Query String Redirection

[JoeQuery]

In PHP, I'm wanting to store a session variable based upon a link that's clicked. I'm wanting to avoid query strings on pages that have content. My current workaround is to have a link with query strings to a php file that does nothing but snags the variables via $_GET, stores them into $_SESSION, and then redirects.

For example, consider this script, that I have set up to force to a mobile version. Accessed via something like a href="forcemobile.php?url=(the current filename)"

session_start();

//Location of vertstudios file on your localhost. Include trailing slash $loc = "http://localhost/web/vertstudios/"; //If GET variable not defined, this page is being accessed directly. //In that case, force to 404 page. Same case for if mobile session variable //not defined. if(!(isset($_GET["url"]) && isset($_SESSION["mobile"]))){ header("Location: http://www.vertstudios.com/404.php"); exit(); }

//Snag the URL $url = $_GET["url"]; //Set the mobile session to true, and redirect to specified URL $_SESSION["mobile"] = true;header("Location: " . $loc . $url); ?>

Will this circumvent the issue caused by using query strings?

[JoeQuery]

So you're saying that in the webpage file itself, at the top

if (isset($_GET["mobile"]){
$_SESSION["mobile"] = $_GET["mobile"];
$url = //Get the current URL, use RegEx to strip query strings
header("Location: " . $url);
}
?>

If that's the case, and if in fact that's SEO friendly, I definitely like that idea!

[Getz.pro]

The idea of setting a session variable to direct page content is a great one. I use this to show the difference between two CSS files when I am designing sites. This is also great for query strings that come in from SEM. Rand talked about this before where you capture the string parameters and then redirect to a clean URL so users have a pretty URL to link to.

Now looking at your code. I do not know why a PHP scripter wants to force a 404? If you are testing a URL string, then find someplace logical to send them : )

href="forcemobile.php?url=(the current filename)

I would have a Go Mobile link on the page more something like this at the footer.

View our mobile version

Then do your SESSION. If not, ALL your links are going to be ugly and you are only cleaning up the URL. You can test for SESSION and mobile versions of browsers to redirect.

I hope that helps