How can I create custom URL routes?

Question

I have a very peculiar requirement, but hopefully I can explain it without being too confusing. I created a page template where I list some properties I get from an external XML file. So far no problems, and let's say the URL is like this:

http://www.example.com/properties/

Each property has a link that should redirect the user to a "Single Property" page that displays more information about it. I was wondering if there's a way to make the link like this:

http://www.example.com/properties/123

Where 123 would be the id of the property. So if I have the URL like properties/some_id I want to be able to load a view file (like the single.php or page.php files), but specific to this URL condition.

Is this possible?

Answer 1

Add this to your theme's functions.php, or put it in a plugin.

add_action( 'init', 'wpse26388_rewrites_init' );
function wpse26388_rewrites_init(){
    add_rewrite_rule(
        'properties/([0-9]+)/?$',
        'index.php?pagename=properties&property_id=$matches[1]',
        'top' );
}

add_filter( 'query_vars', 'wpse26388_query_vars' );
function wpse26388_query_vars( $query_vars ){
    $query_vars[] = 'property_id';
    return $query_vars;
}

This adds a rewrite rule which directs requests to /properties/ with any combination of numbers following to pagename properties, with the query var property_id set. Just be sure to visit your permalinks settings page and save to flush rewrite rules, so this new rule will be included.

In your page-properties.php template, get_query_var('property_id') will return the property id if it was set, if it's not then show the default properties page.

Answer 2

Another way to do it:

add_action('init', function() {
    add_rewrite_rule( '^properties/([0-9]+)/?',
                      'index.php?pagename=properties&property_id=$matches[1]',
                      'top' );
}, 10, 0);

add_action('init', function() {
    add_rewrite_tag( '%property_id%', '([^&]+)' );
}, 10, 0);

Codex Rewrite API/add rewrite rule

Codex Rewrite API/add rewrite tag