Change the URL displayed

How to bluf the browser into displaying a different URL

[Henry_VIII]

Can someone please let me know if there is HTML code that will force a browser to display a different URL in the Address bar. I have been told it is possible, but have not been able to find out how.

I know that using IP addresses and DNS servers it is possible, but I don't want to do it that way.

Thanks

[joshie76]

Hi Henry_VIII - welcome to WebmasterWorld

Erm, firstly if I did know a way of doing this I wouldn't tell... No offence, but the potential for fraud is enormous and frightening, particularly where inexperienced web users are concerned.

Example: I could knock up a page that looked just like 'PayPal' or a bank and put it on my domain then pretend it's their site, "enter your credit card details"

For this very reason I'm pretty sure it's not possible.

I've seen one rather rudimentary way of making it look slightly like the URL is differenct, but I'm not sharing, sorry!

[edited by: joshie76 at 2:30 pm (utc) on Aug. 2, 2002]

[Gene]

This is probably not a satisfactory solution, but just a thought...

When using frames (arrgh!) the URL displayed is always that of the frameset HTML file. You can click a million different pages once inside the frameset, but the URL will not change.

--Gene

P.S. I wrote my message before seeing Joshie's Post, so now I'm wondering if I should have kept my mouth shut. But since my suggestion still displays the "true" site's URL, it couldn't be used for any harm. Besides, it's an already well known fact about Frames.

[edited by: Gene at 3:08 pm (utc) on Aug. 2, 2002]

[papabaer]

Hello Henry_VIII, welcome to Webmaster World

I'm curious: why would you wish to "spoof" or obfuscate an url?

[rewboss]

The frameset solution is the only one: it's what's sometimes grandly referred to as "domain cloaking" or "domain parking". You use it if you have registered a really cool domain name but can't afford to have it hosted properly: the company who registered the domain name for you might host one or two pages for you for free.

[Henry_VIII]

Papabaer

This is on a company Intranet. The server is named in the boring tradition of unimaginative company server names. On the Intranet we would like a slightly more meaningful and professional name to display, for example hum... [Intranet...] (wow, what a brilliant name!)

I can see the dangers of fraud etc so am beginning to think I have been fed rubbish info about the possibility of doing this. Oh well, thanks for the comments

Henry

[joshie76]

Gene & Rewboss are right, the frameset bodge isn't a fix because you must have some permissions on the domain that shows in order to get the frameset to point to your real domain. That wasn't what I had in mind though.

[joshie76]

I'd just missed your post Henry. If it's an Intranet then it shouldn't be too much trouble to get the network guys to add another DNS entry for your domain.

I can't see it working any other way, otherwise how would I get to your site using the address bar?

[papabaer]

Henry, joshie76 is correct, since you are on an Intranet, your server person can make the changes... providing you can bribe him (or her!) with a King Size Snicker Bar and a bag of Cheetos!

You might also have to acknowledge their superiority... It gets lonely monitoring network status all day: egos become frayed. ;)

As you have already guessed, there can be major security, as well as ethical implications involved if Internet urls are spoofed. On an Intranet, it is simply a matter of implementing a network friendly naming scheme.

Best of luck!
And don't forget the Cheetos!