making user friendly urls in a cms

Question

Hi all.

I am interested in the architecture of a CMS where i can pass a full URL instead of a query string.

I would like to make a site that could handle a request to any page... Say 'http://www.my-domain.com/directory/page.aspx' and have the resulting response deliver a generic page/file.

I would like the request to be passed through an XML document where i could store page names and the corresponding file to render content...

My question specifically

1. Is this possible
2. Is it easy to do
3. Are there any Links people have on hand they could share with me on the how to's.
4. Any pro's or cons you may have come across if you have used this method.

Answer 1

Yes, it's possible, and reasonable easy. Most CMSes do it this way, but use a database instead of an XML file.

You should probably look into URL rewriting. The concept is to separate the URL structure from the actual filesystem representation.

For .NET: UrlRewriting.Net is a gem.

However, since there are hundreds of fantastic CMSes already out there like you describe, I'd suggest using one of them and saving yourself work. Provide more detailed requirements and I can suggest one.