Htaccess - Some Notes For Adult Webmasters

A brief re-cap... WHAT IS IT???

If you're new here, then the term htaccess is probably just another new word for you that's adding to the feeling that adult chat boards are written in a different language. (I felt exactly the same when I started out so don't worry). Htaccess is just a fancy name for a file that's created in a text editor such as Notepad in Windows. But it's not named myfile.txt - that would be too simple! It's called .htaccess There's nothing before the DOT and the name of the file NEVER changes. Adult webmasters use it to do a number of cool things.

SUCH AS???

Well, you might have heard me talking about the htaccess file and comparing it to a doorman on a bar or nightclub. It can stop someone getting into your site or it can say which websites out there are allowed to load your pictures on their pages. It can ask someone for a password before they get into your site or it can send surfers who got lost on your site to a page where they can get back on track. Altogether, htaccess is one useful dude and no bar / website should be without him.

1) Creating...

If you've ever tried to create this htaccess file and gone to SAVE AS in notepad (or some other editor) you might have hit a problem. Your computer will think that you've made a mistake when you tried to save it as ".htaccess" and the file will actually be saved as ".htaccess.txt". In it's all-seeing, all-knowing way, your computer decided that it would help ya out by adding .txt onto the end of your file. Thanks a lot 'puter! Upload that, and your htaccess won't work. That's because it MUST be saved as .htaccess! So what's the answer?

If you're thinking ahead of me, you'll probably have tried to go to the file and rename it. If you're working in Windows you'll hit ANOTHER problem. If you try to rename .htaccess.txt to .htaccess, you'll find that the computer again tries to help you out. And it won't actually LET you alter the file name. After all - it is used to files being something.something - not NOTHING.something! But this is most unhelpful to us.

The real answer is to use your FTP package to rename the file and remove the .txt part. Log on to your webspace if ya need to and then on the local disk (the left) find .htaccess.txt. You'll be able to click RENAME and then give it it's TRUE name. PHEW! That took some doing. (And it took clumps of my hair to work out the first time!!!) But this is a royal pain in the ass - there MUST be an easier way? There is! Read on...

2) Re-using!

I've never had to do this for years because once you've got one htaccess file, you can COPY it, and then paste it to a new folder on your latest site. This saves a lot of time. Windows has no problem opening up htaccess and editing it, and then saving it - the only problem is on the save AS part. So if you copy that htaccess and use it as a template, you should only ever have to create the one. PHEW - that saves a lot of messing around! A lot of this business is to do with recycling, re-using, and getting the most done in the shortest space of time.

3) Uploading...

Nothing is ever simple when the Internet or computers are involved - you've probably worked that out for yourself by now. I'm not sure who comes up with these quirky things, but the simplest way of doing something is usually not the way it happens in cyberspace. Uploading your htaccess files also has an added little twist to the tale...

When you upload things to the web, like pictures and webpages, there are 2 ways or MODES that you can use. One is called binary, and the other is called ASCII. Now, I have no idea what these 2 things mean and I have to say that I'm perfectly happy in my ignorance. All I want is to upload stuff and for it to work. I want ya to remember that out of these 2 modes an htaccess file must be uploaded in ASCII. As binary mode is the usual or normal mode, you'll probably have to click on the ASCII button / box on your FTP package before you click to transfer the file from your side to the webspace side.

WELL DONE! For those who I haven't sent to sleep with this post! I hope that this might help you to get the all-important htaccess working with your sites. Don't be put off by the tech side of it and try to master the basics. It's real important.

TOM ^"^

ICQ 12616560
Email tom@tomsnewbiebooster.com

Enter TOM'S NEWBIE BOOSTER

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