Extending Link Rewrite Length in PrestaShop 9.x: A Developer's Quick Fix

Extending Link Rewrite Length in PrestaShop 9.x

A PrestaShop forum thread highlights a common issue faced by merchants dealing with products or categories that have names exceeding the default 128-character limit for the link_rewrite field. The original poster, 'chief', encountered this limitation while migrating to PrestaShop 9.0.2 and sought a solution to increase the link_rewrite length to 255 characters.

The user had previously implemented changes in older PrestaShop versions (1.7.x) by modifying the database, a PHP form file, and the Product.php class. However, these modifications were no longer effective in PrestaShop 9.x.

The Solution:

ComGrafPL provided the key to resolving this issue by pinpointing the relevant files where the MAX_LINK_REWRITE_LENGTH constant is defined. The solution involves modifying two files:

• /src/Core/Domain/Category/SeoSettings.php
• /src/Core/Domain/Product/ProductSettings.php

Within these files, locate the following line:

public const MAX_LINK_REWRITE_LENGTH = 128;

Change the value from 128 to 255 (or your desired maximum length) in both files. For example:

public const MAX_LINK_REWRITE_LENGTH = 255;

Important Considerations:

• Database Modification: While the thread doesn't explicitly mention it, ensure that the corresponding database column (link_rewrite in the ps_product_lang and ps_category_lang tables) is also adjusted to accommodate the increased length (e.g., VARCHAR(255)).
• URL Length Limits: Be mindful of practical URL length limits imposed by browsers and search engines. While technically you can increase the link_rewrite length, excessively long URLs can negatively impact SEO and user experience.
• Testing: After making these changes, thoroughly test the functionality by creating or updating products and categories with longer names to ensure that the link_rewrite field is correctly populated and that URLs are generated as expected.

This quick fix allows PrestaShop 9.x users to overcome the default link_rewrite length limitation, enabling them to create more descriptive and SEO-friendly URLs for their products and categories.