Upgrading from PHPBB 2.0 to 3.0 with rewrite rules intact

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I am presently running a forum using PHPBB 2.0.22 with your mixed mod rewrite. Now, I am planning to upgrade to Phpbb 3.02.

I want to know the procedure I will follow so as to ensure that my links remain intact e.g. -http://site_url/topic24.html on phpbb 2.0 remains the same after upgrading to 3.0.

I would also like to suggest that you make your mod installation instructions shorter (Its the instructions that are actually making the mods look complex to install and this might scare people from using it).

BTW, nice mods you creat. Keep it up.

Orbits · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 35

dcz

I know the install guide could be shorter, but believe me, all what's said here is important. You'd better make the effort to read it because this could save you a lot of time in what will follow since you have top make some essential choices when implementing mod rewrites and thus know a bit about what will be involved.

These note are not all dealing with the mod's implementation but a lot to general SEO principles to make sure you'll follow, like making sure you'll properly redirect altered urls and so on.

This being said, the SEO premod is very easy to install and maintain, and as stevefree told you, it's wise to give it a try even when you'd want to use the standalone version of our url rewriting mods.

Because if it's of course possible to keep the exact same urls as with phpBB2, you could want to change few things while converting.
The virtual folder trick is IMHO very interesting in mixed mode, because it will add selected keywoords form the forum url to the topic url :
forum-url/topicxx.html vs topicxx.html
And you now have the possibilities to choose which url to use for each forums, not only the title injection, and you can as well get rid of forum ids for cleaner urls (forum-url/topicxx.html vs forum-url-fyy/topicxx.html or even forum-title-fxx/topicxx.html).

The virtual folder trick is very handy to help to categorize content. And the zero duplicate mod will do the job to properly redirect the old urls to the new ones in case you decide to change few things, you'd only have to keep few rewriterules from the old .htaccess in your new one to do so.

So, take the time to play with the premod, and if you end up willing to use slightly different urls, please post here both your new and old .htaccess before you go online, I'll tell you which rewriterule to keep to have the required HTTP 301 redirection activated.

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sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I have been toying around with your premod on my computer and I must confess that I find it fascinating.

So, now I think I am going to apply advanced mod rewrite on the new phpbb3 board. Please, let me know the things I should watch out for asides those mentioned in the thread.

Also, I would like to manually add the premod edits so that I can keep track of changes to isolate conflicts that may arise with other mods. I will like to know how I can download the edits to the full phpbb3 from which you made the premod.

Below are my rewriterules for now. Please let me know how best to change 'em to reflect proper advanced mod rewrite:

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

Since I am planning to use advanced mod rewrite. I would like to know what would happen if I edit topic title from some like: oh-this-is-so-cool-i-can-t-believe-it-vtXX.html to something more meaningful and keyword rich.

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I need help on this case badly.

dcz

Sorry for delay, but great things requires time, and I'm sure you'll appreciate a lot GYM RC1 as soon as it will be released Wink

So, first, about premod VS manual install :
The premod is just a phpBB3 board will all the mods listed in the release thread installed, so you'll find all the required edits in the respective install files.
There is no all in one install file available, but the premod comes with a .diff file wich is listing all the code edition performed as well as with a set of phpBB3 premodded files.
The great things you'll have using the premod are the dedicated update packages (auto and changed files only) just like with phpBB3 alone.
And this will save you quite some work while upgrading, since all the SEO mod will be updated automatically, which would not be the case if you' use a manually modded phpBB forum.
So my point is that if you plan to use all of our SEO mods (url rewriting, titles, zero and no dupe, meta and GYM) you'd better use the premod.
And remember, the premod is not a jail since you still have access to all the required info to go back to vanilla phpBB3 in case you'd need or want it some day, it's just something that will make it easier for you.

Now about title editing, there is no problem with that SEO wise with the zero duplicate mod, it will simply redirect the eventual calls to the old url (the topic url with the old title in it) to the new one, and this, instantly after you'd have edited it, example : http://www.phpbb-seo.com/boards/is-this/a-duplicate-vt1220.html
Actually, all possible cases are handled for topics, there is just no way to load another url than the one attended.

To conclude, all you'll need to do once you'll have converted to phpBB3 and set up your urls, and off course before you'll go for the real jump (since phpBB3 1st needs to be installed in a separate location than phpBB2, this means when phpBB3 is ready and phpBB2 is still on), will be to keep few of your old phpBB2 rewriterules up and running in your phpBB3's .htaccess.
The theory behind this is simple :

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

Here are my rewriterules once again.

dcz

Sorry, I though it was the phpBB3's .htaccess Laughing

So, to perform the required redirect, you'd need to keep the following rewriterules up and running (eg with the same paths and slashes as the phpBB3 rewriterules) at the end of your phpBB3's .htaccess :

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

Thank you very much. Everything is set up now and the old URLs are redirecting fine to the new advanced mod rewrite urls.

I am really happy that you included every SEO trick into the premod. Thank you for it.

I need some more help please.

1. I would like my site to always redirect to -http://www.site_url.com instead of -http://site_url.com

I trust that the zero duplicate will properly redirect this. I just need the proper .htaccess code to use.

2. Concerning the no duplicate mod (not zero duplicate) included in the package, can I activate it later without any problems?

I really do not understand what it does from what you have written in the ACP.

Thank you in advance.

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I will also like to know what appropriate setting of the post redirection value under zero duplicate I should adopt.

If I leave the default value of "off". Will any redirection occur?

I will like you to suggest the best possible value to me.

SeO

For the www prefix, just get rid of it in the server domain set for phpBB, all rewritten links will drop it.

Once done, you can implement the www prefix redirection to make sure that all links among your domain will properly be redirected, but you need to make sure that your links will not use it.

For the zero dupe, you need to set post redirection to at least guest to get rid of posts URLs for bots and guests, or to all to even redirect your logged in users.

The no dupe is replacing post urls with the corresponding topic url while the zero dupe is only HTTP 301 redirecting them Wink

sydneycollins3 · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 10

I want change to another style from the prosilver style.

What and what should I edit in the new style so as to make everything functional like it was in the prosilver style.

Thank you for your help so far.

SeO

As with other mods modifying themes, you will need to implement the same code change in additional themes.

You should try to apply either prosilver or subsilver2 code change depending on which your them is the closet to.

If you use the premod, you'll find the code change to apply for all included mods at once here :

http://www.phpbb-seo.com/boards/phpbb-seo-premod/discussions-vt1913.html