Remove index.php from Expression Engine on Network Solutions
Posted February 04, 2010 in Web Design | Comments 4
Network Solutions and Expression Engine
How do I remove the index.php from Expression Engine on Network Solutions? That is a frequently asked question around the EE forums. For some time people said that didn't think it was possible. This is, however, not the case. It is quite simple to hide the index.php on an Expression Engine website hosted by Network Solutions.
But before I explain how it can be done - I would pose another question to you: Why are you hosting with Network Solutions? It is a nightmare. Their servers run the normally elegant Expression Engine system at a glacial pace. Its painful really. I've developed three Expression Engine websites on NetSol, and each time I am reminded of why NOT to host Expression Engine websites with them.
My advice - Engine Hosting. EE runs like a dream on Engine Hosting servers and their prices aren't that unrealistic by comparison (sure they are a bit more costly but you do get what you pay for).
Removing The Index.php
1.) Navigate to the ADMIN tab of your Expression Engine control Panel.
2.) Select "System Preferences" from the list of options.
3.) From the System Preferences menu of options, select the "General Configuration" link.
4.) Locate the "Name of your site's index page" row.
5.) In the text field for the "Name of your site's index page" remove the index.php entry.
6.) Click the update button and you are all set.
I should note that I have only used this process in conjunction with the LG .htaccess generator extension from Leevi Graham. I can't say it will work otherwise. However, the LG .htaccess extension is a brilliant add-on for Expression Engine, so it shouldn't hurt to include it in your site regardless.
When optimizing your Expression Engine website on Network Solutions you want to be sure to name your database via the assignment provided by Network Solutions. In your configuration file (config.php) located in the "system folder" your db_hostname declaration may be assigned to the IP address of your database. You most likely assigned your database IP when installing ExpressionEngine on the host. If you log into your network solution account and view your database settings, you can locate the name assignment. It will most likely begin with "mysqlv..." Using the name assignment of your database rather than the IP address will improve your site response time.
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jess posted on August 31, 2010:
Have you had any luck with this using EE2? Network Solutoins has been killing me, and the LG .htaccess extension doesn’t exist for EE2. I tried following the same steps with the NSM .htaccess Generator but it didn’t seem to work.
Mediasuture posted on September 01, 2010:
Hi Jess, I’ve emailed you an htaccess snippet that should help you out with EE2 on Network Solutions shared hosting. Hopefully it helps. The work around was provided by Mr. Elliot Haughin to the Expression Engine community. If you need a different email issued contact me via the contact form on this site.
Tim posted on September 29, 2011:
A web designer using EE cannot get the site to work on NetSol. The compatibility wizard shows “No” for “MySQL (Version 4.1+) support in PHP”. Using nsShared hosting. Any suggestions?
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Marcus posted on February 21, 2010:
Man, thanks so much! I’ve looked everywhere for this solution. The threads on the EE forum I searched said that it couldn’t be removed from a Network Solutions website even with LG .htaccess extension. I tried your steps and they worked!