Tibs Wilderness

Working around .htaccess, compelte control of the URL.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:21:34 GMT

So for the past little while I was looking for a way to do clean URLs (url.com/articles/something) without resorting to .htaccess redirects for the pages.

I found my every attempt in doing it using .htaccess to result in limited usability often breaking with unexpected input. Experiments on tiberath.com resulted in massive headaches until I eventually gave up on it.

So I gots to thinking of how to do it another way. With a little conferring with Mobius, we decided that PHP is a fairly strong language, and we should have no troubles parsing the URL with it.

Unfortunately for us, this sacrifices a little bit of speed (negligible amounts really, but efficiency nuts will yell at us. Eh, they know exactly where they can go. Given today's computers, the milliseconds it takes to run the following functions aren't worth sacrificing the new freedom I gave myself) but makes up everything in usability.

So I got to work, and with a little regex help from Mobius, came up with a solution I was happy with. Of course, anyone who isn't me will probably find the scripts useless, as I format my URL's far different than most people would normally do.

For the most part, you'll find most URLs formatted something not unlike .com?action=account&page=register where I'm more inclined to run through the alphabet: .com?a=account&b=register only varying from this method with important things like an id number: .com?a=members&b=profile&id=20

With this in mind, I wrote the following PHP script.

function fix_uri($uri, $nockey = false) {
    $new_uri = array();
    $i = 97;
    foreach($uri as $key) {
        if(substr_count($key, "=")) {
            $key = explode("=", $key);
            $new_uri[ckey($key[0])] = $nockey ? $key[1] : ckey($key[1]);
        } else if($key) {
            $new_uri[chr($i)] = $nockey ? $key : ckey($key);
            $i++;
        }
    }
    return $new_uri;
}
    
function ckey($t) { 
    return strtolower(preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9@]/','',$t)); 
}

A quick Google search for the .htaccess code I needed resorted in this .htaccess script:

RewriteEngine on

#Auto-redirect all pages to index.php
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

Effectively, all URL's are redirected to index.php. With exception to files and sub-folders. Which was a major bonus I never actually took into consideration when designing this script (and something that had pained me terrible when attempting it with .htaccess redirects).

Throwing this script in my header.php (hearder.php is called before any output to the website is done, and generally only outputs stuff that are on all pages at the very bottom of the file):

$uri = fix_uri(preg_split('![/|?|&|;|$]!', urldecode($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])));
$uri_a = fix_uri(preg_split('![/|?|&|;|$]!', urldecode($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])), true);

I'm given a clean URL and a complete URL. The resulting executions give me all kinds of crazy URLs to work with, effectively, something like this: http://www.isorath.com/OMG/this/is/A/valid/ url?that=SeEms&to=enJOY?working=properly!!/using/ all&kinds=of?weird=methos;that;I;seem=to/enjoy doing

Of course, a URL would never get that big and ridiculous, but you get the idea behind it. Using my own style of formatting URLs (which is in fact, quite handy for say, me, because I don't actually have to change anything in pre-existing websites (minus tiberath.com, that I did differently)), I'm able to provide incredibly clean URLs at the same time as giving myself absolutely no headaches. And if I was to say update the page and give it another division in the URL, I'd have to change absolutely nothing.

The complete index.php you saw on the link above is simply this:

<?
    function fix_uri($uri, $nockey = false) {
        $new_uri = array();
        $i = 97;
        foreach($uri as $key) {
            if(substr_count($key, "=")) {
                $key = explode("=", $key);
                $new_uri[ckey($key[0])] = $nockey ? $key[1] : ckey($key[1]);
            } else if($key) {
                $new_uri[chr($i)] = $nockey ? $key : ckey($key);
                $i++;
            }
        }
        return $new_uri;
    }
    
    function ckey($t) { 
        return strtolower(preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9@]/','',$t)); 
    }
    
    $uri = fix_uri(preg_split('![/|?|&|;|$]!', urldecode($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])));
    $uri_a = fix_uri(preg_split('![/|?|&|;|$]!', urldecode($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'])), true);
        
    echo("The complete URL is: " . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] . "<br /><br />The clean URL is: <pre>" . print_r($uri, true) . "</pre><br /><br />The direct URL is: <pre>" . print_r($uri_a, true) . "</pre>");
?>

I'm contented with this. The major setback to it I can foresee but haven't yet tested, is it might mess with Search Engine Optimisation (as technically, all pages will report as index.php). Again, I'm not particularly phased. According to my Google Analytics page, the URLs are reporting correctly, so it's possible Search Engine Optimisation will be saved (or improved if you didn't have any kind of clean URL before hand).

That's all there is to it really. Anyone who uses PHP and hates the thought of .htaccess is free to use it and do as they see fit.

Drink Pepsi, annihilate thousands!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:13:53 GMT

So there's this "new" advertisement for Pepsi Max on television lately. I don't know if other countries get it or even if other states do, but it's pretty stupid.

It starts off with a girl and a guy just getting out of bed, clearly after a one night stand. She says she's going for a shower, so he goes into the kitchen and opens the fridge. Insert bottle shot of Pepsi Max.

Queue there's a knock on the door, it's the girls parents. Her being in the shower can't answer it, and given the guys look, they probably suspect she's all innocent. So naturally, he did what every guy does in such a 'difficult' situation. He drinks the Pepsi Max.

Suddenly, a swat team bursts through the window, and begin to tidy the place up. Apparently they have guns that can shoot covers onto and under beds, effectively making it. Why not. So they clean the place.

Cut to the woman getting out of the shower. She walks into her lounge to see the place all cleaned and her male friend on the window with one of the swat team. He makes a "Call Me" sign and they jump out.

The stupid thing is, in the background of that shot, you can see bombs landing on all the surrounding suburb. So they've just cleaned this flat and are now laying waste to the surrounding area. I know carnage makes me want to drink Pepsi Max!

(I'm lying. I'm staying with Coke. And none of that other flavour diet or zero crap.)

Ah! November!

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:18:03 GMT

I have three 21st birthday parties to attend this month (one being my own!). My party on the 14th, a friends party on the 21st and another friends party on the 28th. I foresee my liver hating me.

I should probably forewarn that if I have access to a computer, I'll undoubtedly post something stupid here, I always seem to.

Hm, I'm going to need some cigars!

So I finished Buso Renkin.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:41:11 GMT

So I finally finished Buso Renkin. It's quite an interesting title to say the least. Luckily as the show progressed, the problems I'd mentioned earlier appeared to be less noticeable, still there however.

I actually found myself enjoying this title, which is completely unlike me. Normally crude humour and stupidity turn me away from shows, but that apparently hasn't been the case here. I guess it was executed well enough that it didn't bother me as much as it could have. Could have done without the absurd amount of crotch shots however...

One unfortunate thing about this title however, if it gets a big enough fan base on BYOND, you could probably expect an absurd amount of games based on it. Mostly because there is a limitless potential for it. The Buso Renkin objects themselves are usable by both humans and homunculus alike, and the powers involved can only be limited by ones imagination. Hey, at least it'd be refreshing.

But I'm not here to review the anime (I did that here), just to state that I enjoyed it.

(Speaking of which, I also finished watching Heroic Age the other day. A truly fantastic title! More on that later however.)

It's about time.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:51:30 GMT

For the last few years, I've found myself wanting to drink more coffee than tea, the only problem with this was: I hated the taste of coffee.

Why would someone want to drink something he clearly hates the taste of, you ask? Simple: Efficiency. Coffee is a great source of caffeine, something I've been absorbing into my body, every day, for the past fifteen years. As up until recently, I've been drinking multiple cups of tea every day for the aforementioned fifteen years, averaging from anywhere between 3 to 12 a day (during the particularly bad days the last time I quit smoking, I was going on 20 or more). Aside from tea, I had a 600ml bottle of coke every day for the last three years of my school life.

(I like to think all the milk in the absurd amount of tea I drink is the reason I've never broken or so much as fractured a bone in my life. But I doubt it.)

And after much trials, it's finally happened. You see, the human body is an interesting thing, apparently, you only have to suffer the taste of something you hate so many times before you get used to it, and maybe even begin to enjoy it. Of course, coffee was a foul bitter taste and that couldn't be helped.

So over the past few months, I've been slowly subjecting myself to the taste of various available coffees in the house and just now, I found myself enjoying the taste of one. Hurrah. Many, many sleepless nights to come, working away in my dark corer on various projects.

If you hadn't already told, several times, I'd probably care.

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:06:39 GMT

So I watched the first four episodes of Buso Renkin last night. I figured I might as well give it a try, I have nothing better to do with my time.

Unfortunately, this title has gone to opposite way to Inuyasha. Instead of recapping every episode thus far, they decided to re-explain points that had just been explained, several times, at great length, whether you want them to or not.

I'm fairly sure from the first to forth episode, they only changed every second sentence. You can make a drinking game out of this anime, every time they say "that's the power of (his/my) Buso Renkin", take a shot. Unfortunately, you'd be dead from alcohol poisoning by the third episode.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for filler, but I'd much rather listen to corny anime-themed Japanese music with a bunch of dancing girls every time they need something to bridge gaps. Sure, it has nothing to do with anything that's just happened, but it wouldn't bore me to tears, and is easier to skip without suddenly missing key plot points.

Seriously, I'd prefer this for filler.
(Sexual References... I think)

Yes, I'm also aware the song is Swedish.

Other than that small complaint, it doesn't bother me. The male protagonists inherit stupidity tends to annoy me less than your average comic relief character. Unfortunately, the comic relief character appears to be one of his friends, but I can't be certain only four episodes in. But on the plus side, the females keep referring to him as a pervert, and he's already tried to give the protagonist a porn magazine. This is a bonus.

At the moment, the series can go either way. Once I've either watched it all, or at the very least, as much as I can tolerate, I'll give a better review about it.

I've made a discovery.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:47:45 GMT

A discovery of great importance. The magnitude of this discovery is amazing, I can't honestly believe it myself, but the ultimate truth has been made known: I suck at Guitar Hero 5 (the first Guitar Hero I've ever played).

Though, I will admit, there are some nice songs I've never heard before. Demon(s) by Darkest Hour has become one of my new favourite songs. And another thing that surprised me about it is how much fun the game actually is. I didn't think it'd be very entertaining until I gave it a shot.

I need to focus.

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:36:31 GMT

I've been brainstorming ideas for a recent project I've undertaken with the rest of my team (you'll find nothing on that site mind you, it's just a quick way to inform you which team I'm referring to), all of them are on board and are eager and willing to participate. But I'm suffering a lack of focus.

My problem this time isn't creativity but focus. I have the necessary materials to make my project, the knowledge to polish it, the support to get it done promptly and the team help to fill it with interesting content, but I can't seem to sit here and work on it, no matter how much I want to.

I opened up a code file, and just stared at it for ten minutes. I know I can optimise and improve the already existing code in that file, but I can't bring myself to make the changes. My mind keeps wandering.

The really annoying thing is, I have nothing distracting me. MSN is quiet, I'm not logged into Chatters or IU and my pager hasn't gone off in hours. But I still can't focus on the task at hand. And I'm curious to know why my mind is refusing to allow me to do something it knows I want to do.

I'm not fatigued, I'm well fed, the only thing remotely atmospheric thing that bothers me is that it's a little warm in here, but it's always warm in this room and I'm used to it now.

I also can't find a song I feel like listening to. I get the feeling this is contributing to my lack of focus. When I find the song that catches me in the moment, I tend to work for hours (without changing the song), but without the song, there seems to be no moving forward. I didn't think I'd associated my hobby with music this much, but it apparently appears to be the case. I've been through nearly my entire MP3 collection, but I just can't find one that captures me.

Have you, my precious reader, ever had a time when you've really wanted to work on something, and no matter how much you try, can't seem to focus on the task at hand regardless of the absolute zero distractions? And if that be the case, did you manage to overcome it? If so, how?

I just love you, BYOND. [edit]

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:55:44 GMT

I'd like to give a shout out to both Dark Campainger for the recently purchased version of Left 4 Dead he gave me. <3

And one to Gotrax for a $10.00 USD donation to my server.

[edit 02.10.2009]
Fanciful and Calus CoRPS both get a shout out as well for donations to the cause. <3

Thanks guys! You rock!

Hey kids, I'm back!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:29:40 GMT

I don't think I mentioned to anyone I was going anywhere, and just sought of vanished off the internet for the last five days. Leaving all my arguments unargumented (it's a word now), my associates and peers bored (who couldn't live without my comical wit I ask of you? Nobody, that's who!) and otherwise everyone else completely unphased.

Warning: Following contains details about my weekend, if you're not interested in my life, best to just ignore it and go back to your internet surfing.

See, Friday it was decided that I'd head up to Geelong for a friends 21st. I got there at 7:30pm, we hit up a Mexican restaurant, then went back to his place to play Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood until about 2am, when he went to bed and I went to a mattress in an empty room, devoid of everything but sheets.

In the morning (day of the Australian Football Grand Final), we awoke, played more game then his university friend rocked up and drove us to BWS (Beer, Wine and Spirits) where we bought a case of Carlton (beer) and went to her place. The 21st party we were having for my friend was in reality a Grand Final party, unless the Geelong Cats won. Either way, it was still "drink beer have fun" thing. A few more of their friends arrived (I was the only one from my particular social circle there, as the only other who's mutual friends with all of these people is in training camp for the RAAF), and I got pretty chatty with a cute girl studying journalism at university.

I spent the majority of Saturday night with her, eventually she convinced me to hit the dance floor with her (I'm terrible at dancing) to which, I wont kiss and tell (whoops).

Sunday afternoon, Sam and I went back to his place, had KFC for tea, then his Step-Father and Mother told him he was having an impromptu official 21st birthday party if we could find a place to have it, the guys we partied with on Saturday didn't mind if we had one at theirs on Monday. After that was planned, we watched Dilbert for a while before I retired to my mattress in exhaustion.

Monday morning his Step-Father and Mother arrived to help him move out of his place (long story), so the four of us spent from 10am to 6pm cleaning, packing and everything like that, when we proceeded to go to his impromptu 21st party. His close friends (including me) gave speeches and I found myself hanging around the same cute girly mentioned above.

Tuesday, my friend was too hung over to finish doing his house move, so I did it for him 'cause I didn't drink nearly as much. There wasn't a lot to do anyway, move a bed and a table, that's it. After his Step-Father and Mother had taken off home, my friend and I remained at the house of the people who held the party. I cleaned up all the empty bottles (with help from another friend) before crashing out and waking up around five.

Hung around there until 7:30pm and took the train home. Ran into my ex-girlfriend at the Warrnambool train station and had to share a bus with her, but we didn't talk, and only made eye contact once, so that wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I'm really glad the Geelong Cats won the premiership though, last year they lost, one guy got 'gang-based' (he antagonised a group of burly Geelong supporters in a Hawthorn shirt) and another guy was shot (he really didn't deserve it, nor did anything to instigate it). Geelong is a very unfriendly place to be if they lose the Grand Final, but if they win, they couldn't be more pleasant (we walked on a busy road, stopping traffic, and simply yelled "GO CATS" and got nothing but cheers and hoots from people in the cars).