URLS like: index.php?page=page1 ???

mburt · #1 10-19-2006, 04:28 PM

I have links on my page, but instead of linking to pages like:

Code:

<a href="guestbook.php">Guestbook</a>

I would like to have

Code:

<a href="?page=1">Guestbook</a>

How can I do this?

mwinter · #2 10-19-2006, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mburt

... instead of linking to pages like:

Code:

<a href="guestbook.php">Guestbook</a>

I would like to have

Code:

<a href="?page=1">Guestbook</a>

How can I do this?

Uh, why would you want to do that? URLs should be transcribable and easy to remember. Ideally, the query string should be used only to modify details about a particular document, not choose the document itself.

Jakob Nielsen has a few guidelines regarding URIs and their importance as a UI feature, sentiments that are echoed elsewhere.

What exactly makes you think this will be a good idea, either for visitors or yourself?

Mike

mburt · #3 10-19-2006, 05:00 PM

It leaves off the extension, possibly making it easier to navigate.

mburt · #4 10-19-2006, 05:03 PM

So how could I do this?

mwinter · #5 10-19-2006, 05:19 PM

So then why don't you aim for URIs like:

http://www.example.com/guestbook

Still no "extension", but no unnecessary query string silliness.

I've discussed how to implement extension-less URIs in the past - you even participated in one thread.

Mike

mburt · #6 10-19-2006, 05:23 PM

I've read that post, I couldn't understand it.

Code:

So then why don't you aim for URIs like:

  http://www.example.com/guestbook

I would... but I don't know how. What's a URI?

costas · #7 10-19-2006, 08:05 PM

If I understood well, you want to use links that have that "?" in the end, like "<a href="login.php?user=username">Login</a>". Well, here's an example:

index.html

Code:

<?
$user = $_POST[user];
if(user != NULL)
{
header("Location: members.php?user=$user");
}
?>
....
<body>
<form action="<? echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>" method="post">
Username: <input type="text" name="user">
<br><br><input type="submit" value="Login">
</form>
</body>

members.php

Code:

<?
$user = $_GET[user];  // you MUST use the "get" method
if($user == "costas")  // then verify it
echo "Welcome oh COSTAS!!";
else
echo "You are an unauthorized User!";
?>

This is a very simple example, but I hope you understand how it works. If you want a bit bigger and more complex example, I could give you one I've made!!

Hope I helped!!!

Twey · #8 10-19-2006, 08:15 PM

The easiest way to do this is to construct a query-string mechanism as you describe here, then use mod_rewrite or equivalent to map /guestbook to /?page=1.

mburt · #9 10-19-2006, 10:22 PM

Okay.. I think I get it now. Thanks Mwinter, Twey, and costas. PHP is awesome...

djr33 · #10 10-19-2006, 10:49 PM

You could, if you're just looking for a nice feel to the url, use page.php?guestbook

Then split the string of the url to work.

PHP Code:


			
list($addr,$page) = explode($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],"?",2);
//set the two variables equal to the parts of: URI split at ?, limited to 2 chunks.
echo $page;
//that's "guestbook", etc.

This isn't necessarily a great idea, but it might help. If you want simplicity and a single php page as the basis for navigation, could work well.

Note, though, that a major problem is that you can't use GET variables after this. If you wanted to specify something else with the URI, then the & would have to be there, and it would get messy, as that would be in the $page string as well.
You could do some fancy coding, but it would just be a pain.
In that case, you should definitely use ?page=.... instead. It would also make it clearer when making the URLs.
One ?.... value is easy, but after that, using the normal syntax is much clearer.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search