# Clean URLs Implementation Guide

## Overview
Your admin panel now uses clean, professional URLs without `.php` extensions.

### Before and After

**Before:**
```
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/dashboard.php
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/registrations.php
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/delegates.php
```

**After:**
```
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/dashboard
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/registrations
http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/delegates
```

---

## What Was Changed

### 1. Created `.htaccess` Files
- **`/admin/.htaccess`** - Handles URL rewriting for admin pages
- **`/.htaccess`** - Root-level security and configuration

### 2. Updated Navigation Links
- Modified `admin/includes/admin_nav.php` to use clean URLs
- All navigation links now point to extension-less URLs

### 3. Added Security Features
- Prevents direct access to sensitive files
- Disables directory browsing
- Adds security headers
- Enables file compression and caching

---

## Setup Instructions

### Step 1: Enable mod_rewrite in Apache

1. **Open XAMPP Control Panel**
2. **Click "Config" next to Apache**
3. **Select "httpd.conf"**
4. **Find this line** (use Ctrl+F):
   ```apache
   #LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
   ```
5. **Remove the `#`** to uncomment it:
   ```apache
   LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
   ```
6. **Save the file**

### Step 2: Allow .htaccess Overrides

In the same `httpd.conf` file:

1. **Find the section** for your document root:
   ```apache
   <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs">
       AllowOverride None
   ```
2. **Change `None` to `All`**:
   ```apache
   <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs">
       AllowOverride All
   ```
3. **Save the file**

### Step 3: Restart Apache

1. In XAMPP Control Panel, click **Stop** for Apache
2. Click **Start** to restart it

---

## Testing

### 1. Test Clean URLs
Visit these URLs in your browser:
- `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/dashboard`
- `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/registrations`
- `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/delegates`

### 2. Test Redirect (Optional)
If you enabled the 301 redirect in `.htaccess`, visiting:
- `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/dashboard.php`

Should automatically redirect to:
- `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/dashboard`

### 3. Verify Navigation
- All navigation links should work
- Dropdowns should function properly
- Query parameters should still work (e.g., `?id=123`)

---

## Troubleshooting

### Problem: "404 Not Found" Error

**Solution 1:** Make sure mod_rewrite is enabled
```bash
# Check if mod_rewrite is loaded
# In XAMPP, go to Apache > Config > httpd.conf
# Search for "LoadModule rewrite_module"
```

**Solution 2:** Verify AllowOverride is set to All
```apache
<Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs">
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>
```

**Solution 3:** Check RewriteBase in `.htaccess`
```apache
# Make sure this matches your actual path
RewriteBase /Xchange_Admin/admin/
```

### Problem: "Internal Server Error" (500)

**Solution:** Check Apache error log
- Open: `C:\xampp\apache\logs\error.log`
- Look for syntax errors in `.htaccess`
- Verify mod_rewrite module is loaded

### Problem: Styles/Scripts Not Loading

**Solution:** This shouldn't happen, but if it does:
- Check browser console for 404 errors
- Verify relative paths in your PHP files
- Clear browser cache

### Problem: Redirects Creating Loops

**Solution:** Make sure you don't have conflicting redirect rules
- Check both root and admin `.htaccess` files
- Disable the 301 redirect section if needed

---

## Features Included

### 1. Clean URL Rewriting ✅
- Automatically removes `.php` extensions
- Works with query parameters
- Preserves URL segments

### 2. Security Enhancements ✅
- Prevents direct access to auth files
- Blocks directory browsing
- Protects sensitive files (`.sql`, `.log`, `.env`, etc.)
- Adds security headers (X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, etc.)

### 3. Performance Optimization ✅
- Enables GZIP compression for text files
- Browser caching for static assets
- Reduces page load times

### 4. SEO-Friendly URLs ✅
- Clean, readable URLs
- Optional 301 redirects from old URLs
- Better for search engine indexing

---

## Advanced Configuration

### Exclude Specific Files from Rewriting

If you have files that should NOT be rewritten (like APIs), add them to the exclusion list:

```apache
# In admin/.htaccess
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.*_api\.php$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.*_actions\.php$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/admin/special-file\.php$
```

### Change Base Path

If you deploy to a different directory:

```apache
# Update RewriteBase
RewriteBase /your-new-path/admin/
```

### Enable HTTPS Redirect (Production)

When ready for production, uncomment in root `.htaccess`:

```apache
# Force HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST%}/$1 [R=301,L]
```

---

## File Structure

```
Xchange_Admin/
├── .htaccess                    # Root configuration
├── admin/
│   ├── .htaccess               # Admin URL rewriting
│   ├── dashboard.php           # Accessible via /admin/dashboard
│   ├── registrations.php       # Accessible via /admin/registrations
│   ├── delegates.php           # Accessible via /admin/delegates
│   └── includes/
│       └── admin_nav.php       # Updated with clean URLs
```

---

## Maintenance Notes

### When Adding New Admin Pages

New PHP files will automatically work with clean URLs:

1. Create: `admin/new-page.php`
2. Access via: `http://localhost/Xchange_Admin/admin/new-page`
3. No additional configuration needed!

### When Updating Links

Always use clean URLs in your code:
```php
// Good ✅
<a href="dashboard">Dashboard</a>
<a href="settings?tab=email">Email Settings</a>

// Avoid ❌
<a href="dashboard.php">Dashboard</a>
```

### Backup Strategy

Before making changes:
1. Keep the `.htaccess` files in version control
2. Test changes in development first
3. Have a rollback plan for production

---

## Support

If you encounter issues:

1. Check Apache error logs: `C:\xampp\apache\logs\error.log`
2. Verify mod_rewrite is enabled
3. Test with simple URLs first
4. Gradually add complexity

---

## Production Deployment

When moving to production:

1. **Update RewriteBase** in both `.htaccess` files
2. **Enable HTTPS redirect**
3. **Test thoroughly** on staging first
4. **Monitor error logs** after deployment
5. **Update any hardcoded URLs** in your codebase

---

## Quick Reference

### Enable mod_rewrite
```apache
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
```

### Allow .htaccess
```apache
<Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs">
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>
```

### Test URL Pattern
```
Old: /admin/[filename].php
New: /admin/[filename]
```

---

**✅ Your admin panel now has professional, clean URLs!**

