Apache Config Generator Help

Before you get started, be sure you understand the difference between file system paths, and URL paths.
  • File system paths: point to where the software was installed on disk. It has (mostly) nothing to do with what the users enters into the URL
  • URL paths: This is what the user enters into the browser.

URL Configuration

Before you build your Apache configuration, you should decide exactly what you want your URLs to look like in your new site.

http://yoursite.com/foswiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
| the hostname    | path  | script | Web/Topic |

The above is a traditional "long URL" used on the original TWiki product and some Foswiki sites. Most Foswiki implementations now reduce that to what is referred to a "Short URL" configuration.

This is the area where you have the most control. And you need to then use one of these URLs when you first visit the homepage, otherwise Bootstrap will get it wrong.

Short URLs dedicated to Foswiki

When your install isn't shared with other software on the same server / hostname, you can run without a URL path. For example a View and Edit URL.
http://yoursite.com/Main/WebHome
http://yoursite.com/bin/edit/Main/WebHome

This is probably the most common configuration, but is not the default in ApacheConfigGenerator.

In ApacheConfigGenerator:
  • Set the URL Path to /
  • Enable Short URLs

And when your Apache is reloaded, with the generated configuration, the first page you visit should be http://yoursite.com/Main/WebHome or even http://yoursite.com/. Either URL should get you to the Main/WebHome page, displaying "Welcome to the Main web".

Short URls, but server host used for other software

In this example, you have other software you need to serve, for ex. Foswiki and Mailman. Your URLs' might look like:
http://yoursite.com/foswiki/Main/WebHome
http://yoursite.com/foswiki/bin/edit/Main/WebHome
http://yoursite.com/mailman/...   (some other software on same server / hostname)

You are still using Short URLs, but you need the prefix in the path. This is the default in ApacheConfigGenerator.
In ApacheConfigGenerator:
  • Set the URL Path to /foswiki
  • Enable Short URLs

With this configuration, once your Apache has been reloaded, the first page you visit should be http://yoursite.com/foswiki/Main/WebHome or even http://yoursite.com/foswiki. Either URL should get you to the Main/WebHome page, displaying "Welcome to the Main web".

-- GeorgeClark - 07 Aug 2015
Topic revision: r1 - 07 Aug 2015, GeorgeClark
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