mod rewrite redirects HELP ME PLEASE!

Having trouble protecting a directory.

[phpJoeMo]

So basically what I'm trying to achieve is to protect the following directories:

common
application

I have a central handling script that controls what is seen:

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{IS_SUBREQ} =false [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URL} ^/common.*$
RewriteRule ^common.*$     /common/tech/handler.php?toto=home [L]
RewriteRule ^$ /common/tech/handler.php?toto=home [L,QSA]
RewriteRule ^(register|pricing) /common/tech/handler.php?toto=$1 [L,QSA]
RewriteRule ^app/([^/]*)   /common/tech/handler.php?app=$1 [NC,L]
RewriteRule ^application.*   /common/tech/handler.php?toto=home [L]

any request to application is successfully blocked.
But common as you can tell is getting internal server errors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[g1smd]

Requests for "example.com/common<anything>" results in an infinite rewrite loop as the internal rewritten path re-matches the RewriteRule pattern.

All of your rules invite Duplicate Content due to poor pattern matching, ambiguous end tags, and unchecked parts of the requested path.

For example, requests for

example.com/app/<something>/<any-junk-here>

will be rewritten. The "any-junk-here" part of the request isn't validated. It should be validated OR you should add an end anchor to disallow anything after

example.com/app/<something>

using

app/[^/]+$

or similar. The pattern allows URL requests with an extension to be rewritten. Is that what you want? If not then ] is more appropriate.

Similar problems occur in the other rules.


Lost my web connection during posting. Edited.

[edited by: g1smd at 7:27 pm (utc) on May 26, 2011]

[phpJoeMo]

Thank you.

Isn't the L flag supposed to stop further processing?

Sorry for being such a noob. I'm reading the documentation and trying like mad to comprehend this. Can you elaborate further on my mistakes?

[g1smd]

The [L] flag stops processing if the rule matches, but not before mod_rewrite goes "once more round the file" to make sure there are no further matches.

[phpJoeMo]

Ok, so I've tried to clean things up based on your recommendations:

RewriteCond %{IS_SUBREQ} false
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI}  ^common
RewriteRule ^common / [R=301]
RewriteRule !^(register|pricing|common|app) /common/tech/handler.php?toto=home [L]
RewriteRule ^(register|pricing) /common/tech/handler.php?toto=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^app/([^/]*) /common/tech/handler.php?app=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^application / [R=301]

Everything is working great with the exception of any requests that begin with common.

What am I missing?

When I view mysite.com/common

I am simply taken to an empty page thus:

mysite.com/common/

Please help me g1smd. I'm calling on your powers! :)

[g1smd]

"If not then ] is more appropriate."
should have said
"If not then

[^/.]

is more appropriate."


External redirects need the protocol and domain name added, and use the [R=301,L] flags.

You must list the external redirects before the internal rewrites.

You still have unanchored patterns on your internal rewrites.

[phpJoeMo]

"If not then ] is more appropriate."
should have said
"If not then [^/.] is more appropriate."

I'm sorry g1smd, but which line in my code were your referring to?

[phpJoeMo]

RewriteCond %{IS_SUBREQ} false
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI}   ^common
RewriteRule ^common / [R=301,L]
RewriteRule !^(register|pricing|common|app) /common/tech/handler.php?toto=home [L]
RewriteRule ^(register|pricing) /common/tech/handler.php?toto=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^app/([^/.]*) /common/tech/handler.php?app=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^application / [R=301,L]

Is line 6 what you were referring to?