This sounds like a job for url rewriting. If you are using Apache, you can use the mod_rewrite.
Either in your vhost conf file or in your htaccess files in your directory.
It will parse the url and split it and then recreate your php query.
You can even leave the html off.
Put this line in your vhost.conf or .htaccess file:
The result will look something like this:
www.yourdomain.com/news/221 => www.yourdomain.com/news.php?id=221
www.yourdomain.com/article/40 => www.yourdomain.com/article.php?id=40
www.yourdomain.com/post/33210 => yourdomin.com
Even this url will be translated
www.yourdomain.com/332/my_new_post => www.yourdomain.com/332.php?id=my_new_post.
Propbably not what you had in mind but it will work also.

If you do not have access to vhost.conf try the .htaccess in your route dir.
Or ask your webmaster/host provider for support.

Hope that helps
Mike

This rewrite rule is only for incomming requests.
That means if you write put the address www.yourdomain.com/news/221 in your browser your request gets forwarded to the php page.

If you have a link on your page you have to change them in an other way.
Probably in you cms or in you php code.

Mike

create an html doc named no-id-number-but-the-exact-file-name.html
in the html doc have a frame take 100% of the page
in the frame load the php

Hi, you can do it:

Add this line into your .htaccess file:

AddType application/x-httpd-php .htm .html .php

This means that the server will run any file ending .htm, .html and .php as if it ends with .php

However the downside is that it will slightly increase server loads as all files will be run as .php, even if they dont actually contain any PHP code.

If you are passing a lot of variables through the URL then I would Google "mod_rewrite" and see if you can find a tutorial on that.

I hope this helps you