search engine worries - convert to php

[nassoit]

I am working on converting an existing website from .html to .php and I am worried about losing customers through the search engines.

I considered using .htaccess to rewrite all .html urls to .php, but I was told by my host that the Apache version they use doesn't allow the RewriteEngine directive. I have setup a custom 404 page already but I'm concerned that anyone getting this page through a search engine will simply "leave" the site. I suppose I could leave the original html pages on the site and change all the links to the newer php files, but at some point the html files ought to be removed. Besides, the site is over 1800 pages, so doing this is a large hassle.

Has anyone converted an existing site and have any tips for a smooth transition?

[sarah]

There really shouldn't be any reason you couldn't add the mime type. If you have a custom error page, then you must either have access to your apache configuration file or you can create an .htaccess file. Or...I guess your host might have a tool that allows you to create the custom error page, but then there would still be an .htaccess file in the directory. I think there was a misunderstanding on your host's part.

Just create or modify your .htaccess file to include this line...

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html

[sarah]

On a side note...I've read the .htaccess files slow things down a bit, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Also, I've heard rumors that the following will make it so that you can run PHP scripts on normal pages, but it has never worked for me...

<script language="php">
echo("Hello World");
</script>

[nassoit]

My intention was to use .htaccess to rewrite all urls with an extension of .html to .php, not to parse .html as php. In other words, I've inserted my php tags into my existing html files and renamed them with the .php extension. My desire is to automatically direct users who are looking for the original html files to the new php files.

Is this possible? I thought that the Apache RewriteEngine directive would accomplish this, but I may be entirely wrong.

I suppose I could change the extensions back to .html and use your suggestion to parse them all as php, but I have other html files on the site that don't contain any php tags and don't need to be parsed as php.

[sarah]

During a similar situation, I tried to create a script on my custom 404 error page to take the url that they were trying to go to, replace the .html with .php and go to the new page. Unfortunately, the fact that it went to a 404 page messed with getting the page they were intending to go to. If anyone has any ideas on how to get around this issue, it just might offer a nice alternative to this common problem...

[stolzyboy]

sarah your

<script language="php">
echo("Hello World");
</script>

does work, but it still has to be a php page, and as far the other problem, sarah is right, use the mime type to parse the .html as .php, this will solve everything and will not create problems with your .html files that don't have any php

hope that helps