The Pathauto module on Drupal generates URLs for user content without requiring them to manually enter the path alias. At Bobcares, with our Server Management Services, we can handle your Drupal issues.

Pathauto on Drupal

The Pathauto module creates URL/path aliases for various types of content like nodes, taxonomy terms, and users. It doesn’t need the user to specify the path alias manually. This enables the use of URL aliases such as /category/my-node-title rather than /node/123. The aliases are based on a “pattern” system that employs tokens. These tokens are changeable by the admin.

Installation of Pathauto on Drupal

We can use the below steps to install and enable the Pathauto module on Drupal:

1. On the server, install the Pathauto module as well as the needed Chaos Tools and Token modules.

2. Navigate to the Extend page. Then go to Manage >> Extend.

3. Select the Pathauto checkbox and then click the Install button at the bottom of the page.

Setup of Pathauto on Drupal

The Pathauto module adds four tabs to the URL aliases admin page. They are Patterns, Settings, Bulk Generate, and Delete Aliases. In this article, we will see more about Patterns and Settings:

1. Navigate to the Pathauto admin page (Coffee: “URL aliases”).

• Go to Manage > Extend.
• Locate Pathauto from the module list.
• Click the down arrow in the description to expand the Pathauto module section.
• Within the expanded description area, select the Configure link.

2. Select the Settings tab.

3. Select Create a new alias from the Update action section. Delete the previous alias. This ensures that when titles are changed, the URL changes as well.

4. Check the box that says “Reduce strings to letters and numbers.” If we use punctuation or special characters in the blog and page titles, it’s good to make sure they are changed to something more basic and easily readable.

5. Make sure to save the configuration by clicking the Save configuration button at the bottom of the page when changes are made.

6. Also, scroll back down to the Update action section and click on the Redirect module settings link.

7. Now confirm the settings as follows:

• Check the box next to the “Automatically create redirects when URL aliases are changed” option.
• Check the box next to the “Retain query string through redirect” option.
• Change the “Default redirect status” setting to “301 Moved Permanently.”

8. Make sure to click the Save configuration button at the bottom of the page after making any changes.

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Conclusion

To conclude, the article provides a brief explanation of the installation and setup of the Pathauto module on Drupal.