Always redirect certain url paths to index.php

[neophyte]

Hello All -

In a previous project I kept all back-end files/functionality within a separate directory inside the root directory. So, if someone typed www.sitename.com/private/ they would be served the index.php file within the private directory. No problem.

Now I'm experimenting with the possibility of getting rid of the "private" directory - and all sub directories with it - so that when someone enters www.sitename.com/private/ only the index.php file within the ROOT directory will be called - index.php in the ROOT directory will now handle all "private" requests.

Anyway, I've tried the following in my .htaccess file (on my local dev environment):

Redirect /private/ index.php

but I keep getting server error 500 messages.

Anyone have an idea on how I can get this to work?

[g1smd]

Do want the user to continue to see the exact same URL they requested, or do you want their browser to be told to make a new request for the root URL?

The answer decides whether to use a Rewrite or a Redirect, however both are going to be coded using a RewriteRule with appropriate flags.

[neophyte]

Hello g1smd -

Yes, ideally the url that the user requests will stay the same (e.g. www.sitename.com/private/) however, instead of the request triggering index.php WITHIN the /private/ directory (which no longer exists) the request will simply trigger the index.php file inside the site root.

Appreciate your question and looking forward to your answer!

Neophyte