mod-rewrite spellbook

Most online guides I've found are lengthy, boring, insufficient, or otherwise lacking. Where can I find a guide that explains mod-rewrite extensively, yet concisely?

(The above question sprouts from the following sentiment:) I'm not satisfied with simply copying and pasting the magical incantati开发者_Python百科ons that make my .htaccess files do my bidding. I want to learn the dark arts. I want to learn the nooks and crannies of it, so that I can do tricky things specific to my server's needs.

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Read the detailed mod_rewrite documentation. It contains everything you need to know. The rest is practice.

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Well, one option I would suggest is not for free. Why not view slides or just buy the book written by Rich Bowen, one of the Apache contributors?:

http://www.apachelounge.com/download/contr/mod_rewrite.pdf

http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Guide-Apache-mod_rewrite-Guides/dp/1590595610

I am knocking through the book myself. Since I am actually testing out the directives, it is a slower read than I would prefer. But, think could be reasonably finished with three days of after-work effort. It was worth the price alone for me because it helped me understand. RewriteMap. This saved my bacon at work when my team got surprised for an emergency implementation of over 200 redirects at one shot.