Tech note FS1303
Description
What does the Analyze Subdirs checkbox do?
Answer
The Analyze subdirs (when specifying a directory instead of a file)checkbox on the Report Request Form is mis-named. It really should be named something like Match any URL starting with this string.
When the checkbox is checked, FlashStats will analyze all requested documents that begin with the specified string. For example, if the string is just /, it will match all strings beginning with a slash, which effectively means all documents on your web site. If the string is /images/, it will match all documents in the /images subdirectory and all subdirectories of /images.
When the checkbox is cleared, FlashStats will analyze requests for the specified document only. For example, if the string is just /, it will only match requests for the home page of your web site. If the string is /products/list.htm, FlashStats will only count requests made for the list.htm document in the /products directory.
It is important to note one minor clarification to the above description. Some web servers log requests for the default document with the default document name. For example, let's assume that the default document name for directories on your web site is default.htm. When a user requests your home page, some web servers will log this as a request for / while others will append the default document name and log the request as /default.htm. If your web server appends the default document name and you wish to analyze results for just the home page, then you must clear the Analyze Subdirs checkbox and set the associated Page to Analyze string to /default.htm instead of just leaving it set to /.
