PATH+Module+and+Clean+URL's

**__PATH Module: Readable and Clean URL’s__**
This tutorial is a brief guide to using the core ‘PATH’ module to create custom URL aliases for web addresses throughout your site. Two primary benefits for employing the 'PATH' module are as follows:

Superior ranking priority is given to pages with ‘human-friendly' URL’s. In other words, search engine crawlers can navigate your site with greater intelligence simply by you supplying human-readable addresses in the place of default machine code (ie. ?q=node/42 )
 * (1) SEO Benefits:**

Perception is key. Machine code looks unprofessional, and gives the impression that you were too lazy to customize your site addresses. Moreover, human-readable addresses are specific to your core audience, and enhance usability/wayfinding by better orienting the user in relation to site location/page content.
 * (2) End-User Benefits:**

__ACTIVATING THE PATH MODULE AND CUSTOM URL'S__

By default, Drupal generates addresses that look like this:
 * http://www.example.com/?q=node/42**

In contrast, the 'PATH' module permits more user-friendly addresses to be created using keywords that more appropriately refer to page content, such as this: **http://www.example.com/?q=CV-profile**

To activate the 'PATH' module, navigate to the ‘Configuration’ menu within Drupal.

*Note: Areas of interest are highlighted in green

Now, look for the ‘Search and Metadata’ section heading. Within that section, navigate to ‘URL Aliases’.



Within the ‘URL Aliases’ window, you will be required to provide two pieces of information in order to customize your URL. First is the ‘Existing System Path’. This is the current path/address that you wish to change. In order to find out what the existing address is, you can simply navigate to it in your browser, then copy and paste it into the required field.

Secondly, is the ‘Path Alias’ field. This is the subsequent (new) address that you would like to change over to.

*Note: I discovered that using a space between multiple words would cause an error in the display of the address within the browser. Instead, use a dash between words.



As you can see in the example above, the page address that I want to change is currently ‘node/12’ (slash is required). The address I would like to replace it with is ‘CV-profile’, to reflect the actual page content. Once you have input both pieces of information, hit ‘Save’.

Here is an example of what the address looked like previously in my browser:



And here is what it changed to after employing the 'PATH' module customization:



__FURTHER URL CUSTOMIZATION: (Optional)__

In addition, the 'PATH' module can be combined with the ‘Clean URL’s’ feature to further optimize human readability by eliminating the **‘?q=’** prefix.

To activate ‘Clean URL’s’, simply navigate to the same section heading, labeled ‘Search and Metadata’, within the ‘Configuration’ menu. This time choose ‘Clean URL’s.



Click on the ‘Run The Clean URL Test’ button. Your result should look like this:

*Note: Notice that the ‘?q=’ prefix is now gone from the address.



For more information on the ‘PATH’ module and ‘Clean URL’s’ customization, including troubleshooting, see the following addresses:

PATH Module >> @http://drupal.org/documentation/modules/path

Clean URL’s >> @http://drupal.org/getting-started/clean-urls