change URL

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:05 am

Hello.

For decades, my forum has been in a subdirectory. The website domain root had a landing page, and you clicked the forum link to visit the phpBB forum.

http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2/viewtopi ... 2&p=100923
etc.

I want to get rid of the landing page, because the forum is the main feature. I want
http://astrosafarivans.org
to go straight to the phpBB forum

One way to do this is to simply move all the files to root. Another way, presumably, is to set up some Apache redirection rules.

The thing is, there's probably hundreds of links to forum topics out there on the internet, and I don't want to break them if possible, or at least it would be nice if they resolved to the new URL.

What is the best way to accomplish this please. Thanks in advance.

janus_zonstraal · Post by **janus_zonstraal** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:16 am

What is the best way to accomplish this please.

The best way is, Don't do it.
Google will not like it.

warmweer · Post by **warmweer** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:29 am

timelessbeing wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:05 am
Hello.

For decades, my forum has been in a subdirectory. The website domain root had a landing page, and you clicked the forum link to visit the phpBB forum.

http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2/viewtopi ... 2&p=100923
etc.

I want to get rid of the landing page, because the forum is the main feature. I want
http://astrosafarivans.org
to go straight to the phpBB forum

A quick, simple but slightly dirty solution is to use an auto redirect using an index.html in http://astrosafarivans.org/

Code: Select all

<html>
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" CONTENT="0; URL=http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2">
<title>My Forum</title>
</head>
</html>

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:26 pm

janus_zonstraal wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:16 am

What is the best way to accomplish this please.
The best way is, Don't do it.
Google will not like it.

That's ok. I think Google can forgive me.

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:34 pm

warmweer wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:29 am

A quick, simple but slightly dirty solution is to use an auto redirect using an index.html in http://astrosafarivans.org/
Code: Select all
<html>
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" CONTENT="0; URL=http://astrosafarivans.org/bb2">
<title>My Forum</title>
</head>
</html>

that looks like it sends people from the domain root to the sub directory that I want to eliminate. Seems completely unrelated to my question.

janus_zonstraal · Post by **janus_zonstraal** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:59 pm

That's ok. I think Google can forgive me.

But it will takes months maybe longer, think twice before you do it

warmweer · Post by **warmweer** » Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:05 pm

timelessbeing wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:34 pm
that looks like it sends people from the domain root to the sub directory that I want to eliminate. Seems completely unrelated to my question.

That depends:
If you want the board directly in your root, it will create difficulties is you want something else in that root (+ the issue with search engine results)
Keeping things separate can avoid a lot of problems later.
Alternatively you could make a subdomain forum.astrosafarivans.org pointing to astrosafarivans.org/bb2.
Anyway: the decision is yours.

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:06 am

I had already made my decision when I posted this. There will never be anything else at the domain root. I was simple asking for options.

I was hoping there are some fancy mod rewrite rules I can use so that the files can stay in a subdirectory, but the subdir doesn't appear in the URL to a visitor. I've seen it done with other software.

a subdomain would just moves words from one place to another.

The stupid documentation doesn't have a search function and I don't feel like spending my night sifting through it.

warmweer · Post by **warmweer** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:46 am

timelessbeing wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:06 am
I've seen it done with other software.

Which provides the option to ask how the other software does it.

timelessbeing wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:06 am
The stupid documentation doesn't have a search function and I don't feel like spending my night sifting through it.

That stupid documentation is available as a pdf which may, just, perhaps, possibly or so I've heard (granted: it's a rumour) be searchable.

janus_zonstraal · Post by **janus_zonstraal** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:24 pm

I had already made my decision when I posted this.

And we only warning you that it is not very smart to do it.

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:47 am

janus_zonstraal wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:24 pm

I had already made my decision when I posted this.
And we only warning you that it is not very smart to do it.

Why? Just because of web search results?

timelessbeing · Post by **timelessbeing** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:39 am

warmweer wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:46 am
That stupid documentation is available as a pdf which may, just, perhaps, possibly or so I've heard (granted: it's a rumour) be searchable.

I meant the knowledge base.

janus_zonstraal · Post by **janus_zonstraal** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:19 am

Why? Just because of web search results?

Yes

warmweer · Post by **warmweer** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:27 pm

timelessbeing wrote: ↑
Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:39 am
I meant the knowledge base.

I just googled for a couple of terms to check whether they can be searched in the Knowledge Base and guess what: adding "phpBB" and "Knowledge base" to the search terms produced relevant results.
Granted: it's not a phpBB search system but it actually makes a phpBB search de facto unnecessary.

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