Codeigniter - rename controller 301 redirect old url's

Question

I had to rename one of my controllers as per my lawyer's recommendation and need to keep SEO and Google in mind when doing it - I still need all of the old URL's to work and/or use 301 redirects.

Redirect hint:

• 301 = Permanent
• 302 = Temporary

I know there are ways to do this using the .htaccess file but I'm not familiar with how it works and don't want to break anything.

Here are some resources on that if that's what you're looking for:

• redirecting-old-dynamic-pages-to-new-one-with-friendly-urls-codeigniter
• Codeigniter htaccess 301
• 301 redirect for old pages of the website with codeIgniter

Answer 1

This is the easiest, SEO friendly, solution I could come up with that didn't include editing the .htaccess file:

<?php

class Old_controller extends MY_Controller
{
    function __construct() {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->load->helper('url');
        redirect(str_replace('old_controller', 'new_controller', "http://{$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']}{$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']}"), 'location', 301);
        exit();
    }
}

Cheers!