Translation should be modular with translations of the main parts of this websites (excluding say "support desk" --- or not excluding it all) to other language websites as similar to how wikipedia enterprises are translated to different language "versions"; otherwise, a total "code spagetti" is caused;
Just to understand what this page is actually about I suggest this revised version of the opener chapter, without even one translation tag (also improving formatting and accessibility):
Wikipedia's short URLs.</translate>
For information on what Short URLs are or to get instructions on configuration for other servers see Manual:Short URL.
These instructions help setup Short URLs on Apache web server software.
The LiteSpeed webserver is Apache compatible and can be configured in relatively the same way.
In this manual we'll recommend/assume the following but remember to use your own paths if they are different.
These following instructions have been included in an automated wizard (requires MediaWiki 1.17 or later) --- shorturls.redwerks.org
If you just want your wiki configured quickly or you find the guide confusing then you may want to try that tool first.
If you do this, please note that you will need to edit or create a .htaccess file.
If you create it anew, please read on to further in this article about where to place the <tvar name=2>.htaccess file, and please note that this file will likely be in a different folder than the other file that will need to be edited (LocalSettings.php), which is in the installation folder.
if you have followed the MediaWiki recommendations). Please also note that using this wizard will not work on firewalled or private wikis, so in these cases, you can still try it out by making your wiki temporarily public by setting $wgGroupPermissions['*']['read'] to true; remember to change it back to false once you are done.
Otherwise, follow the instructions below.
Server config
Find the right file
The recommended way to set up short URLs in Apache is by editing the Apache config files.
This requires that you have access to the server configuration.
If you are on a shared host, you most likely don't and will need to use a .htaccess file instead.
Using .htaccess files is less efficient and doesn't give you as much control when it comes to fancy setups with multiple domains but they are powerful enough to set up most short url configurations.
LiteSpeed users should use the .htaccess method.
Use the instructions in one of the following two sections, depending on whether you have root access or need to use .htaccess instead.
