I’ve had this idea for quite some time and could find any solution , so I was about to start coding but though it’s better to share it with you before I start to make sure that no one else is working on something similar. I appreciate it if you let me know what you think
Introduction
There seems to be no unified library to simplify integrating with webserver softwares and their configuration files like .htaccess (Apache) web.config (IIS) etc. Which makes it almost impossible for Drupal developers to fully integrate with all the powerful features these webservers have to offer without having to be worried about differences, manually editing files, conflict with changes made by other modules and a safe way to keep these settings up-to-date with latest modules’ changes.
These module is an attempt to address all these issues and finally making proper integration with webservers possible.
Version 1
In first version there will be no unified syntax since it’s not an easy thing to implement and requires good understanding of difference between popular web servers. However it will come with some very useful features:
- Module hook to introduce supported webservers , require webserver configs and define some indicators so webserver integration can check whether their changes is applied or not
- Module hook to alter webservice configuration file in text format (For example using regular expression). The running webservice will be send in as a parameter
- Hook for defining new configuration files in different locations (by default root and sites are already defined)
- Reporting the status of configuration file on Drupal status page and via cron by registering an error if the configuration was not correct (by comparing checksum)
- Admin page to show the altered configuration file and save it if possible or describing to user how to save to manually
Version 2
In second version, a simple group based cross webserver array will be implemented and developers can alternately use it when their configurations are not complex. (with support for Drupal default config file in this format). Example for groups are (Url Manipulation , Url Redirect, Error Handling , Compression, Access Control, Cache)
Version 3
A more complex and more flexible syntax will to implemented and module also helps users to config the aspect of their webserver which out of the direct reach of module and check whether they’ve been applied correctly.