These pictools files are all part of the error management tools:
.htaccess- When the
RewriteRules in this file discover that an incoming URL refers to an existing page, that page is returned. Otherwise requests are sent to urlHandler. (If oddball, non-URLerrors occur, they are processed by this page (error.php) as described below.)
urlHandler- Employing numerous strategies--including the
urlmap database--this page decides whether to return a page with mimetype:sendpage, return a picture with servepicture, redirect the request, return an apologetic error with box404, or deem the request to be web scum and relegate it to tarpit.
urlmap- This database lists the treatment for specific URL pefixes; for instance it maps
/readme.txt to /pictools/INDEX.html. The actual treatments are the options entertained by urlHandler. The documentation of this database describes how I use badlinks.xlsx to decide what new urlmap entries are needed. As a result, Physpics accrues no more than a dozen bad URL requests per week.
box404- An apologetic error message inviting the user to search forth from the
index.php page nearest to the request. This is the usual reaction to a missing page instead of the error page shown below.
command- The
/admin/command page is only accessible from one ip address. It displays erroneous incoming URLs and offers a half dozen useful maintenance tasks.
404 and 403 errors are generally handled by forPhyspics:pagefail, dirbar, and box404. For the rare other error, this page gets invoked. (Try teapot.html.) Derived from Wordpress sample code, the code begins by extracting a few $AA_xxxxx variables. It logs the error to /admin/logs/urlerrors.log. Next it sets the status code in the header. Finally it displays this geeky page. Sample:
