A folder that acts like a file?

[HazySmoke)345]

The following URL leads to the homepage of this web site.

http://www.compsci.ca/v3/

You notice how there is no file name under the folder v3? I was expecting it to be like www.compsci.ca/v3/blahblah.html, but I don't see the filename at all.

How is this possible?

[octopi]

Its called the DirectoryIndex, it is usually set to index.html or index.php

If a file name isn't specified it loads the index.html, or index.php file.

Read up on the apache documentation (if your webserver is apache), more specifically the 'DirectoryIndex' directive.

[bugzpodder]

in *nix, folders are special files

[PaulButler]

It can also be done dynamically. Google mod_rewrite if you are interested.

[rdrake]

bugzpodder @ Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:43 pm wrote:

in *nix, folders are special files

In *nix, everything is a file!

Seriously though, yes, every server has a way to specify the default file if none is specified. Typical examples include the following.

• index.html
  
• index.php
  
• default.asp
  
• default.aspx
  
• Etc.
  

Mod_rewrite is a good one too.

[md]

Or just rewrite for lighttpd. I should really start plugging lighttpd whenever someone says something about apache.

[PaulButler]

md @ Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:50 pm wrote:

Or just rewrite for lighttpd. I should really start plugging lighttpd whenever someone says something about apache.

lighttpd is a nice server, I left it out of my post in order to not confuse things.

I like mod_rewrite better because it can be written in the .htaccess file, doesn't lighttpd require it be in the lighttpd.conf file? Unless there is a way around it, this would get annoying.