Installing WordPress with /wp path leads to redirect loop when index.html redirects to a shopping cart

Question

So on my site, my shopping cart is located at example.com/zc2

I use this .htaccess file

RewriteEngine On

Redirect /index.html example.com/zc2/

So that anyone that lands on example.com will be redirected to my shopping cart.

All good, but now if I try and install WordPress at example.com/wp then browsers get stuck in a redirect loop.

I am positive it is my badly crafted .htaccess file.

What can I do to fix this?

Answer 1

RewriteEngine On

Redirect /index.html example.com/zc2/

Aside: I assume this must be a "typo" in your question, but this mod_alias Redirect directive is completely invalid (you are missing a protocol from the target URL) - this would break your server with a 500 Internal Server Error - "Redirect to non-URL"!?

Also, RewriteEngine (mod_rewrite) and Redirect (mod_alias) are unrelated directives from different Apache modules.

What can I do to fix this?

However, I suspect the "redirect loop" might be caused by a miss-configured WordPress .htaccess file in the /wp subdirectory. If you are inadvertently rewriting back to the document root, instead of the /wp subdirectory, then you'll get a redirect loop.

The Redirect directive is also "prefix-matching" - it matches any URL that starts with the source URL. If you are intending to redirect a specific path (ie. the document root) it would be preferable to use a RedirectMatch directive (or mod_rewrite RewriteRule - see later) instead. For example:

RedirectMatch 302 ^/(index\.html)?$ https://example.com/zc2/

This now only matches / (or /index.html) and redirects to example.com/zc2/.

Using mod_rewrite (RewriteRule) instead

The mod_alias directive (Redirect or RedirectMatch) in the document root .htaccess file is still processed (inherited) when there are other .htaccess files in subdirectories (ie. the WordPress /wp/.htaccess file).

To avoid the redirect in the root .htaccess file from ever interfering with your WordPress install then change the mod_alias Redirect (or RedirectMatch) in your document root .htaccess file to a mod_rewrite RewriteRule instead.

For example:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^(index\.html)?$ https://example.com/zc2/ [R=302,L]

The mod_rewrite directives in the WordPress .htaccess file at /wp/.htaccess will completely override the mod_rewrite directives in the parent .htaccess file (in the document root) - thus avoiding any possibility of conflict. The mod_rewrite directives in the root .htaccess file are not even processed.

(Note that this is dependent on Apache's default behaviour, where mod_rewrite directives are not inherited.)

Whereas when a mod_alias Redirect is used, the mod_alias directive in the parent .htaccess file will still be processed (whether it matches or not is another matter) - possible conflict.

If example.com/ is accessed then the redirect to example.com/zc2/ still occurs.

Note, that I've used 302 (temporary) redirects above. Change these to 301 (permanent) - if that is the intention - only when you have confirmed it's working OK. This is to avoid any potential caching issues.

Answer 2

There should be no need to use a redirect rule or condition since your simply redirecting the base to a sub folder and therefore those sub folders if linked too wouldn't need th redirect.

Try something like this in /.htaccess file:

Redirect 301 / https://example.com/zc2/

Then this in your /WordPress/.htaccess file:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /WordPress/
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress