Access methods

When a request arrives, Exponential has to decide which siteaccess answers it. It looks at the request's path, host name or port, in an order you choose, and takes the first siteaccess that matches. The rules are in site.ini [SiteAccessSettings], in settings/override/site.ini.append.php, because they are needed before any siteaccess is known.

The match order

MatchOrder lists the methods to try, separated by semicolons; the default is uri;host;port. Each method is tried in turn until one gives a siteaccess listed in AvailableSiteAccessList[]. When none matches, [SiteSettings] DefaultAccess is used.

Three common layouts

# One host, the siteaccess as the first path element:
#   https://example.com/site/...   https://example.com/admin/...
[SiteAccessSettings]
MatchOrder=uri
URIMatchType=element

# A host per siteaccess
[SiteAccessSettings]
MatchOrder=host
HostMatchType=map
HostMatchMapItems[]
HostMatchMapItems[]=www.example.com;site
HostMatchMapItems[]=admin.example.com;admin
HostMatchMapItems[]=edit.example.com;editor

# A host per site, and a path per language
[SiteAccessSettings]
MatchOrder=host_uri
HostUriMatchMapItems[]
HostUriMatchMapItems[]=www.example.com;ger;site_ger
HostUriMatchMapItems[]=www.example.com;eng;site
HostUriMatchMapItems[]=admin.example.com;;admin

With uri matching, the siteaccess name stays in the addresses of that siteaccess (/admin/content/view/full/2). With host matching the addresses carry no siteaccess name, which is usual for public sites.

Things to watch

• A host map entry can end with a matching method: strict (the default), start, end or part. start and part also match hosts you did not mean, such as example.com.anything; use them only where your web server answers for your own hosts alone.
• Put more specific host_uri entries first: the list is read from the top.
• After changing the matching, clear the INI cache and try every address. If the administration no longer answers, correct settings/override/site.ini.append.php in a shell.
• Addresses without a siteaccess or language, such as example.com/, can be sent to the visitor's language with DefaultHostUriMatchMapItems[]; see Siteaccess by host prefix, and the redirect to the language.