{"id":151,"date":"2016-01-14T10:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T10:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/help.getfoxyproxy.org\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=151"},"modified":"2016-03-01T11:56:04","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T11:56:04","slug":"url-patterns","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/help.getfoxyproxy.com\/index.php\/knowledge-base\/url-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"URL Patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the FoxyProxy browser extension is set to Use proxies based on their pre-defined patterns and priorities<\/strong>, the browser asks FoxyProxy if a proxy should be used to load URLs. FoxyProxy answers this question by attempting to match the current URL with all of the URL patterns you’ve configured. This process is extremely fast. There are two ways to match URLs with FoxyProxy: wildcards<\/a> or regular expressions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more about how FoxyProxy uses patterns here: The FoxyProxy Rules Engine: Whitelists, Blacklists, and Patterns<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Please note that all patterns — white and black — are ignored when FoxyProxy is set to “Use proxy XXXX for all URLs”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whitelists and Blacklists<\/h4>\n

When you write a URL pattern, you must select whether it is either a whitelisted<\/a> pattern or a blacklisted<\/a> pattern. Whitelist patterns define URLs that should be loaded through a proxy, while blacklist patterns define URLs that should not<\/strong> be loaded through the proxy specified for this pattern<\/strong>. Every proxy you define can have its own whitelist patterns and blacklist patterns. If a URL matches patterns in both the whitelist and<\/strong> the blacklist for a proxy, the blacklist takes priority; the URL is not<\/strong> loaded through that<\/i><\/strong> proxy. It may, however, load through another proxy you’ve defined if that proxy has a matching whitelist pattern and no matching blacklist pattern.<\/p>\n

Wildcards<\/h4>\n

Wildcards<\/a> are pervasive throughout computing; you’ve most likely seen them before. The asterisk<\/a> (*) substitutes as a wildcard character for zero or more characters, and the question mark (?) substitutes as a wildcard character for any one character. In Linux, this is referred to as glob expansion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wildcard Examples<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: *.yahoo.com\/*<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Everything in Yahoo’s domain<\/td>\nhttp:\/\/mail.google.com\/<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: *mail.yahoo.com* <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
http:\/\/mail.yahoo.com\/
\nhttps:\/\/1.mail.yahoo.com.spoof.net\/
\nhttp:\/\/mail.yahoo.com\/clownshoes\/
\nhttp:\/\/mail.yahoo.com\/inbox\/123.html
\nftp:\/\/mail.yahoo.com<\/td>\n		http:\/\/maps.yahoo.com<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: http:\/\/??.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown
\nhttp:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown
\nhttp:\/\/cs.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown<\/td>\n		https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown
\nhttp:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown\/
\nftp:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Clown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: http:\/\/digg.com\/ <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
http:\/\/digg.com\/<\/td>\nhttp:\/\/digg.com
\nhttp:\/\/www.digg.com\/<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: *:\/\/*.asimov.???\/* <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ftp:\/\/ftp.asimov.net\/
\nftp:\/\/ftp.asimov.com\/theory.html
\nhttp:\/\/bear.asimov.net\/mom\/
\nhttps:\/\/isaac.asimov.org\/hercules
\ngopher:\/\/asimov.net\/<\/td>\n		ftp:\/\/ftp.asimov.co.uk
\nhttp:\/\/isaac.home.com\/tin.php<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: * <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Matches everything<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
URL Pattern: http:\/\/www.abc.com\/foo.html <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Some Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Some Non-Matches<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
http:\/\/www.abc.com\/foo.html<\/td>\nEverything but http:\/\/www.abc.com\/foo.html<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Common Mistakes When Writing Wildcard Patterns<\/h4>\n

Here are some common mistakes when writing wildcard patterns. The valid equivalent is shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Invalid<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Valid<\/h6>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
http:\/\/www.myspace.com<\/td>\nhttp:\/\/www.myspace.com\/*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
localhost, 127.0.0.1<\/td>\nMust be TWO patterns:
\n*:\/\/localhost\/*
\n*:\/\/127.0.0.1\/*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
.abc.com<\/td>\n*.abc.com\/*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
eric.abc.com<\/td>\n*eric.abc.com\/*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

My blacklist pattern doesn’t seem to work<\/h4>\n

I need to disable proxy routing when I go to addresses like 71.0.0.93. I created URL pattern *71.0.0.93* and switch entry to “Blacklist” option but there’s no effect on routing.<\/i><\/p>\n

Make sure you follow these steps (#3 and #4 are often forgotten):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Define proxy using “Add New Proxy” button. Enter details on Proxy Details tab.<\/li>\n
  2. On URL Patterns tab, enter blacklist pattern, like *71.0.0.93*<\/li>\n
  3. Enter whitelist pattern, like * (MATCH EVERYTHING)<\/li>\n
  4. Set FoxyProxy to “Use proxies based on their pre-defined patterns and priorities”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can confirm that 71.0.0.93 is NOT going through the proxy by turning on FoxyProxy Logging (Logging tab -> Enabled checkbox, use Refresh button after visiting 71.0.0.93). Logging is not yet available on FoxyProxy for Chrome.<\/p>\n

    Other problems\/questions with patterns? Be sure to read this<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Regular Expressions<\/h4>\n

    Regular expressions<\/a> are also pervasive throughout computing, although they are sometimes considered an advanced topic. Regular expressions are like “wildcards on steroids” because they are more powerful and flexible, but their goal is similar to wildcards: define a means to find arbitrary text within a string.<\/p>\n

    For those already familiar with regular expressions, FoxyProxy adheres to the JavaScript regular expression syntax. When in doubt, refer to this guide<\/a> and the more technical, more thorough ECMAScript Language Specification<\/a> [pdf], chapter 15.10. Some points to note:<\/p>\n