WordPress's rewrite rules are URL rewrite configurations on the server, used to convert beautiful URLs into actual requests. Its working mechanism is to convert addresses like /about into real requests such as index.php?pagename=about through Apache or Nginx modules. 1. WordPress automatically generates rules when saving a permalink, and creates regular expressions to match URLs according to the article type and structure; 2. The rules can be refreshed manually through flush_rewrite_rules(), but they should only be used if necessary such as plug-in activation; 3. If a permalink error occurs, check whether the server enables mod_rewrite, whether the .htaccess file exists, and whether Nginx is configured correctly; 4. Custom rules can use the add_rewrite_rule() function and register query variables; 5. After modifying the rule, you must save the permalink once to take effect. Mastering these mechanisms can help solve 404 problems and implement flexible URL structures.
Understanding WordPress rewrite rules is not actually mysterious. The key is to figure out how it converts beautiful URLs into requests that can actually be processed. WordPress itself provides very friendly permalink settings, but what really works behind it is these rewrite rules. They determine how WordPress recognizes and loads the corresponding content when a user accesses a "pseudo-static" address.
What are WordPress rewrite rules?
WordPress rewrite rules are essentially URL rewrite configurations on servers such as Apache or Nginx, which are used to convert "good-looking" URLs like /about
to real requests like index.php?pagename=about
. These rules are automatically generated by WordPress and usually you don't need to modify them manually, but in some cases (such as custom structures, plug-in conflicts, or different server environments), it is useful to understand how they work.
Common situations include:
- Unable to access after setting up a custom article type
- 404 appears after the permalink changes
- The rules added by the plugin do not work
How does WordPress generate rewrite rules?
WordPress rewrite rules each time you save the permalink settings. It will generate a series of regular expressions to match the URL based on the current article type, taxonomy, archive structure, etc., and specify the corresponding query variables.
For example, if you set a permalink to /year/postname
, WordPress will generate a rule like this:
^([0-9]{4})/([^/] )/?$ → index.php?year=$matches[1]&name=$matches[2]
This means that when a user accesses /2024/hello-world
, the system will parse it into an article page called hello-world released in 2024.
You can refresh these rules manually by calling flush_rewrite_rules()
, but only when plugin activation or theme switching , don't call it frequently, as it will affect performance.
Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting Methods
Sometimes you will find that you set a permalink but return a 404 page. This is usually not a WordPress pot, but the server is not loading rewrite rules correctly.
The checkpoints are as follows:
- Is mod_rewrite enabled in Apache?
- Is there a
.htaccess
file? Is permissions writable? - Is Nginx configured with correct rewrite rules?
If it is Apache, the content of the .htaccess
file is roughly as follows:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c> RewriteEngine On RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d RewriteRule . /index.php [L] </IfModule>
If it is Nginx, you need to add something like the following in the configuration file:
location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args; }
Tips for customizing rewrite rules
Sometimes you want certain URL structures to point to specific functions, such as /events/2024/january
to display an active archive, you can use the add_rewrite_rule()
function to customize the rules.
To give a simple example, add in functions.php
of the topic:
function my_custom_rewrite_rule() { add_rewrite_rule('^events/([0-9]{4})/([az] )/?', 'index.php?event_year=$matches[1]&event_month=$matches[2]', 'top'); } add_action('init', 'my_custom_rewrite_rule');
Don't forget to register new query variables at the same time:
function my_custom_query_vars($vars) { $vars[] = 'event_year'; $vars[] = 'event_month'; return $vars; } add_filter('query_vars', 'my_custom_query_vars');
This way you can use $wp_query->get('event_year')
and $wp_query->get('event_month')
in the template to get the parameters.
Basically that's it. Mastering WordPress rewrite rules can not only help you solve some common 404 problems, but also make you more flexible when making custom structures. But don’t forget, after each change of the rules, remember to go to the background to "save a permalink" or the new rules will not take effect.
The above is the detailed content of How to understand WordPress rewrite rules. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

The main reasons why WordPress causes the surge in server CPU usage include plug-in problems, inefficient database query, poor quality of theme code, or surge in traffic. 1. First, confirm whether it is a high load caused by WordPress through top, htop or control panel tools; 2. Enter troubleshooting mode to gradually enable plug-ins to troubleshoot performance bottlenecks, use QueryMonitor to analyze the plug-in execution and delete or replace inefficient plug-ins; 3. Install cache plug-ins, clean up redundant data, analyze slow query logs to optimize the database; 4. Check whether the topic has problems such as overloading content, complex queries, or lack of caching mechanisms. It is recommended to use standard topic tests to compare and optimize the code logic. Follow the above steps to check and solve the location and solve the problem one by one.

Miniving JavaScript files can improve WordPress website loading speed by removing blanks, comments, and useless code. 1. Use cache plug-ins that support merge compression, such as W3TotalCache, enable and select compression mode in the "Minify" option; 2. Use a dedicated compression plug-in such as FastVelocityMinify to provide more granular control; 3. Manually compress JS files and upload them through FTP, suitable for users familiar with development tools. Note that some themes or plug-in scripts may conflict with the compression function, and you need to thoroughly test the website functions after activation.

Methods to optimize WordPress sites that do not rely on plug-ins include: 1. Use lightweight themes, such as Astra or GeneratePress, to avoid pile-up themes; 2. Manually compress and merge CSS and JS files to reduce HTTP requests; 3. Optimize images before uploading, use WebP format and control file size; 4. Configure.htaccess to enable browser cache, and connect to CDN to improve static resource loading speed; 5. Limit article revisions and regularly clean database redundant data.

TransientsAPI is a built-in tool in WordPress for temporarily storing automatic expiration data. Its core functions are set_transient, get_transient and delete_transient. Compared with OptionsAPI, transients supports setting time of survival (TTL), which is suitable for scenarios such as cache API request results and complex computing data. When using it, you need to pay attention to the uniqueness of key naming and namespace, cache "lazy deletion" mechanism, and the issue that may not last in the object cache environment. Typical application scenarios include reducing external request frequency, controlling code execution rhythm, and improving page loading performance.

The most effective way to prevent comment spam is to automatically identify and intercept it through programmatic means. 1. Use verification code mechanisms (such as Googler CAPTCHA or hCaptcha) to effectively distinguish between humans and robots, especially suitable for public websites; 2. Set hidden fields (Honeypot technology), and use robots to automatically fill in features to identify spam comments without affecting user experience; 3. Check the blacklist of comment content keywords, filter spam information through sensitive word matching, and pay attention to avoid misjudgment; 4. Judge the frequency and source IP of comments, limit the number of submissions per unit time and establish a blacklist; 5. Use third-party anti-spam services (such as Akismet, Cloudflare) to improve identification accuracy. Can be based on the website

When developing Gutenberg blocks, the correct method of enqueue assets includes: 1. Use register_block_type to specify the paths of editor_script, editor_style and style; 2. Register resources through wp_register_script and wp_register_style in functions.php or plug-in, and set the correct dependencies and versions; 3. Configure the build tool to output the appropriate module format and ensure that the path is consistent; 4. Control the loading logic of the front-end style through add_theme_support or enqueue_block_assets to ensure that the loading logic of the front-end style is ensured.

To add custom user fields, you need to select the extension method according to the platform and pay attention to data verification and permission control. Common practices include: 1. Use additional tables or key-value pairs of the database to store information; 2. Add input boxes to the front end and integrate with the back end; 3. Constrain format checks and access permissions for sensitive data; 4. Update interfaces and templates to support new field display and editing, while taking into account mobile adaptation and user experience.

robots.txt is crucial to the SEO of WordPress websites, and can guide search engines to crawl behavior, avoid duplicate content and improve efficiency. 1. Block system paths such as /wp-admin/ and /wp-includes/, but avoid accidentally blocking the /uploads/ directory; 2. Add Sitemap paths such as Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml to help search engines quickly discover site maps; 3. Limit /page/ and URLs with parameters to reduce crawler waste, but be careful not to block important archive pages; 4. Avoid common mistakes such as accidentally blocking the entire site, cache plug-in affecting updates, and ignoring the matching of mobile terminals and subdomains.
