.htaccess and seo-friendly urls - apache

Question

We have an ecommerce site right now that carries a range of brands. The brand pages carry urls as follows:
http://www.<DOMAIN>.com/catalog/brand/view?id=2
We need to utilize more friendly (seo-friendly) urls such as:
http://www.<DOMAIN>.com/<BRAND>
but such that it would resolve #1 above.
Is this done in .htaccess files in the root? If so, what is the correct way to go about this?
Keep in mind URL#1 is the legitimate address, but we want to utilize the URL#2 format for linking. It's not a 301 type redirect is it? That's more "permanent" unless I misunderstood it or something, no?
Many thanks.

Answer 1

The apache feature you are looking for is called mod_rewrite. You should be able to google and find good resources for help here.
The basic idea is you'll specify a regular expression matching and then a replacement pattern. You can set it to do a 301 redirect, but the default is to not redirect the user, just access the re-written url.
Here's an example:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule (.*) index.php
The RewriteRule says to rewrite any matching url(.*) to index.php. This is not particularly useful for most files. I'm sure you'll have plenty of examples as this is a common problem.

Answer 2

Unless you think the brand names are likely to change then you want to do 2 rewrites, one as a redirect and one internal:
RewriteRule ^catalog/brand/view?id=2 /<BRAND> [R=301,L]
RewriteRule ^<BRAND> /catalog/brand/view?id=2
This means that browsers / spiders will always see the nice URLs while your application will see the real ones.

Answer 3

You can do it by adding a .htaccess on the index or doing the configuration in the httpd.conf.
Here you have a tool that can help you. What you need is an inflector
I hope this helps you.. you will need make few modifications... :P
define('SEO_HOST', "http://www.example.com");
define('SEO_ITEM_PATTERN', SEO_HOST . '/%s-prod-%s');
define('SEO_CATEGORY_PATTERN', SEO_HOST . '/%s-cat-%s');
define('SEO_COMBO_PATTERN', SEO_HOST . '/%s-combo-%s');
class Seo {
function seems_utf8($Str) { # by bmorel at ssi dot fr
$length = strlen($Str);
for ($i=0; $i < $length; $i++) {
if (ord($Str[$i]) < 0x80) continue; # 0bbbbbbb
elseif ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xE0) == 0xC0) $n=1; # 110bbbbb
elseif ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xF0) == 0xE0) $n=2; # 1110bbbb
elseif ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xF8) == 0xF0) $n=3; # 11110bbb
elseif ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xFC) == 0xF8) $n=4; # 111110bb
elseif ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xFE) == 0xFC) $n=5; # 1111110b
else return false; # Does not match any model
for ($j=0; $j<$n; $j++) { # n bytes matching 10bbbbbb follow ?
if ((++$i == $length) || ((ord($Str[$i]) & 0xC0) != 0x80))
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
function get_beauty_url_string($string) {
if ( !preg_match('/[\x80-\xff]/', $string) )
return self::replace_no_alpha_chars($string);
if (self::seems_utf8($string)) {
$chars = array(
// Decompositions for Latin-1 Supplement
chr(195).chr(128) => 'A', chr(195).chr(129) => 'A',
chr(195).chr(130) => 'A', chr(195).chr(131) => 'A',
chr(195).chr(132) => 'A', chr(195).chr(133) => 'A',
chr(195).chr(135) => 'C', chr(195).chr(136) => 'E',
chr(195).chr(137) => 'E', chr(195).chr(138) => 'E',
chr(195).chr(139) => 'E', chr(195).chr(140) => 'I',
chr(195).chr(141) => 'I', chr(195).chr(142) => 'I',
chr(195).chr(143) => 'I', chr(195).chr(145) => 'N',
chr(195).chr(146) => 'O', chr(195).chr(147) => 'O',
chr(195).chr(148) => 'O', chr(195).chr(149) => 'O',
chr(195).chr(150) => 'O', chr(195).chr(153) => 'U',
chr(195).chr(154) => 'U', chr(195).chr(155) => 'U',
chr(195).chr(156) => 'U', chr(195).chr(157) => 'Y',
chr(195).chr(159) => 's', chr(195).chr(160) => 'a',
chr(195).chr(161) => 'a', chr(195).chr(162) => 'a',
chr(195).chr(163) => 'a', chr(195).chr(164) => 'a',
chr(195).chr(165) => 'a', chr(195).chr(167) => 'c',
chr(195).chr(168) => 'e', chr(195).chr(169) => 'e',
chr(195).chr(170) => 'e', chr(195).chr(171) => 'e',
chr(195).chr(172) => 'i', chr(195).chr(173) => 'i',
chr(195).chr(174) => 'i', chr(195).chr(175) => 'i',
chr(195).chr(177) => 'n', chr(195).chr(178) => 'o',
chr(195).chr(179) => 'o', chr(195).chr(180) => 'o',
chr(195).chr(181) => 'o', chr(195).chr(182) => 'o',
chr(195).chr(182) => 'o', chr(195).chr(185) => 'u',
chr(195).chr(186) => 'u', chr(195).chr(187) => 'u',
chr(195).chr(188) => 'u', chr(195).chr(189) => 'y',
chr(195).chr(191) => 'y',
// Decompositions for Latin Extended-A
chr(196).chr(128) => 'A', chr(196).chr(129) => 'a',
chr(196).chr(130) => 'A', chr(196).chr(131) => 'a',
chr(196).chr(132) => 'A', chr(196).chr(133) => 'a',
chr(196).chr(134) => 'C', chr(196).chr(135) => 'c',
chr(196).chr(136) => 'C', chr(196).chr(137) => 'c',
chr(196).chr(138) => 'C', chr(196).chr(139) => 'c',
chr(196).chr(140) => 'C', chr(196).chr(141) => 'c',
chr(196).chr(142) => 'D', chr(196).chr(143) => 'd',
chr(196).chr(144) => 'D', chr(196).chr(145) => 'd',
chr(196).chr(146) => 'E', chr(196).chr(147) => 'e',
chr(196).chr(148) => 'E', chr(196).chr(149) => 'e',
chr(196).chr(150) => 'E', chr(196).chr(151) => 'e',
chr(196).chr(152) => 'E', chr(196).chr(153) => 'e',
chr(196).chr(154) => 'E', chr(196).chr(155) => 'e',
chr(196).chr(156) => 'G', chr(196).chr(157) => 'g',
chr(196).chr(158) => 'G', chr(196).chr(159) => 'g',
chr(196).chr(160) => 'G', chr(196).chr(161) => 'g',
chr(196).chr(162) => 'G', chr(196).chr(163) => 'g',
chr(196).chr(164) => 'H', chr(196).chr(165) => 'h',
chr(196).chr(166) => 'H', chr(196).chr(167) => 'h',
chr(196).chr(168) => 'I', chr(196).chr(169) => 'i',
chr(196).chr(170) => 'I', chr(196).chr(171) => 'i',
chr(196).chr(172) => 'I', chr(196).chr(173) => 'i',
chr(196).chr(174) => 'I', chr(196).chr(175) => 'i',
chr(196).chr(176) => 'I', chr(196).chr(177) => 'i',
chr(196).chr(178) => 'IJ',chr(196).chr(179) => 'ij',
chr(196).chr(180) => 'J', chr(196).chr(181) => 'j',
chr(196).chr(182) => 'K', chr(196).chr(183) => 'k',
chr(196).chr(184) => 'k', chr(196).chr(185) => 'L',
chr(196).chr(186) => 'l', chr(196).chr(187) => 'L',
chr(196).chr(188) => 'l', chr(196).chr(189) => 'L',
chr(196).chr(190) => 'l', chr(196).chr(191) => 'L',
chr(197).chr(128) => 'l', chr(197).chr(129) => 'L',
chr(197).chr(130) => 'l', chr(197).chr(131) => 'N',
chr(197).chr(132) => 'n', chr(197).chr(133) => 'N',
chr(197).chr(134) => 'n', chr(197).chr(135) => 'N',
chr(197).chr(136) => 'n', chr(197).chr(137) => 'N',
chr(197).chr(138) => 'n', chr(197).chr(139) => 'N',
chr(197).chr(140) => 'O', chr(197).chr(141) => 'o',
chr(197).chr(142) => 'O', chr(197).chr(143) => 'o',
chr(197).chr(144) => 'O', chr(197).chr(145) => 'o',
chr(197).chr(146) => 'OE',chr(197).chr(147) => 'oe',
chr(197).chr(148) => 'R',chr(197).chr(149) => 'r',
chr(197).chr(150) => 'R',chr(197).chr(151) => 'r',
chr(197).chr(152) => 'R',chr(197).chr(153) => 'r',
chr(197).chr(154) => 'S',chr(197).chr(155) => 's',
chr(197).chr(156) => 'S',chr(197).chr(157) => 's',
chr(197).chr(158) => 'S',chr(197).chr(159) => 's',
chr(197).chr(160) => 'S', chr(197).chr(161) => 's',
chr(197).chr(162) => 'T', chr(197).chr(163) => 't',
chr(197).chr(164) => 'T', chr(197).chr(165) => 't',
chr(197).chr(166) => 'T', chr(197).chr(167) => 't',
chr(197).chr(168) => 'U', chr(197).chr(169) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(170) => 'U', chr(197).chr(171) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(172) => 'U', chr(197).chr(173) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(174) => 'U', chr(197).chr(175) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(176) => 'U', chr(197).chr(177) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(178) => 'U', chr(197).chr(179) => 'u',
chr(197).chr(180) => 'W', chr(197).chr(181) => 'w',
chr(197).chr(182) => 'Y', chr(197).chr(183) => 'y',
chr(197).chr(184) => 'Y', chr(197).chr(185) => 'Z',
chr(197).chr(186) => 'z', chr(197).chr(187) => 'Z',
chr(197).chr(188) => 'z', chr(197).chr(189) => 'Z',
chr(197).chr(190) => 'z', chr(197).chr(191) => 's',
// Euro Sign
chr(226).chr(130).chr(172) => 'E',
// GBP (Pound) Sign
chr(194).chr(163) => '');
$string = strtr($string, $chars);
} else {
// Assume ISO-8859-1 if not UTF-8
$chars['in'] = chr(128).chr(131).chr(138).chr(142).chr(154).chr(158)
.chr(159).chr(162).chr(165).chr(181).chr(192).chr(193).chr(194)
.chr(195).chr(196).chr(197).chr(199).chr(200).chr(201).chr(202)
.chr(203).chr(204).chr(205).chr(206).chr(207).chr(209).chr(210)
.chr(211).chr(212).chr(213).chr(214).chr(216).chr(217).chr(218)
.chr(219).chr(220).chr(221).chr(224).chr(225).chr(226).chr(227)
.chr(228).chr(229).chr(231).chr(232).chr(233).chr(234).chr(235)
.chr(236).chr(237).chr(238).chr(239).chr(241).chr(242).chr(243)
.chr(244).chr(245).chr(246).chr(248).chr(249).chr(250).chr(251)
.chr(252).chr(253).chr(255);
$chars['out'] = "EfSZszYcYuAAAAAACEEEEIIIINOOOOOOUUUUYaaaaaaceeeeiiiinoooooouuuuyy";
$string = strtr($string, $chars['in'], $chars['out']);
$double_chars['in'] = array(chr(140), chr(156), chr(198), chr(208), chr(222), chr(223), chr(230), chr(240), chr(254));
$double_chars['out'] = array('OE', 'oe', 'AE', 'DH', 'TH', 'ss', 'ae', 'dh', 'th');
$string = str_replace($double_chars['in'], $double_chars['out'], $string);
}
return self::replace_no_alpha_chars($string);
}
function replace_no_alpha_chars($url) {
$url = strtolower(ereg_replace("[^a-zA-Z0-9]","-",trim($url)));
// Saca los guiones repetidos
$url = strtolower(ereg_replace('-+','-',($url)));
// Saca el último guión en caso de que termine con uno
if ($url[strlen($url)-1] == '-') $url = substr($url, 0, strlen($url)-1);
return $url;
}
function get_item_url($title, $id, $category = '') {
$beauty_category = $beauty_title = '';
$beauty_title = self::get_beauty_url_string($title);
if (strlen($category))
$beauty_category = self::get_beauty_url_string($category);
$url = sprintf(SEO_ITEM_PATTERN, (strlen($beauty_category) ? "{$beauty_category}/" : "") . $beauty_title, $id);
return $url;
}
function get_category_url($title, $id) {
$beauty_title = self::get_beauty_url_string($title);
$url = sprintf(SEO_CATEGORY_PATTERN,$beauty_title, $id);
return $url;
}
function get_combo_url($title, $id) {
$beauty_title = self::get_beauty_url_string($title);
$url = sprintf(SEO_COMBO_PATTERN,$beauty_title, $id);
return $url;
}
}
You can use it like this:
<a ref="<?= Seo::get_category_url("my super category",10)?>">My super category</a>
You will get: http://www.example.com/my-super-category-cat-10
And my .htaccess of course:
RewriteRule ^(.*)-cat-([0-9]+)$ /simple/index.php?categoria_id=$2&estado=mostrar_categoria [L,QSA]
RewriteRule ^(.*)-combo-([0-9]+)$ /simple/index.php?producto_id=$2&estado=mostrar_combo [L,QSA]
RewriteRule ^(.*)-prod-([0-9]+)$ /simple/index.php?producto_id=$2&estado=mostrar_producto [L,QSA]