Language parameter in .htaccess not correctly mapped

Question

I am trying to rewrite this url:

www.answerme.be/index.php?language=nl

to

www.answerme.be/nl

I've already done some research and I am using the tool from generateit.net .

The expression that I am using is the following:

RewriteEngine On    
RewriteRule ^([^/]*)$ /index.php?language=$1 [L]

This should work? I am getting a 500 internal server error.

Answer 1

You're getting 500 due to infinite looping. Fix it by using better regex for 2 character language in URI:

RewriteEngine On    
RewriteRule ^([a-z]{2})/?$ /index.php?language=$1 [L,QSA,NC]

Answer 2

If your languages are limited, you can specify them to escape this error

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^(nl|en|fr)$ index.php?language=$1 [L]

Answer 3

To be able to use lang param also on uppercase, use this:

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z]{2})$ index.php?language=$1 [L]

It works perfect for me