Mod Rewrite

Preventing the server from hiding files

[Jeremy_H]

I've just switched form shared hosting to a VPS, and it's really cool!

The only problem I've been having is the new server hides my .htaccess files from me, once I've uploaded them. My old server did not.

I contacted support, and they said that I can prevent the server from hiding my .htaccess files through Mod Rewrite.

Is this the same file as the .htaccess? The reason I'm thinking this is because the .htaccess talks about the rewrite being on.

Am I in the right file, or completely lost?

Thanks

[jdMorgan]

Are you referring to 'hiding' the file when you use FTP to view the files and directories, or are you referring to hiding it when you view the site's directories using HTTP?

If viewing via HTTP, it's a good idea to hide .htaccess, .htpasswd, and other sensitive files for security reasons.

If you're referring to FTP, then that's different. Most FTP clients have an option setting to configure the directory-listing command. The default on a unix box is often just "ls". In order to see hidden files, I prefer to use "ls -al". Look in your FTP client menus for an option to configure this.

Jim

[Jeremy_H]

Thanks Jim for coming to the rescue once again!

Sorry for my vague initial response, I’m referring to the FTP view. I can definitely see how public HTTP viewing of these files can cause a problem!

So it’s a matter of the FTP client, not some mod rewrite on the server?

For maximum versatility around campus, I’m using the built in FTP client in Internet Explorer/Windows XP. I use that because I can just log onto any computer around campus, and pull my files for editing them, and then uploading any changes.

Unfortunately, since I can’t get the .htaccess files, I can’t change them as need be to make corrections. :(

[jdMorgan]

Well, you can fix it in a typical FTP client as noted above, or you can fix it on the server, either in the FTP server config or possibly in the config files for your *nix account.

Or, you could carry around a copy of a standard FTP client or a copy of your .htaccess file on a Flash memory stick.

Jim

[Jeremy_H]

Right now I think I’ll just upload a htaccess.txt file on my server, and refer to that whenever I make a change.

I’ll definitely want to fix it on the server side later on, but it seems like I’ll need to gain some more experience with my server first.

Thanks again.