Merge pull request #135 from CloudNativeLinz/fix/redirect-urls

Fix/redirect urls

Author: jetzlstorfer

REDIRECT_MANAGEMENT.md

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# Event URL Redirect Management
+
+This guide explains how to manage redirects for your Jekyll-generated event pages to prevent broken links when titles change.
+
+## How It Works
+
+1. **Stable URLs**: Event pages are now generated using stable `slug` fields instead of titles
+2. **Automatic Redirects**: When you change a title, add the old URL to `redirect_from` array
+3. **SEO-Friendly**: Redirects use proper HTTP redirects and canonical URLs
+
+## Configuration
+
+The setup includes:
+- **Modified `_config.yml`**: Uses `slug` field for URL generation
+- **Custom Plugin**: `_plugins/datapage_redirect_generator.rb` handles redirects
+- **Redirect Layout**: `_layouts/redirect.html` creates proper redirect pages
+
+## Managing Redirects
+
+### Step 1: Generate Slugs
+Run the management script to ensure all events have stable slugs:
+```bash
+ruby manage_redirects.rb
+```
+
+### Step 2: Update Event Data
+When changing a title, follow this pattern in `_data/events.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+- id: 34
+  title: "New Updated Title"           # New title
+  slug: "stable-slug-name"             # Keep this the same!
+  redirect_from:                       # Add old URLs here
+    - "/events/meetup/old-title-slug"
+    - "/events/meetup/another-old-url"
+  # ... rest of event data
+```
+
+### Step 3: Build and Deploy
+```bash
+bundle exec jekyll build
+```
+
+## Example Scenario
+
+**Original Event:**
+```yaml
+- id: 34
+  title: "Beyond k8s and OpenSource Metrics"
+  slug: "beyond-k8s-and-opensource-metrics"
+```
+URL: `/events/meetup/beyond-k8s-and-opensource-metrics/`
+
+**After Title Change:**
+```yaml
+- id: 34
+  title: "Advanced Kubernetes and Metrics"  # New title
+  slug: "beyond-k8s-and-opensource-metrics" # Same slug = same URL
+  redirect_from:
+    - "/events/meetup/34-cloud-native-computing-linz-meetup"  # Old URL still works
+```
+
+## Benefits
+
+1. **No Broken Links**: Old URLs automatically redirect to new ones
+2. **SEO Preserved**: Search engines follow redirects properly
+3. **User-Friendly**: Visitors never see 404 errors
+4. **Future-Proof**: Easy to add more redirects as needed
+
+## Testing
+
+1. Build the site: `bundle exec jekyll build`
+2. Serve locally: `bundle exec jekyll serve`
+3. Test old URLs in browser to confirm redirects work
+4. Check that new URLs display the correct content
+
+## Maintenance
+
+- Keep slugs stable once created
+- Always add old URLs to `redirect_from` when changing titles
+- Run `ruby manage_redirects.rb` to ensure all events have slugs
+- Regularly test redirects after deployments

_config.yml

@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ page_gen:
   - data: 'events'
     dir: 'events/meetup'
     template: 'event'
-    name: 'title'
+    name: 'slug'