Helping @cole007 get a htaccess rewrite rule working

gistfile1.txt

RewriteEngine On

# add-ons rewrite rule. Note absence of slash in "rewrite to" (second portion of rewriterule)
# this makes the rewrite relative to the directroy of the .htaccess file unless RewriteBase is defined
RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]

# The "most generic" rule comes last, as "more specific" rules should match first.
# Added a check to see if we've already got .php in the URL.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.php$
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

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COLES HTACCESS ORIGINAL 
-----------------

RewriteEngine on  
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)/$ /$1 [R=permanent,QSA]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f

RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

----------------
EDS UPDATED - Use line 31 onwards in your htaccess file for a working version
----------------

RewriteEngine on  

# The specific add-ons rewrite rule should come first as it is most specific.
RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]

# Next, the rule to remove trailing slashes.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)/$ /$1 [R=permanent,QSA]

# Finally, the "catch all" redirect.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

I get the same, which is encouraging as it means we are definitely doing something wrong :)

OK
The rule:
RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]
is fine.

It is a problem with

RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

I believe that this rule "maps back" to itself, i.e. asda redirects to asda.php with redirects to asda.php.php which redirects to asda.php.php.php.

Hmmm, there is a RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f that should be preventing redirects on files.
Is there a way to put a RewriteCond to eg ignore anything already with a PHP suffix?

Here's the htaccess in full:

RewriteEngine on  
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)/$ /$1 [R=permanent,QSA]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f

RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

This is my working test case, I think:

RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.php$
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

Was returning error where directories were redirecting too.
However reiterating earlier RewriteCond seems to have fixed!

RewriteEngine on  
# rules go here

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.+)/$ /$1 [R=permanent,QSA]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f

RewriteCond $1 !\.php$
RewriteRule ^add-ons/apps/([a-zA-Z0-9-/]+)$ add-ons/apps.php?s=$1 [L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f

RewriteRule ^(.+)$ $1.php [L,QSA]

Works wouldn't expect to have to (re)state the conditions twice!

Thanks for all your help with this Ed!

Hi cole

a "working implementation" is included in the gist at the top of this page if you refresh

The reason it wasn't working is because the RewriteCond rules (which say that the subsequent rewrite rule should apply only if those conditions are met) only apply to the next rewrite rule. I.e. they apply only to the rewrite rule immediately afterwards, not any other subsequent rewrite rules.

Because you had placed a new rewrite rule in the middle of the conditions and the "catch all" redirect, the conditions were no longer applying to the "catch all" redirect and so the check (does this filename exist in php form - the line that says %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.php -f) - was not being executed for the catch all redirect.

Hopefully his makes sense