default.php help

[talon]

I have just installed oscommerce and am going thru the security steps. One of the steps says:

Next, add 'default.php' to your directory index listing in the httpd.conf file for apache.

Like most people I go through a hosting service and do not have root access. It says I can set this using .htaccess. Please provide details on how to go about using this method.[/quote]

[michael_s]

Read this:

http://oscdox.com/modules.php?op=mod...tid=118#pid618

[talon]

Ok so here's my uneducated guess of how to write this file.

AuthName "My Super Secure Directory"
AuthType Basic
AuthUserFile /etc/httpd/conf/htpass.conf
require valid-user
DirectoryIndex default.php default.html default.htm index.html index.htm index.php

Is that right? If not could someone post the code. I was aware there is a way to do it, but have no experience writing these files.

Also not sure what the currect path in that file should be.

[michael_s]

Ok, the path to AuthUserFile can be wherever you want it, usually in your home directory on shared hosting, above your web accessable directories. Looks good, this is what I use:

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Locked Area"
AuthUserFile /home/youraccount/.htpasswds/admin/passwd
require valid-user
DirectoryIndex default.php default.html default.htm index.html index.htm index.php

Sometimes your host will have a .htaccess script that you can use right from your control panel. Makes the whole process easy (at least the password protection) You will also need to create the .htpasswds file. This contains encrypted user data.

You can use this site to auto generate your files:
http://www.kelv.net/programming/htaccess/

Makes it really easy!

[talon]

But doesn't that make the directory password protected? I'm a bit confused on how to do this where the directory will not require a password or login, but will recognise default.php

[michael_s]

Well, if you dont want password protection, leave all the password code out. Make your .htaccess with only this line:

DirectoryIndex default.php default.html default.htm index.html index.htm

You don't need anything else in it.

[talon]

Thanx. I ended up just changing the filename from default.php to index.php. Seems to work. Please let me know if anyone has had problems from doing that.

[DenverDave]

I think when I tried changing the file to index.php that some of the links did not work. I ended up changing it back to default.php and calling it by filename from my menu choice (OsCommerce is not the home page on my site.). Maybe earlier version issue or I did not follow it through properly, but I changed back to default.php and moved on.

Dave