The rules are in the wrong order.

The hotlink rules should be first. Both of the .* patterns in that ruleset are errors in some way or other.

The sitemap rule should be next.

The general rewrite should be last.

You should have RewriteEngine On only ONCE at the start of the file.

Use example.com in your code here to suppress URL auto-linking in this forum.

I don't understand code, I got all of this from someone else. This is what I've got so far from what you said:

RewriteRule .*\.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|bmp|mp3)$ http://example.com/Hotlink_Protection [R,NC]

# Link for the Sitemap
RewriteRule ^sitemap(.*)\.xml$ sitemap.php?page=$1 [L,NC]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?title=$1 [L,QSA]

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
 
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com$ [NC]

Is the above correct?

How do you know the hotlink protection code is wrong? I used the Hotlink Protection button in cPanel to make it. Any idea what the correct code should be for it?

Which block of text is the general rewrite that you're talking about?

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:39 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] site link removed [/edit]

Can anyone else help me with this? Is the above code correct?

welcome to WebmasterWorld, Holygamer!

the Options and RewriteEngine directives should be at the top and the last 2 RewriteCond directives should go before the RewriteRule to which they apply.

To save me guessing, could you please just rearrange my currect htaccess file for me? I didn't understand what g1smd said and I don't imagine I'm going to get it right this time either. Here's my currect file:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?title=$1 [L,QSA]

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on

# Link for the Sitemap
RewriteRule ^sitemap(.*)\.xml$ sitemap.php?page=$1 [L,NC]

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule .*\.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|bmp|mp3)$ http://example.com/Hotlink_Protection [R,NC]

Also g1smd said that "The hotlink rules should be first. Both of the .* patterns in that ruleset are errors in some way or other". How do you know they are errors? What should I have instead?

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:40 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] site link removed [/edit]

Is this correct?

RewriteRule .*\.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|bmp|mp3)$ [example.com...] [R,NC] 

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?title=$1 [L,QSA]

# Link for the Sitemap
RewriteRule ^sitemap(.*)\.xml$ sitemap.php?page=$1 [L,NC]

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:40 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]

Is this correct?

Noooo.

Sorry. But you've got the "RewriteEngine on" statement coming after your first RewriteRule.

Incidentally: It's your choice, but most people handle hotlinks with a rewrite rather than a redirect. Note too that Redirects (plain [R] flag, or Redirect in mod_alias) default to 302. You almost always want 301 instead.

g1smd said that the hotlink rule should be first so that's what I did, I put it first. But Lucy you say that's wrong!?

The hotlink code was automatically inserted by cPanel when I actived Hotlink Protection. What difference does it make if I use a 301 or 302 for Hotlink Protection when the Hotlink Protection page that people see when they hotlink is worthless for SEO? What code do I use for a 301?

Is this correct?:

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule .*\.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|bmp|mp3)$ [example.com...] [R,NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com/.*$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://example.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?title=$1 [L,QSA]

# Link for the Sitemap
RewriteRule ^sitemap(.*)\.xml$ sitemap.php?page=$1 [L,NC]

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:41 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] exemplified [/edit]

The hotlinking code is easily circumvented but at least the syntax is now right. The user will also see that they have been redirected to a different URL, and that it is called "hotlink protection". I much prefer a "silent" block, serving some other error message or image without redirecting to a different URL. For this you use a RewriteRule configured as a rewrite and not as a redirect.

Add a blank line after every rule for clarity.

RewriteConds and RewriteRules may appear in groups. The conditions apply only to the rule that immediately follows.

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine On

# hotlink code
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?example\.com [NC]
RewriteRule \.(jpe?g|gif|png|bmp|mp3)$ http://example.com/Hotlink_Protection [R=302,NC,L]

# add your www to non-www canonical redirect code here
# ->

# sitemap rewrite
RewriteRule ^sitemap([^.]+)\.xml$ /sitemap.php?page=$1 [NC,L]

# catch-all rewrite
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule (.+) /index.php?title=$1 [QSA,L]

Please read as much as you can about mod_rewrite and about regular expressions. This stuff cannot be guessed. A single typo can take your site offline so you need to know enough to maintain your code yourself not rely on suggestions from a forum.

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:42 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] site link removed [/edit]

What was wrong with the hotlinking syntax in the first place? It prevented hotlinking like it was supposed to do. What does your version do that the original version does not?

Lucy suggested a 301 for the Hotlink code but you've chosen 302. What is the difference and why does it matter?

How is the hotlinking code you suggested easily circumvented? Is there a better way of doing it?

What is the difference between my original line and your line?:

RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?title=$1 [L,QSA]
RewriteRule (.+) /index.php?title=$1 [QSA,L]

What is the difference between my sitemap line and your line?:

RewriteRule ^sitemap(.*)\.xml$ sitemap.php?page=$1 [L,NC]
RewriteRule ^sitemap([^.]+)\.xml$ /sitemap.php?page=$1 [NC,L]

I got my line from a sitemap extension for MediaWiki. The extension page instructed me to add that line. What was wrong with the original line?

You mentioned to add my owen www to non-www canonical redirect code. Do I need to do this as it was already redirecting from www.example.com to http://example.com?

I don't have the ability to understand code. I had to pay someone to make my htaccess file but since you guys have told me it's wrong then it seems like he didn't know what he was doing. So if he, who understands code got it wrong, what chance do I have of understanding it!

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:43 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] site link removed [/edit]

what chance do I have of understanding it

Five years ago this stuff looked like Vogon poetry to me.

After reading a few hundred threads here, several tutorials elsewhere, and playing around with code on several sites I had a reasonable idea of the basics in a few weeks and some of the more advanced stuff in a few months - and I was dedicating hardly any time to it at all.

All of the questions in your previous post have been answered here hundreds of times before. There's very little in the way of new questions these days. :)

The stuff about not using (.*) at the beginning or in the middle of a pattern I end up typing out several times per week, and occasionally several times per day.

Patterns such as (.+) and (.*) are "greedy". They don't need anchors. They keep going until they have captured everything.

Lucy suggested a 301 for the Hotlink code but you've chosen 302.

You used plain "R" in your code. That produces a 302. I just "clarified" that by adding the numbers. In real life I wouldn't redirect, I would rewrite.

MediaWiki

I have modified the MediaWiki PHP code for several sites and the htaccess file for a few more. Point me in the direction of this sitemap extension you use and I'll contribute updated code for it back to the author.

The extension is DynamicWikiSitemap. I appreciate what you're saying about repeating stuff all the time but you told me my code was wrong and you gave me new code but you won't tell me what it does compared to the original code! I need to know what it does.

Most of my questions are asking what is the difference between my code and your code. Those questions haven't been answered before so I can't find them via search.

I searched Webmasterworld for "hotlinking difference between 301 302" but found nothing. I searched for "hotlinking circumvention" but found nothing.

I looked at the library and I can't see anything which explains my questions as everyone has different kinds of problems and different code.

You mentioned to add my own www to non-www canonical redirect code. Do I need to do this as it was already redirecting from

www.example.com to http://example.com?

[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:43 pm (utc) on Mar 23, 2012]
[edit reason] site link removed [/edit]

<mod>
Please only use example.com as the domain name, actual domain names are not allowed.
Now keep it civil.
</mod>