Shouldn't the two patterns (/.*) and (.*) match the same string? My real question is actually: where did the "abc" go? Something funky seems to be happening inside the mod_rewrite engine...

Given this .htaccess file in www/dir/:

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule (/.*) print_url_args.php?result=$1

A request for http://localhost/dir/abc/123/ results in:

• result ($1) = "/123/"
• $_REQUEST_URI = "/dir/abc/123/"

If the / is removed from the pattern like RewriteRule (.*) print_url_args.php?result=$1

The same request for http://localhost/dir/abc/123/ results in:

• result ($1) = "print_url_args.php"
• $_REQUEST_URI = "/dir/abc/123/"

---

update: posted rewrite log.

127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] add path info postfix: C:/db/www/dir/abc -> C:/db/www/dir/abc/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip per-dir prefix: C:/db/www/dir/abc/123/ -> abc/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] applying pattern '(/.*)$' to uri 'abc/123/'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (2) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] rewrite 'abc/123/' -> 'print_url_args.php?result=/123/'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (3) split uri=print_url_args.php?result=/123/ -> uri=print_url_args.php, args=result=/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] add per-dir prefix: print_url_args.php -> C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (2) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip document_root prefix: C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php -> /dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23cd4a8/initial] (1) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] internal redirect with /dir/print_url_args.php [INTERNAL REDIRECT]
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#43833c8/initial/redir#1] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip per-dir prefix: C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php -> print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#43833c8/initial/redir#1] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] applying pattern '(/.*)$' to uri 'print_url_args.php'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:21:51 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#43833c8/initial/redir#1] (1) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] pass through C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] add path info postfix: C:/db/www/dir/abc -> C:/db/www/dir/abc/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip per-dir prefix: C:/db/www/dir/abc/123/ -> abc/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] applying pattern '(.*)$' to uri 'abc/123/'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (2) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] rewrite 'abc/123/' -> 'print_url_args.php?result=abc/123/'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (3) split uri=print_url_args.php?result=abc/123/ -> uri=print_url_args.php, args=result=abc/123/
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] add per-dir prefix: print_url_args.php -> C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (2) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip document_root prefix: C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php -> /dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23bf470/initial] (1) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] internal redirect with /dir/print_url_args.php [INTERNAL REDIRECT]
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] strip per-dir prefix: C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php -> print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] applying pattern '(.*)$' to uri 'print_url_args.php'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (2) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] rewrite 'print_url_args.php' -> 'print_url_args.php?result=print_url_args.php'
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (3) split uri=print_url_args.php?result=print_url_args.php -> uri=print_url_args.php, args=result=print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (3) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] add per-dir prefix: print_url_args.php -> C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php
127.0.0.1 - - [15/Feb/2011:14:24:54 +0900] [localhost/sid#1333140][rid#23fda10/initial/redir#1] (1) [perdir C:/db/www/dir/] initial URL equal rewritten URL: C:/db/www/dir/print_url_args.php [IGNORING REWRITE]