500 Error with .htaccess

[Rightz]

I was trying to alter the .htaccess so I can use php includes and to redirect mysite.co.uk to www.mysite.co.uk

I copied the entire code I use from one site, changed the web address and put it on my new site.

I isn't working though on the new site.

What am I doing wrong?

AddType text/html .shtml .html 
AddHandler server-parsed .shtml .html 
RewriteEngine on 
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /index\.html\ HTTP/ 
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ http://www.example.co.uk/ [R=301,L]
Options +FollowSymLinks 
RewriteEngine on 
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example.co.uk [NC] 
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.example.co.uk/$1 [L,R=301] 
AddHandler server-parsed .html 
RemoveHandler .html .htm 
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php .htm .html 

[edited by: jdMorgan at 2:10 pm (utc) on Sep. 16, 2007]
[edit reason] example.co.uk [/edit]

[Dilly]

I am a complete newbie at this but I had the same problem when I started with modrewrite this morning. I removed this line from my .htaccess and the 500 error was gone.

Options +FollowSymLinks

No idea if it will work for you but it's worth a try.

[jdMorgan]

Rightz,

You've got two copies of "RewriteEngine on" in there, and the Options statement should go at the top of the rewrite code -- If you need it, and if it's allowed.

Basically, you must have Options +FollowSymLinks or Options +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch set in either your server configuration file or in your .htaccess file. Otherwise, you cannot use mod_rewrite.

However, some hosts will set one of those options for you, but not allow you to change it. So as Dilly observes, you can indeed get an error if you try to change Options but are not allowed by your host to do so.

The mod_rewrite part of your code should look like this:

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
 
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /index\.html\ HTTP/
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ http://www.example.co.uk/ [R=301,L]
 
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example\.co\.uk [NC]
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.example.co.uk/$1 [L,R=301]

and as stated, you might not need or might not be allowed to use the Options directive. There's no way to tell, so you have to test. If you do get an error, then check your raw server error log file -- It will often tell you exactly what is wrong.

Jim

[edited by: jdMorgan at 5:31 pm (utc) on Sep. 15, 2007]

[g1smd]

You also have two AddHandler statements and one RemoveHandler statement.

Those should be rationalised.

[Rightz]

Ok I've tried to just put the following in and it isn't working.

Options +FollowSymLinks 
RewriteEngine on 
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /index\.html\ HTTP/ 
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ http://www.example.co.uk/ [R=301,L] 
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example\.co\.uk [NC] 
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.example.co.uk/$1 [L,R=301] 

I've got various sites with this host and use Options with all the other sites so cant think why the above shouldn't work.

Any clues?

Thanks for your suggestions so far.

[g1smd]

Which bit doesn't work? How doesn't it work?

The index redirect can only support index files in root, not in folders.

[Rightz]

Ok the redirect from non-www to www is working.

Now I just need to work out how to allow php includes!

[edited by: Rightz at 11:14 am (utc) on Sep. 19, 2007]

[g1smd]

Look at the AddType directive if you need to retain .html filenames but have PHP scripts insode them.

[Rightz]

Thank you!

Out of curiousity what are peoples suggestion for keeping .html or having .php pages. I always prefered the look of .html but maybe I am wrong?

[g1smd]

Keep the same URLs when you change technology. A new URL is a new page. You lose all the "age" benefit that the old page had accrued.

I know of a site that uses PHP scripting, but all the URLs end in .asp as the site used to run on ASP scripts some years ago.

[Rightz]

does it matter if it is a brand new site though?

[jdMorgan]

Brand new site, or brand-new domain?

The point is to avoid changing URLs, because it is URLs, not pages and not sites, that have PageRank. If you change the URLs, you throw away lots of inbound links, bookmarks, and loyal visitors who type your URLs from memory... While 301 redirects can recover some of this 'accrued value,' it often takes a long time.

Jim