domain.foo/subdomain/blog/#### -> subdomain.domain.foo/blog/####

mod_rewrite help needed so I don't break things

[compooter]

I have a site that has many little things that may or may not be sensitive to breakage. Here is the scenario, I need help on two fronts (one general and one specific).

[ mod_rewrite ]

(www.)domain.foo/sub/blog/someID# -> sub.domain.foo/blog/someID#

If someone could help with two methods, one that would be subdomain-specific (say if the request were 'sub') and one that would apply site-wide to any subdirectory->subdomain.

jdMorgan, anyone? Thanks!

[jdMorgan]

We've covered this subject previously:

[webmasterworld.com...]

Jim

[compooter]

Hehe, yeah I read that one... but this is actually the /opposite/ of that request. I'll just try searching the forum a little harder. It's gotta be buried in here somewhere. Fuggeddaboutit.

[compooter]

Ah wait - I think everything was there and I just wasn't hearing you correctly. Thanks for the swift kick!

[compooter]

After an hour or two of reading, searching, & testing I haven't been able to come up with a solution to what has got to be a simple problem. Here's the scenario:

Site used to be run at:

h*tp://domain.com/d/

with several subdirectories below that, such as:

h*tp://domain.com/d/photo/
h*tp://domain.com/d/blog/
etc...

Subdomain has since been created & is fully operational at (same subdirectories still apply):

h*tp://d.domain.com/

Since the old links are not dead and Google, Yahoo, etc have a record of the links, I'd like to 301 rewrite every request for h*tp://domain.com/d/foo/bar/ OR h*tp://www.domain.com/d/foo/bar/ (regardless of URI request) and have it elegantly slide the d in front of as a subdomain, thus h*tp://d.domain.com/foo/bar/

I'm sure it's been asked many times before, but since this is not a question about /creating/ a subdomain - just one regarding a R=301, I can't seem to solve it (also because I'm doing this as a favor for a friend and since my host has automatic subdomain resolving, I'm finding it hard to test). Thanks for any help you've got for me.

[gergoe]

The rewriting in this case is pretty simple, but you need to be careful, where you put the htaccess file, and also that you don't create loops with your rule.
I think the most ideal solution is to put the rules in the root of the domain.com domain, and put a RewriteCond before the RewriteRule (which rewrites the domain.com/d/*** requests to d.domain.com/***), which should test the HTTP_HOST variable against the domain.com text. By doing so the rewriting happens only if the hostname equals to domain.com.

Without the RewriteCond you would end up in a dead loop possibly causing some 500 http errors.

Recommended literarure:
URL Rewriting Guide [httpd.apache.org]
mod_rewrite documentation [httpd.apache.org]

[compooter]

Yeah, I've already got that far and have read thru those documents dozens of times now. The problem is not the strategy to take, but the actual implementation.

[jdMorgan]

Please check our forum charter [webmasterworld.com]...

Jim

[compooter]

Ok, I sense your tone. Thanks.

[compooter]

Well, I solved it on my own and I'll just record it here in case anyone needs it in the future.

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?domain\.foo$
Rewriterule ^d/(.*) http://d.domain.foo/$1 [R=301,L]

[jdMorgan]

I suggest you do not end-anchor the hostname, in case someone (or someone's browser or proxy) appends a port number, as in www.domain.foo:80. If this were to happen, an end-anchored pattern would fail.

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?domain\.[b]foo[/b]
RewriteRule ^d/(.*) http://d.domain.foo/$1 [R=301,L]

Jim

[compooter]

Ah thanks for that additional tip, jdmorgan.