Created September 4, 2001
How to make .php files masquerade as .php3
On evolt.org's thelist it was asked by muinar:
I switched to a new server which has php4 installed instead of the old php3. I renamed all the pages and links to .php (The old version needed the filename ending php3)
Now when a visitor uses an old bookmark which ends with .php3, he will get a 404 error. Is there a way to rewrite or redirect users to the according php page? If this can be done with mod_rewrite in Apache, I'd appreciate any hints.
And the Answer:
How about this - put this in an .htaccess file at your root level directory.
#HOW TO MAKE .php FILES MASQUERADE AS .php3 RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^(.+).php3 $1.php
Now, everytime Apache sees php3, it will make believe that it's really php. This will also propagate to child directories.
It's a very simple solution, though I'm not sure it's the best solution performance-wise. Also, playing with mod_rewrite is always a bit scary, make sure you leave yourself an undo and test it. You can easily make things which break spectacularly.