replacing & ? in URL with / for search engines

Anon

ok, I have been through and through http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/tim20000526.php3?page=4 and still can't get this set up.

this is my .htaccess file:

<Files review>
ForceType application/x-httpd-php
</Files>

and the file 'review' in $DOCUMENT_ROOT is :

<?php

$url_array=explode("/",$REQUEST_URL); //BREAK UP THE URL PATH
$url_tb=$url_array[2]; //Which Country?
$url_cat=$url_array[3]; //Which State?
$url_ID=$url_array[4]; //Cities starting with a-g

if($url_tb AND $url_cat) {
require "./list.php";
}
elseif($url_tb AND $url_ID) {
require"./prod.php";
}
else {
Header( "Location: http://HOMEPAGEURL");
exit;
}
?>

YET I am still not able to replace the & ? in the URL with /'s?

variables passed from the index page are $tb and $cat to list.php and $tb $ID to prod.php FROM list.php.

what am I doing wrong? I can't find anything on $REQUEST_URL or $url_array, are these variables native to PHP or just the script on phpbuilder?

I am trying to make my site 'search friendly' since I pass variables via the URL.

any and ALL help is greatly appreciated.

TIA,
/frank

Anon

$REQUEST_URL is actualy a server environment variable that is recreated by php as a variable for simplicity. Check the PHP documentation under Apache variables.

As for replacing &'s and ?'s with /'s well no wonder it's not replacing them because you're not asking it too, what you are asking it to do is to separate the URL wherever there is a '/', you'd have to ask it to replace &'s and ?'s for it to actualy replace them.

"The cow won't give any milk farmer brown"
"Did you squeeze the nipples on it's udder"
"..."

Anon

you have got a wrong constant name in the PHP file.

it is $REQUEST_URI
NOT $REQUEST_UR(L)

notice the I and L ...
hope this solves the problem

Anon

Heh, I can't believe I didn't notice that when I replied, oh well guess thats what I get for trying to think at 5am <G>

Anon

i did check the documentation, there is nothing listed for $REQUEST_URL... it is $REQUEST_URI

i new my script didn't work before your post, so you told me nothing new. constructive comments? use ereg_replace? I was just following the directions mentioned in the first post, this is new to me.

Anon

thanks, it did!! no wonder my searches for $REQUEST_URL turned up nothing. :-)

thanks,
john