Dynamic php subpages

Question

I would like to know how to create a subpage via php. I know there's a way by using the GET parameters, like for example:

example.com/index.php?category=1

I am more interested in the functionality of something found for example on instagram.com:

instagram.com/example

How is the example below generated? How does this system work?

I'd like to have a simple page showing the content according to the identifier after the dash. Also, how do they remove the .php extension on every professional site?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

this is typicall done using MVC frameworks such as laravel, codeigniter etc. There are many available with many different ways of achieving what you are looking for.

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/826642/Why-to-use-Framework-in-PHP lists a few of these.

There are many advantages of using MVC's including adopting good structures to pages and may give you the functionality you are looking for in prebuilt packages

I would suggest doing some research into a few such as laravel and see how you get on.

You can also change apache configurations like others have stated in the htaccess file.

Answer 2

What you are looking for is URL REWRITING . Depending on the HTTP server you are using, there are several ways to acomplish this.

Most common used HTTP Server is Apache.

Create a php file containing the following:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Open the page with your browser and you should be able to see what HTTP server you are running. Search for SERVER_SOFTWARE which must say something like Apache , Nginx or LightHTTP .

If the server is using apache, you should be googling for apache php .htaccess url rewriting Other wise you could search for [server software] php url rewriting or [server software] php pretty urls

On the internet are tons of people that asked the same question before, so I figure you might be able to help yourself from here. Good luck!

Answer 3

It's done by the technic called URL routing there is some couple of ways..It's not that easy to figure out how exactly instagram doing this..

There is a good example of non object oriented aaproach at:

http://blogs.shephertz.com/2014/05/21/how-to-implement-url-routing-in-php/

Also most php frameworks(Laravel etc) provides that future..

Personally for now i'm using a php package called AltoRouter https://github.com/dannyvankooten/AltoRouter

And i guess there is plenty of more other ways..

USING ALTO ROUTER:

The basic logic is u are mapping the url an to an "object" with its methods(post,get) and which controller will handle that and what is the controller method..

$router->map('GET','/example', 'Controllers\ExampleController@getShowExamplePage' ,'example' );

and there is an ExampleController class with an getShowExamplePage() method

public function getShowExamplePage(){
    include(__DIR__ . "/../../views/example.php");

and in ur index.php file

u check the url entered by user is in ur mapped $router object?

$match = $router->match();//it returns true or false

if(!match)
{
   //--
          u can redirect a error 404 PAGE
   //---
}

else

{ 
//Example the use entered url www.example.com/example

list($controller,$method) = explode("@",$match['target']);//To get what is the controller and its method.
    //If  that method of the contoller avaliable run that method
    if(is_callable(array($controller,$method))){
      $object = new $controller();



      call_user_func_array(array($object ,$method) , array($match['params']));

    }else {
      echo "Cannot find $controller-> $method";
      exit();
    }





}

Simply u are taking the advantages of "object oriented programming".