The Custom URL Protection feature allows you to restrict or allow access to pages on your website based on URL patterns.
This helps you protect member-only areas, premium content, downloads, or internal sections of your site.
This guide starts with simple rules and gradually moves to advanced use cases.
Before You Start #
Before creating Taxes, make sure:
- The User Registration & Membership Premium plugin is installed and activated
- Content Restriction add-on is activated (Optional)
Applying Custom URL Protection #
Method 1: Via Membership #
- Navigate to: Dashboard → User Registration & Membership→ Membership
- Either:
- Edit existing: Click “Edit” on [Membership Plan Name]
OR
- Create new: Click “Add new”
- Once in the plan settings, go to the `Access` tab
- In the rule editor, locate the “Content” dropdown/button, click to expand the dropdown options, and select “Custom URI” from the menu
- Enter your URL patterns
Method 2: Via Content Restriction Module (Optional) #
- Enable the Content Restriction Module
- Configure Content Rules
- Go to: Dashboard → User Registration & Membership→ Content Rules
- Select the “Custom Rules” tab
- Either
- Create New Rule
- Edit Existing
- In the rule editor, locate the “Content” dropdown/button, click to expand the dropdown options and select “Custom URI” from the menu
- Enter your URL patterns
How URL Matching Works #
When a visitor opens a page, the system looks only at the path portion of the URL.
Example:
https://example.com/blog/my-post/?ref=twitter
The system checks:
/blog/my-post/
Important notes
- Domain name is ignored
- Query strings are ignored
- URL fragments are ignored
- Trailing slashes are respected as part of matching
Basic Pattern Rules #
Exact Path Match #
Use this when you want to restrict only a specific page.
/page/
Matches
- https://example.com/page/
- https://example.com/a/page/
Does not match
- https://example.com/page/test/
- https://example.com/page-test/
Wildcard Patterns #
One-Level Match (/*) #
/page/*
Matches only the direct child pages under /page/.
Matches
- /page/a/
Does not match
- /page/
- /page/a/b/
- /page-test/
Use this when you want to restrict only second-level pages.
Section Match (/**) #
/page/**
Matches the page itself and all of its subpaths.
Matches
- /page/
- /page/a/
- /page/a/b/
This is the recommended pattern for protecting an entire section.
Prefix-Based Matching (Advanced) #
Keyword Prefix Match (*) #
/page*
Matches any URI that starts with /page.
Matches
- /page
- /page/
- /page-test/
- /page123/
Does not match
- /my-page/
- /a/page/
⚠️ Use with caution — this pattern can match more pages than expected.
Broad Prefix Match (**) #
/page**
Matches all variations of /page and all their subpaths.
Matches
- /page/
- /page-test/
- /page123/
- /page/a/
- /page-test/a/b/
This is the broadest pattern and should be used only when intentional.
Pattern Summary Table #
| Pattern | Matches |
| /page/ | Exact page only |
| /page/* | One level under /page/ |
| /page/** | /page/ and all subpaths |
| /page* | Any URI starting with /page |
| /page** | Any /page variation and all subpaths |
Common Use Cases #
Protect a Single Page #
/account/
Restricts only the account page.
Protect Only Direct Child Pages #
/courses/*
Restricts:
- /courses/101/
- /courses/advanced/
Allows:
- /courses/
- /courses/advanced/lesson-1/
Protect an Entire Section #
/members/**
Restricts:
- /members/
- /members/profile/
- /members/downloads/file.pdf
Protect Pages That Start With a Keyword #
/promo*
Restricts:
- /promo
- /promo-2024/
- /promo-special/
Protect All Variations and Subpaths #
/promo**
Restricts:
- /promo/
- /promo-old/
- /promo/a/b/
Combining Multiple Patterns #
Use the | character to apply OR logic.
/members/** | /premium/** | /vip/**
If any pattern matches, access is restricted.
Excluding Pages (Negation) #
Allow Specific Pages Inside Restricted Areas #
Use ! to exclude a page from restriction.
/members/** | !/members/free-trial/
Restricts everything under /members/
Allows /members/free-trial/
Best Practices #
- Always start patterns with /
- Prefer /page/** for section-level protection
- Use /page* and /page** carefully
- Test patterns before publishing
Testing Checklist #
Before saving your rule:
- List URLs that should be restricted
- List similar URLs that should remain accessible
- Test both cases manually
Example
Pattern:
/members/**
| URL | Expected Result |
| /members/ | Restricted |
| /members/profile/ | Restricted |
| /membership-info/ | Allowed |
Quick Reference #
/page/ → Exact page
/page/* → One level only
/page/** → Page + all subpaths
/page* → Prefix-based match
/page** → Broad prefix + subpaths
