Generating URLs by path

Yii allows you to not only route your URLs to different controller actions but also to generate a URL by specifying a proper internal route and its parameters. This is really useful because you can focus on internal routes while developing your application, and only worry about real URLs before going live.

Tip

Never specify URLs directly and make sure you use the Yii URL toolset. It will allow you to change URLs without rewriting a lot of application code.

Getting ready

1. Create a fresh Yii application using yiic webapp as described in the official guide and find your protected/config/main.php file. Replace the rules array as follows:

   // application components
   'components'=>array(
      …
      // uncomment the following to enable URLs in path-format
      /*
      'urlManager'=>array(
         'urlFormat'=>'path',
         'rules'=>array(
         '<alias:about>' => 'website/page',
         'page/about/<alias:authors>' => 'website/page',
         'page/<alias>...