Ceon URI Mapping v4.x

[rebelIT]

Yes, the standard edition of the software has no interface for creating URI mappings for define pages. You can easily add them manually using the instructions in the configuration documentation.

ah I was looking for "define pages" but I guess the "any other page" stuff is what is relevant - thanks

EZ Pages can no longer use internal links whenever you are using Ceon URI Mapping. You must remove the internal links from your site. You don't need them any more, internal links were just a kludge for Zen Cart's lack of static URI support, you can just use static URIs instead.

The only reason I use the redirect on a couple of pages is to take advantage of the override system for define pages. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to specify javascript & css for individual EZ pages.

It also stops the client messing with the layout (the define pages editor scares them away) and messing up the js code.

Is it simply not possible to have a nice internal link arrive at the custom define page?

Thanks,
Reb

[rebelIT]

ah I was looking for "define pages" but I guess the "any other page" stuff is what is relevant - thanks

I must be being stupid, I can't seem to get this to work.

I want to map
/about-us

to

/index.php?main_page=about_us

When entering a record into the ceon_uri table..

URI = /about-us
language_id = 1
current_uri = 1
main_page = I'm not sure what to enter here I have tried
index
main_page
index.php?main_page=about_us
/index.php?main_page=about_us

and NULLS for
qs params, associated_db_id, alternate_uri and left the redirection code as default

I noticed the records that were created through the admin interface automatic method do have integer values in the associated_db_id field

[rebelIT]

I've just spent some time debugging this and thought I'd post here to help others in the same situation. If I've missed documentation covering this, please accept my apologies. If I haven't missed docs, please add some to this effect :) it would have saved some head scratching. This is pretty simple stuff, but hard to get into as a newcomer to the URI Mapping mod.

We have a custom product type "product_light" which was created following the standard Zen Cart approach of copying an existing product type, in my case the product_music files, and hacking the custom attributes to our requirements.

1/ We therefore have a custom admin/includes/modules/product_light/update_product.php, so the update_product action causes this update_product.php to be executed when saving changes to products, due to the code in admin/product.php that runs your custom update_product.php if it exists. So we have to copy the CEON modifications from admin/includes/modules/update_product.php to make any URI mappings be saved to the database. There's only one block, marked with "CEON URI MAPPING 1 of 1".

2/ We need a constant for our product type filename, just so we don't have to hardcode the string anywhere, so in includes/extra_datafiles/our_custom_stuff.php we include:

define('FILENAME_PRODUCT_LIGHT_INFO', 'product_light_info');

I am not clear whether this needs doing for admin/includes/extra_datafiles/our_custom_stuff.php also.

3/ Update includes/classes/class.CeonURIMappingHREFLinkBuilder.php to ADD line 238:

$main_page == FILENAME_PRODUCT_LIGHT_INFO ||

4/ Update includes/classes/class.CeonURIMappingHandler.php to ADD line 442:

				$_GET['main_page'] == FILENAME_PRODUCT_INFO ||

and line 513:

						$_GET['main_page'] == FILENAME_PRODUCT_LIGHT_INFO ||

5/ Update admin/includes/classes/class.CeonURIMappingAdminProductPages.php to ADD line 940:

				FILENAME_PRODUCT_LIGHT_INFO,

and line 1436:

				FILENAME_PRODUCT_LIGHT_INFO,

With these modifications in place, the URI mappings for our custom product types seem to work.

In summary, it would be nice if some of theses lists of FILENAME_* constant usages were driven by the product_types database table, if possible, as that would reduce the necessity to hardcode these lists of known product types, but perhaps it isn't that simple.

Thanks for these instructions.

It's worth noting that if your custom product also uses a custom update_product.php file you will need to incorporate the one CEON block from the general update_product.php file.

[conor]

Hi,

Lots of posts there!

I must be being stupid, I can't seem to get this to work.

The only thing you got wrong was the value of the main_page variable.. I guess you just didn't read the instructions right.

It should be

about_us

All the other values were correct.

You must also set date_added (e.g. to NOW() in the select gadget in PHPMyAdmin).

Is it simply not possible to have a nice internal link arrive at the custom define page?

Just code your site/template so that the links go straight to the pages you want.

All the best...

Conor
ceon

[rebelIT]

Hi,
Lots of posts there!

I'm being hassled to get this done ASAP - I just want to have a lie down really!

The only thing you got wrong was the value of the main_page variable.. I guess you just didn't read the instructions right.

It should be

about_us

All the other values were correct.

You must also set date_added (e.g. to NOW() in the select gadget in PHPMyAdmin).

Unfortunately that isn't working either. I thought it might be because about_us define page is a custom added define page.

So I tried it with the site_map which is one of the predefined pages with the following values..

/site-map 1 1 site_map NULL 0 NULL 301 2011-09-20 11:53:11

but it doesn't work either. I also tried it with the contact_us page.

Wierdly everything else works - categories, custom products, normal products, review pages, tell a firend etc...

I have checked that information.php isn't using anything hardcoded & that URI mapping doesn't add to or replace that sidebox

Just code your site/template so that the links go straight to the pages you want.

That's a good pragmatic solution if I can get the mapping to the define pages working.

[conor]

Hi,

Unfortunately that isn't working either. I thought it might be because about_us define page is a custom added define page.

I forgot that about_us isn't a standard "other" page.

It should stil work though.

/site-map 1 1 site_map NULL 0 NULL 301 2011-09-20 11:53:11

but it doesn't work either. I also tried it with the contact_us page.

The zero is the problem. It should be NULL. That's where you've been going wrong. associated_db_id can't have a value other than NULL for anything except categories, products, manufacturers or ez-pages.

All the best..

Conor
ceon

[rebelIT]

Hi Connor,
I did originally enter a NULL for that field but the DB structure wasn't configured to allow a NULL so it changed it to a zero

I have now changed the three examples so that the associated_db_id field is NULL

The define pages links are still the dynamic links.

If I manually enter the URL I am trying to map it redirects straight to the index page (no 404)

everything else works perfectly, including the 5 custom products I have defined.

I know you said the associated_db_id field isn't used, but all the entries in the ceon_uri_mapping table generated by the admin interface do actually have a range of integer values entered into that field.

cheers,
Reb

[conor]

Hi,

I did originally enter a NULL for that field but the DB structure wasn't configured to allow a NULL so it changed it to a zero

Then you messed up the installation. That field MUST be NULL, the software is designed to look for NULL speifically, not for zero.

I have now changed the three examples so that the associated_db_id field is NULL

The define pages links are still the dynamic links.

If I manually enter the URL I am trying to map it redirects straight to the index page (no 404)

Really sorry but you've done something wrong and I have no time to help here.

I wish you luck in finding out what you've done wrong and getting things fixed.

Certainly first things first, fix your db schema.

I know you said the associated_db_id field isn't used, but all the entries in the ceon_uri_mapping table generated by the admin interface do actually have a range of integer values entered into that field.

You misread what I wrote. It isn't populated for those pages, it's used by products etc. For those other pages it MUST be NULL.

I'm afraid as as this is a problem on your server and because I'm under terrible time constraints, I can't post here further about this.

All the best..

Conor
ceon

[ehswift]

OK, I have installed Ceon URI on my site and I am trying to decide which URL format will help me get better search engine rankings. Please look at the 4 examples below and tell me which one you believe to be the best and if possible, explain why you feel that way.

If you can't see all of the URL, just hover over it and look at the bottom of your browser for all of it. I am not sure why the whole thing does not show up.

• http://www.wholesalegiftshopper.com/...-spray-cologne
• http://www.wholesalegiftshopper.com/...-spray-cologne
• http://www.wholesalegiftshopper.com/...-spray-cologne
• http://www.wholesalegiftshopper.com/...y-cologne.html

The number "22011", listed in the last two examples is a product model number. How important is it to include this in the URL?

Additional Information: This may help you decide. I read that shorter URL's are better and easier to remember, but what I really need to know is whether or not including a key-word rich category in the URL will boost my search engine rankings. Please look at a competitors site here to see there format: http://www.giftmood.com/p-14312/Disn...ptic+Pens.html

You will notice in the example above that they don't include the category in the listing, but do include the product model number and they append .html on the end of the URL. They also rank #1 for the term wholesale gifts. Is there any connection with this and their URL naming structure?

Also will appending .html on the end of the URL boost rankings at all? If not, why do webmasters do this?

I know that I have asked a lot of questions here, but I am little confused as to which URL format will be most effective and just wanted to get some expert input before I launch the site.

Thank you for taking the time to answer them.

[conor]

Hi,

Also will appending .html on the end of the URL boost rankings at all? If not, why do webmasters do this?

Lack of knowledge simply. .html is no longer useful or applicable for URIs.. Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the world wide web, advises against their use and I agree.. the technology used to generate a URI shouldn't be part of the URI itself.

As for your other questions, my quick two cents.. product model number is a waste of time unless people search by model number, categories potentially useful as full of keywords.. but have to be careful not to make them too long.

Whether or not words nearer the start of a URI are given more significance I don't know. It's not something I find important to be honest.

That's all from me, hope that helps.

All the best...

Conor
ceon