URL is "Invalid Target"

[RFenerty]

The example domain and target shown here are modified. Special characters are not changed. I'm trying to create a short link to a long URL.

So let's say I want "hi.example.com" to point to:

iCloud Drive - Apple iCloud

Store, organize and collaborate on files and folders with iCloud Drive. Easily upload, delete or recover files. Changes will sync across your devices with iCloud.

www.icloud.com

When entering this into zoneedit, I created a URL type - also tried an HTTPS type.

For the URL type, I get "Invalid Target"

For URLHTTP type, I get "Domain does not support URLHTTPS"

In both cases, I have included the "HTTPS://" prefix. I assume the problem is that ZoneEdit doesn't support either dashes and/or the #.

Thanks,

Robert

 

[Chris Cherry]

Hello,

Can you check if you have a CNAME record called "will" with a URL target? That is an illegal record and is causing your zone file not to load any new changes. CNAME's can only contain hostnames, not URL paths.

Remove that CNAME record, then try setting up the URL Forward with the target address you mentioned, and all should work.

 

[RFenerty]

First, thanks for the super fast (and highly personalized) reply. I did have a CNAME, now deleted. I then created a number of test URLs, of increasing length and special character inclusion. One, named test7.example.com, worked. Then tried creating "will" and it still got "invalid URL" So I renamed test7 to "will" and everything's good. Not sure what was going on.

 

[Chris Cherry]

Thanks for testing things out and providing the screenshot, RFenerty.

I did further testing, and the issue appears to be with the new DNS editor. You are on the right track - anything in the URL that isn't alphanumeric or a hyphen triggers that message. However, I noticed that even if you get that message, you can still click Save, and the record will be added (at least for me, I was never stopped from saving the reported "invalid URL").

I also tested in the "modular editor", which you can still access by hovering over DOMAINS in the blue bar at the top of the control panel and choosing DNS Settings from the drop-down list. Edit the URL forward section, add the record, and there were no warnings.

I will report the findings to our devs. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

 

[RFenerty]

This level of support for a free account is unacceptable. I have purchased $18 in credits that I am unlikely to ever use. Maybe you guys should launch a low-end subscription that includes support. I'd pay.

 

[Chris Cherry]

Much appreciated, RFenerty. You'll also have access to the "Get Support" link (next to the logout button in your control panel) to email us directly if you have any future support requests.