Topic: mod_rewrite hyphens spaces and more problems

[epsavit]

hi everybody
i would like some help if its possible

the problem is i have an old url like this
activities.php?lang=bg&page=full category- name&com=comname
which i read through the query string like this

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} lang=(.*)&page=(.*)&com=([a-z]+)$



and then with a rewrite rule i turn it into a simple url like this

RewriteRule activities.php?$ "/foldername/activities/%1/0/0/%2/%3\.html?" [R=302,L]

and the end result is
The requested URL /activities/bg/0/0/%20name/comname.html was not found on this server.
so from page=full category- name i get only the last part > name

the problem is the spaces and hyphen on the "page=full category- name"
so i changed the query string reference like
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} lang=(.*)&page=([a-z- ]+)&com=(.*)$ in order to include the spaces and hyphens.
but that change produces Internal Server Error.
the variable named page sometimes contains spaces and sometimes it doesnt.
can someone tell me what am i doing wrong ?

thanks

[glsmith]

Shouldn't that be $1, $2, etc.? not %1, %2 etc?
I'm no Rewrite expert, quite the opposite.

[epsavit]

hi
no thats the case inside a rewrite rule but when you gather data from a condition you reference it with %

[glsmith]

[epsavit]

RewriteCond backreferences: These are backreferences of the form %N (1 <= N <= 9), which provide access to the grouped parts (again, in parentheses) of the pattern, from the last matched RewriteCond in the current set of conditions.

coming straight from the page you referenced

[glsmith]

True, you got me there, but you are using them with "RewriteRule", not "RewriteCond", per your first post. RewriteRule uses $(1-9)

[epsavit]

yes but i am referencing groups from the condition. as it says in the apache documentation : from the last matched RewriteCond in the current set of conditions. trust me this is the right way. the problem is with the empty space and the hyphen.

[glsmith]

well, to me it looks like it is somehow oddly working on %1 & %3, but it is wanting to change %2 to %20, a URL (space), instead of what it should be replacing that with.

Just curious, did you try it? It cannot hurt, but you probably know rewriting better than I. I think the docs are iffy here, cause it says one thing, then another, then reiterates what it first said.

RewriteRule backreferences: These are backreferences of the form $N (0 <= N <= 9), which provide access to the grouped parts (in parentheses) of the pattern, from the RewriteRule which is subject to the current set of RewriteCond conditions.. which is the case here as far as I can see and intemperate.

I have not yet found an example for RewriteRule using %N, doesn't mean it cannot be done, just is an indicator to me.

That is just my take. James or Steffen or someone else I am sure will be able to help.

[James Blond]

Well Gregg is right. There should be a $1 and $2 and so on.

simple rewrite rule from a cms where all stuff is appended to page=

[epsavit]

hi and thanks for the effort
in my case referencing groups from the conditional statement with $ doesnt help as $1,$2 and so on its empty because it searches inline at the current rewrite rule. just to be on the safe side tried that and got nothing. i'll give it a try at that other forum you suggested. rewrite log is empty cause i get internal server error.
thanks