:Short URL. Welcome to help! :-) --Rogerhc 06:42, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Overview of how to configure short URLs in MediaWiki

According to World Wide Web inventor Al Gore Tim Berners-Lee, good URLs should never change. Short URLs which hide PHP mechanics from the browser address bar is good user interface.

MediaWiki does not have Short URLs by default because short URLs work with Web server configurations that vary depending on the specific Web server and hosting account being used.

As of Mediawiki version 1.11.0, MediaWiki's default URLs is similar too:

Using the methods below, short URLs can be created such as:

How to shorten a URL gets complicated fast. So "how tos" will be on separate pages listed below.

No root access
Shared Hosting: If you are using shared hosting it is unlikely you will have root access to the server. You probably will not be able to use any of the root access techniques below. Start by opening a ticket with your hosting provider. Ask the provider how to get rid of the "index.php?title=" for all pages and your hosting provider may well solve your problem for you.

The methods below with "no root access" in the name assume that you don't have access to the server configuration (for example, if you're on a shared host); if you do have root access see, see 'Manual:Short URL'.

The .htaccess can be rewritten without root access. Editing httpd.conf is the preferred method because your wiki performs better. But editing httpd.conf requires root access. Most shared hosting systems do not allow changes to httpd.conf.

Depending on your host, you may be able to use an alias or a rewrite rule in an .htaccess file. Do not try to edit both httpd and .htaccess at once. Only one is needed.

Short URL how tos
Anyone is welcome to create a "how to" solution page and list them below. Please use a sensible name for the page, one that fits in with the below names. When each unique solution has its own page, readers can skip complexity they do not want.

Keep it simple, readable, short, with a separate page per separate solution.

Example.com/Page_title
How to do example.com/Page_title style URLs
 * Manual:Short URL/Page title -- EASY
 * Manual:Short URL/Page title -- PHP as a CGI module, no root access [[Image:Face-sad.svg|20px]]
 * Manual:Short URL/Page title -- solution xxx
 * Manual:Short URL/Page title -- solution yyy
 * Manual:Short URL/Page title -- solution zzz

Example.com/wiki/Page_title
How to do example.com/wiki/Page_title style URLs
 * Manual:Short URL/wiki/Page title--root access -- EASY
 * Manual:Short URL/wiki/Page title -- PHP as a CGI module, no root access [[Image:Csmile alt.svg|20px]]
 * Manual:Short URL/wiki/Page title -- no root access [[Image:Face-sad.svg|20px]]
 * Manual:Short URL/wiki/Page title -- solution zzz

Wiki.example.com/Page_title
How to do wiki.example.com/Page_title style URLs
 * Manual:Short URL/wiki.example.com/Page_title -- EASY ?

Ampersand (&) problem

 * Manual:Short URL/Ampersand solution with root access