I would search for this, but really wasn't sure what terms to use. I want to beable to create a script that takes a directory name and uses it like a querystring. For example I want users to type in www.mysite.com/stores/123456 where it would pull up info from a database using 123456 as the querystring. Basically instead of setting up hundreds of subdirectories that point to script.asp?id=123456 I want to automate it. Any ideas? Can I use web.config?

You can use .htaccess:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^/stores/([0-9]+)/?$                    /script.asp?id=$1

AFAIK .htaccess is only for Apache servers, I'm on IIS.

Are you using .NET? You can use Incoming.RewritePath()
It's best to use it in the Application_BeginRequest() sub in Global.asax. You can read the incoming URL using HttpContext.Current.Request.Path - this will return a string such as "/stores/123456"

You then need a bit of code to work out where the request should be redirected, i.e. extracting the ID from that string... then you just call Incoming.RewritePath() passing in the new URL:
Incoming.RewritePath("script.asp?id=" + ID.ToString());


There's also an ISAPI DLL that someone has written to emulate .htaccess functionality. You'll need access to the server to install it though, I think.

Originally Posted by Minaki

Are you using .NET? You can use Incoming.RewritePath()
It's best to use it in the Application_BeginRequest() sub in Global.asax. You can read the incoming URL using HttpContext.Current.Request.Path - this will return a string such as "/stores/123456"

You then need a bit of code to work out where the request should be redirected, i.e. extracting the ID from that string... then you just call Incoming.RewritePath() passing in the new URL:
Incoming.RewritePath("script.asp?id=" + ID.ToString());


There's also an ISAPI DLL that someone has written to emulate .htaccess functionality. You'll need access to the server to install it though, I think.

Yes I'm using .Net. So I would put a Global.asax file in the /stores/ directory? I'm not too familiar with .Net, just old ASP+. I was looking at this way: http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/101701-1.shtml but when my host changed the 404 file it's not being rendered as ASP and it's not appending the 404'd url.

So would it be something like:

<script language="VB" runat="server">

Application_BeginRequest()

     storeUrl = "/stores/"

     if Left(HttpContext.Current.Request.Path,  Len(storeUrl)) = storeUrl then
         storeNum = Mid(HttpContext.Current.Request.Path, InStrRev(Request.QueryString, "/") + 1)
         Incoming.RewritePath("/locations/storedetail.asp?id=" + storeNum);
     end if
End Sub
</script>

Nearly...

storeNum = Mid(HttpContext.Current.Request.Path, InStrRev(Request.QueryString, "/") + 1)

Should be:

storeNum = Mid(HttpContext.Current.Request.Path, InStrRev(HttpContext.Current.Request.Path, "/") + 1)

Global.asax should go in the root of the web application (it serves practicly the same purpose as global.asa in classic ASP).

Oh, another thing I just realised - I think you have to have the first (static) URL as an ASPX page, not a sub directory - otherwise IIS won't pass the request to the ASP.NET process. i.e. change /store/123456/ to /store/123456.aspx (and change the code to extract the ID accordingly)