410 directory and contents

How?

[Lorel]

I had a directory I removed and set up a 410 (gone) for the directory, however. Google webmaster tools is still picking up the files that used to be in that directory. Can someone tell me how to write htaccess so both the directory and the files it contained will result in a 410? I've searched the Internet and can't find it. Here is what I have currently

RewriteRule ^olddirectory/ - [G]

[jdMorgan]

Assuming that you have other working rewriterules in your .htaccess file, and therefore, that mod_rewrite is enabled and working, that those other rules don't interfere with this one, and that this .htaccess file is located in the directory which is the parent of /olddirectory, then your code is correct and should work -- given time.

Note that GWT does not currently distinguish between 410-Gone and 404-Not Found, and will continue to show these old URLs as errors as long as it continues to find links to them. After that, it will eventually drop them, but this might take several years, according to some reports.

Jim

[Lorel]

Ahhh. GWT seeing them as 404s makes sense as I checked the contents of those files when I set them up and they returned a 410. I deleted those files 3-4 years ago however.

Thanks Jim.