Remove extension but preserve parameter - .htaccess

Question

I have been wondering, how to remove the extension but preserve the parameters of an url? For example: search.php?q=test becomes /search?q=test.
I have tried the following, but it removes the entire search.php from the url:
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} /([^.]+)\.php [NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} search
RewriteRule ^ %1/ [NC,L,R]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} search
RewriteRule ^([^/]+)/?$ $1.php [NC,L]
Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

To remove an extension, you typically check if the requested filename (with extension) exists, and then rewrite
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.ext -f
RewriteRule ^ %{REQUEST_FILENAME}.ext [L]
The rule above is a generic approach, working for any file ending in .ext.
If you want to rewrite just one fixed file, you can do so by naming the relevant file explicitly, e.g.
RewriteRule ^search$ /search.php [L]
mod_rewrite preserves a query string by default, as long as you don't add your own
Modifying the Query String
By default, the query string is passed through unchanged. You can, however, create URLs in the substitution string containing a query string part. Simply use a question mark inside the substitution string to indicate that the following text should be re-injected into the query string. When you want to erase an existing query string, end the substitution string with just a question mark. To combine new and old query strings, use the [QSA] flag.