I have just completed a :

404 redirect handler component for Artio JoomSEF.

I've been successfully using it on my site so I thought I'd package it to share with others.

Features (in order of processing):

1. Automatically strip -2.html, -3.html, -5.php etc.. from erroneous URL and redirect to root URL.
2. Redirect erroneous section/category/2.html, .../3.php etc... URLs to default index page
3. Extract title from URL then automatically search and redirect to content item.
4. Automatic redirect to search results

The component keeps a running log of all 404 redirects and searches. The log is downloadable as an excel spreadsheet.

While it's not perfect, it's certainly better than nothing and it catches about 95% of the 404 errors on my site and redirects them correctly or gives a search results page. It is safe to use because it only processes and handles URLs that have raised a page not found 404 error. It only creates 1 new table (404 log) and no core files are ever modified. It is also interesting to see the log of pages that cause 404s etc..

This component REQUIRES the free plugin RD AddPHP to allow PHP code to be added to Artio SEFs default 404 page. Details on the download page at:

m-net.net.nz/index.php?option=com_conten...view&id=1304

Demo : m-net.net.nz/


It is a first release, any feedback appreciated.

If this component helps you out, please say thanks by giving it a rating at:
extensions.joomla.org/component/option,com_mtree/
task,viewlink/link_id,1519/Itemid,35/

Thanks!

Post edited by: davidwhthomas, at: 2006/12/29 07:16<br><br>Post edited by: michal, at: 2007/01/25 11:10

Great component!
Indeed reduced significantly those ugly -2.html's, so please, keep up the development!
Some problems still around:
1. If you opt for the category pages to be displayed as http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/
aka withouth the index.html or index.php at the end, ArtioSEF still produces links as
http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/2.html
2. The component also has problem with URL's of multipage items, ones with {mospagebreaks} in the content. The main url, wich is supposed to be also withouth -2.html thing is again generated wrongly, at least the derivated ones, the subpage URL's are relatively good ones.
Example here: www.webgobe.ro/internet/netikett-5.html
But, again :WOW, I'm excited!

Hi Szekely, thanks for the feedback :D

If you don't mind, could you clarify some of your comments? I'd like to take your suggestions into consideration for the next version.

specifically you said:


1. If you opt for the category pages to be displayed as http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/

aka withouth the index.html or index.php at the end, ArtioSEF still produces links as

http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/2.html

I had the same problem on my site and I've made such URLs redirect to :

http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/index.html

Do you think that would be ideal for such links? or perhaps to:

http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/

Secondly:

The component also has problem with URL's of multipage items, ones with {mospagebreaks} in the content. The main url, wich is supposed to be also withouth -2.html thing is again generated wrongly, at least the derivated ones, the subpage URL's are relatively good ones.

Which component are you refering to? Artio or 404_redirect? What do you think would be a better solution?

If you can give me some more feedback, it would be appreciated.

thanks again, it's always encouraging to get positive feedback.

kind regards,

DT<br><br>Post edited by: davidwhthomas, at: 2006/12/19 07:34

Hmm, depends on your site's original settings and your history in Google. I have a PR6 site with more, than 7500 individual URL's, where the http://{sitename}/ page has PR6, and http://{sitename}/index.html and http://{sitename}/index.php have PR0 - and these are pointing to the same page, as you know!
So, the original option in ArtioSEF, that you can choose wich one of these to be shown, should be preserved, I think. So if ArtioSEF is set to shown default index file to be shown as index.html, then these 2.html's should be converted to index.html, of course. But if this parameter is set to none, aka to shown these kind of URL's as http://{siteurl}/{section}/{category}/ withouth the trailing index.html, then these 2.html's also need to be converted to such URL's.
The Google PageRank is a hardly earned extra value of a site ;) so worth an effort to keep it!
Unfortunately from Google's point of view these variant's aren't equal :(

As for the second one: Artio generates wrongly for the root page something like xxx-5.html for the root of those multipaged items. Your trick handles the subpages well, but does not touch the wrongly generated root url's, and a &quot;shift&quot; is produced, for example if ArtioSEF has generated a link-5.html for the root of the page, then page 2 created with {mospagebreak} will &quot;coorectly&quot; have the address link-6.html.
I'm not sure if it's a wise try to fix it from your component... I thing will be a far complex resulting code here... this one should be fixed in the ArtioSEF. But I'm not quite sure about the best route ;)
Anyway, your component is allready under heavy testing on that PR6 site, so you will have certainly more feedback, as data accumulates!
Thanks again!

Thanks Szekely,

I will work on integrating another URL translation.

Specifically, translating from :

1) http://{site}/{category}/{section}/2.html

to

2) http://{site}/{category}/{section}/

or

3) http://{site}/{category}/{section}/index.html

based on the setting in Artio config.

I assume if you set the 'default index file' in Artio configuration to blank it should use the style of URL #2, otherwise it should append setting (index.html etc... ) as in URL #3

it should be ready tomorrow.

It feels good to develop a component that addresses these issues and avoids the inconvenience of 404 errors for both webmasters and users.

all the best with your site.

DT<br><br>Post edited by: davidwhthomas, at: 2006/12/19 08:33

I'm excited!
Waiting to beta-test the new one too!!