Redirect Article

Delete a markdown article from the repository and create a redirect entry that points users to a different article. This ensures existing links and bookmarks continue to work after content is reorganized.

When to Use

• Deleting an article that should redirect to another existing article

• Consolidating multiple articles into a single article

• Renaming or moving an article to a new location

• Removing outdated content while preserving URL functionality

Steps

Required: Use the provided script

DO NOT manually edit files or JSON. Use the create-redirect-entry.ps1 script to handle the redirect creation automatically.

• Delete the source article - Remove the original markdown file from the repository using Remove-Item .

• Create a redirect entry - REQUIRED: Use the create-redirect-entry.ps1 script (see below) to add the redirect entry to the appropriate JSON file. Do not manually edit the JSON file.

• Update internal links - Search the repository for links to the old article and update them to point to the new article.

Redirection File Selection

To determine the correct redirection file for an article:

• Search for existing redirects - Search the .openpublishing.redirection.*.json files for entries with paths similar to your source article (same folder or parent folder).

• Match by path prefix - Use the redirection file that contains entries with the longest matching path prefix to your source article.

• Use the reference table - If no existing entries match, consult the table below based on the content area.

Reference table:

Product Area Redirection File

AI .openpublishing.redirection.ai.json

Architecture .openpublishing.redirection.architecture.json

.NET Aspire .openpublishing.redirection.aspire.json

Azure .openpublishing.redirection.azure.json

.NET Core .openpublishing.redirection.core.json

C# .openpublishing.redirection.csharp.json

Desktop WPF .openpublishing.redirection.desktop-wpf.json

.NET Framework .openpublishing.redirection.framework.json

.NET Framework WinForms .openpublishing.redirection.framework-winforms.json

.NET Framework WPF .openpublishing.redirection.framework-wpf.json

F# .openpublishing.redirection.fsharp.json

.NET Fundamentals .openpublishing.redirection.fundamentals.json

Machine Learning .openpublishing.redirection.machine-learning.json

Navigate .openpublishing.redirection.navigate.json

Orleans .openpublishing.redirection.orleans.json

.NET Standard .openpublishing.redirection.standard.json

Visual Basic .openpublishing.redirection.visual-basic.json

Default/General .openpublishing.redirection.json

Scripts

create-redirect-entry.ps1

ALWAYS use this script to add redirect entries. This script adds the entry in alphabetical order and handles formatting. It supports both source_path_from_root and source_path properties when reading existing entries.

Location (relative to this skill file): ./scripts/create-redirect-entry.ps1

Parameter Required Description

RedirectionFile

Yes The redirection JSON file name (e.g., .openpublishing.redirection.csharp.json )

SourcePath

Yes Repository path of the deleted article (with or without leading / )

RedirectUrl

Yes Destination URL to redirect to

Example:

.\scripts\create-redirect-entry.ps1 -RedirectionFile ".openpublishing.redirection.csharp.json" -SourcePath "docs/csharp/fundamentals/old-article.md" ` -RedirectUrl "/dotnet/csharp/fundamentals/new-article"

Redirect Entry Format

{ "source_path_from_root": "/docs/csharp/fundamentals/old-article.md", "redirect_url": "/dotnet/csharp/fundamentals/new-article" }

• source_path_from_root: File path from the repository root, starting with / (preferred property)

• source_path: Legacy property without leading / (some older files use this)

• redirect_url: URL path to redirect to (starts with /dotnet/ )

Note: The script handles both source_path_from_root and source_path when reading existing entries, but always writes new entries using source_path_from_root .

Important Notes

• Redirect entries are sorted alphabetically by path (ignoring the leading / for source_path_from_root ).

• Always determine the correct redirection file by searching for existing entries with similar paths before running the script.

• Always search the repository for links to the old article and update them.

• The redirect_url shouldn't include the file extension or domain—just the URL path.