HTACCESS Wrappers with PHP

Overview

HTACCESS is a powerful configuration file used on web servers to control various aspects of website behavior. It can:

• Protect directories with passwords.
• Handle errors with custom pages.
• Redirect URLs seamlessly.
• Apply changes to entire folders quickly.

Wrappers Explained

A wrapper acts as an intermediary, directing certain files to PHP scripts. This allows you to:

• Add watermarks to images dynamically.
• Translate HTML pages based on visitor location.

Implementing Wrappers

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a Folder: Name it "header" on your web host.

2. HTACCESS Configuration:

   • Add the following lines to a text file:

     AddHandler headered .htm
     AddHandler headered .html
     Action headered /header/header.php
     

   • Save as "htaccess.txt" and later rename to ".htaccess".

3. PHP Script:

   • Create a PHP file named "header.php":

     <?php
     $header = "header.html";
     $footer = "footer.html";
     $file = $_SERVER["PATH_TRANSLATED"];
     readfile($header);
     readfile($file);
     readfile($footer);
     ?>
     

4. Upload Files: Upload all necessary files to your server and set permissions.

Testing

• Load sample.html in your browser. You should see the header and footer added dynamically.

Additional Uses

HTTP Compression

• Purpose: Compress HTML pages for faster loading.
• Setup:
  • Create a folder named "compress".
  • Configure HTACCESS:

    AddHandler compress .html
    AddHandler compress .htm
    AddHandler compress .txt
    Action compress /compress/compress.php
    

  • PHP Script:

    <?php
    ob_start("ob_gzhandler");
    $file = $_SERVER["PATH_TRANSLATED"];
    readfile($file);
    ?>
    

Image Watermarking

• Purpose: Protect images with watermarks.
• Setup:
  • Download the script from a reliable source.
  • Configure HTACCESS and PHP as before.

Considerations

• Performance: HTTP compression can significantly reduce load times for dial-up users.
• Compatibility: Not all browsers support HTTP compression, but PHP handles this gracefully.
• Security: Watermarking helps deter unauthorized use of images.

Conclusion

HTACCESS wrappers offer a flexible way to enhance your website's functionality without altering original files. Whether you're adding headers, compressing content, or watermarking images, these techniques can improve user experience and protect your content.

For more detailed information, you can refer to Apache's official documentation and PHP's manual on output buffering.