Скачать или смотреть Solve 404 Errors by Accessing .html Files Without the Suffix Using .htaccess

Learn how to configure your `.htaccess` file to access HTML files directly without typing the `.html` suffix, improving user experience and reducing errors.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68393494/ asked by the user 'Doku-Blog' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/16455047/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68394813/ provided by the user 'Amit Verma' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3160747/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Access HTML Files Without the .html Suffix: A Complete Guide

When developing a website, one common issue that arises is the inconvenience of needing to include the file extension when accessing your HTML files. For instance, instead of simply typing domain.com/xy, users have to input domain.com/xy.html. This not only leads to a less efficient user experience but can also result in frustrating 404 errors if they forget the extension.

In this guide, we will discuss how to modify your .htaccess file so that your .html files can be accessed without needing to type the .html suffix. Let's dive into the problem, the solution, and how to implement it step by step.

Understanding the Problem

You have HTML files hosted on your webspace, like XY.html, and you want to enable access to them without requiring users to type the .html extension. When users attempt to access domain.com/xy, they currently receive a 404 error because the server cannot find a file with that name.

Required Configuration Using .htaccess

To solve this issue, we will make some changes to your existing .htaccess configuration file. A .htaccess file is a powerful tool used on Apache servers to control web server configurations for a specific directory. Here’s the adjusted configuration that can help you eliminate the .html suffix requirement.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open Your .htaccess File: Access your webspace and locate your existing .htaccess file. If you do not already have one, you can create a new file with the name .htaccess in your web root directory.

Update Your .htaccess File: Replace your current .htaccess contents with the following code snippet:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

RewriteEngine On: This line enables the Apache mod_rewrite module, allowing us to rewrite URLs as specified in the rules that follow.

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.html -f: This condition checks if the requested file, in this case, REQUEST_FILENAME.html, exists on the server.

RewriteRule ^([^./]+ )/?$ $1.html [L]: If the file exists, this rule rewrites the URL. For example, if a user types domain.com/xy, the server will internally redirect this request to XY.html.

RewriteCond & RewriteRule for non-existent requests: The last two lines ensure that if the requested filename does not exist, the server will route the request to index.php, maintaining the functionality of your website.

Final Steps

Test Your Configuration: After updating the .htaccess file, navigate to domain.com/xy in your browser and confirm that it successfully loads the content of XY.html without throwing a 404 error.

Troubleshooting: If you encounter issues, ensure that mod_rewrite is enabled on your server and check for syntax errors in your .htaccess file.

Conclusion

By configuring your .htaccess file correctly, you can enhance your users' experience by allowing access to HTML files without requiring the extension. This small change can result in fewer 404 errors and a cleaner URL structure. Implement the steps outlined above, and enjoy a more seamless interaction with your website!