diff --git a/include/ap_mmn.h b/include/ap_mmn.h

index 89c4140..82a0acb 100644

--- a/include/ap_mmn.h

+++ b/include/ap_mmn.h

@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@

  *                         ap_proxy_pass_brigade()

  * 20120211.22 (2.4.5-dev) No longer prevent usage of strtoul()

  * 20120211.23 (2.4.5-dev) Add ap_proxy_clear_connection()

+ * 20120211.24 (2.4.7-dev) add open_htaccess hook.

  */

 #define MODULE_MAGIC_COOKIE 0x41503234UL /* "AP24" */

@@ -425,7 +426,7 @@

 #ifndef MODULE_MAGIC_NUMBER_MAJOR

 #define MODULE_MAGIC_NUMBER_MAJOR 20120211

 #endif

-#define MODULE_MAGIC_NUMBER_MINOR 23                   /* 0...n */

+#define MODULE_MAGIC_NUMBER_MINOR 24                   /* 0...n */

 /**

  * Determine if the server's current MODULE_MAGIC_NUMBER is at least a

diff --git a/include/http_config.h b/include/http_config.h

index 7ee3760..c93c3b2 100644

--- a/include/http_config.h

+++ b/include/http_config.h

@@ -1322,6 +1322,31 @@ AP_DECLARE_HOOK(int,quick_handler,(request_rec *r, int lookup_uri))

 AP_DECLARE_HOOK(void,optional_fn_retrieve,(void))

 /**

+ * Allow modules to open htaccess files or perform operations before doing so

+ * @param r The current request

+ * @param dir_name The directory for which the htaccess file should be opened

+ * @param access_name The filename  for which the htaccess file should be opened

+ * @param conffile Where the pointer to the opened ap_configfile_t must be

+ *        stored

+ * @param full_name Where the full file name of the htaccess file must be

+ *        stored.

+ * @return APR_SUCCESS on success,

+ *         APR_ENOENT or APR_ENOTDIR if no htaccess file exists,

+ *         AP_DECLINED to let later modules do the opening,

+ *         any other error code on error.

+ */

+AP_DECLARE_HOOK(apr_status_t,open_htaccess,

+                (request_rec *r, const char *dir_name, const char *access_name,

+                 ap_configfile_t **conffile, const char **full_name))

+

+/**

+ * Core internal function, use ap_run_open_htaccess() instead.

+ */

+apr_status_t ap_open_htaccess(request_rec *r, const char *dir_name,

+        const char *access_name, ap_configfile_t **conffile,

+        const char **full_name);

+

+/**

  * A generic pool cleanup that will reset a pointer to NULL. For use with

  * apr_pool_cleanup_register.

  * @param data The address of the pointer

diff --git a/server/config.c b/server/config.c

index c1aae17..265744e 100644

--- a/server/config.c

+++ b/server/config.c

@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ APR_HOOK_STRUCT(

            APR_HOOK_LINK(quick_handler)

            APR_HOOK_LINK(optional_fn_retrieve)

            APR_HOOK_LINK(test_config)

+           APR_HOOK_LINK(open_htaccess)

 )

 AP_IMPLEMENT_HOOK_RUN_ALL(int, header_parser,

@@ -171,6 +172,12 @@ AP_IMPLEMENT_HOOK_RUN_FIRST(int, handler, (request_rec *r),

 AP_IMPLEMENT_HOOK_RUN_FIRST(int, quick_handler, (request_rec *r, int lookup),

                             (r, lookup), DECLINED)

+AP_IMPLEMENT_HOOK_RUN_FIRST(apr_status_t, open_htaccess,

+                            (request_rec *r, const char *dir_name, const char *access_name,

+                             ap_configfile_t **conffile, const char **full_name),

+                            (r, dir_name, access_name, conffile, full_name),

+                            AP_DECLINED)

+

 /* hooks with no args are implemented last, after disabling APR hook probes */

 #if defined(APR_HOOK_PROBES_ENABLED)

 #undef APR_HOOK_PROBES_ENABLED

@@ -2073,14 +2080,23 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_process_config_tree(server_rec *s,

     return OK;

 }

+apr_status_t ap_open_htaccess(request_rec *r, const char *dir_name,

+                              const char *access_name,

+                              ap_configfile_t **conffile,

+                              const char **full_name)

+{

+    *full_name = ap_make_full_path(r->pool, dir_name, access_name);

+    return ap_pcfg_openfile(conffile, r->pool, *full_name);

+}

+

 AP_CORE_DECLARE(int) ap_parse_htaccess(ap_conf_vector_t **result,

                                        request_rec *r, int override,

                                        int override_opts, apr_table_t *override_list,

-                                       const char *d, const char *access_name)

+                                       const char *d, const char *access_names)

 {

     ap_configfile_t *f = NULL;

     cmd_parms parms;

-    char *filename = NULL;

+    const char *filename;

     const struct htaccess_result *cache;

     struct htaccess_result *new;

     ap_conf_vector_t *dc = NULL;

@@ -2104,15 +2120,11 @@ AP_CORE_DECLARE(int) ap_parse_htaccess(ap_conf_vector_t **result,

     parms.path = apr_pstrdup(r->pool, d);

     /* loop through the access names and find the first one */

-    while (access_name[0]) {

-        /* AFAICT; there is no use of the actual 'filename' against

-         * any canonicalization, so we will simply take the given

-         * name, ignoring case sensitivity and aliases

-         */

-        filename = ap_make_full_path(r->pool, d,

-                                     ap_getword_conf(r->pool, &access_name));

-        status = ap_pcfg_openfile(&f, r->pool, filename);

+    while (access_names[0]) {

+        const char *access_name = ap_getword_conf(r->pool, &access_names);

+        filename = NULL;

+        status = ap_run_open_htaccess(r, d, access_name, &f, &filename);

         if (status == APR_SUCCESS) {

             const char *errmsg;

             ap_directive_t *temptree = NULL;

diff --git a/server/core.c b/server/core.c

index f3965ca..85f876b 100644

--- a/server/core.c

+++ b/server/core.c

@@ -4930,6 +4930,7 @@ static void register_hooks(apr_pool_t *p)

     ap_hook_insert_network_bucket(core_insert_network_bucket, NULL, NULL,

                                   APR_HOOK_REALLY_LAST);

     ap_hook_dirwalk_stat(core_dirwalk_stat, NULL, NULL, APR_HOOK_REALLY_LAST);

+    ap_hook_open_htaccess(ap_open_htaccess, NULL, NULL, APR_HOOK_REALLY_LAST);

     /* register the core's insert_filter hook and register core-provided

      * filters