Apache docs say:

"*Notice:* If your webserver's URLs are *not* directly related to 
physical file paths, you have to use |RewriteBase| in every |.htaccess| 
files where you want to use |RewriteRule| directives."

So probably not.  I don't use .htaccess files that much myself.  But 
I've run into similar annoying issues in apache.conf files too.

Andrew Nagy wrote:
> You probably could if you get real tricky with the regex code - but I would
> say probably not.  rewrite takes the entire url into consideration - so you
> need to denote where to start with the rewrite base.
>
> I use this for vufind:
> RewriteRule ^([^/]+)/(.+)$ index.php?module=$1&action=$2 [L,QSA]
>
> Which allows you to map:
> vufind.library.edu/Search/Results
> to:
> vufind.library.edu/index.php?module=Search&action=Results
>
> So with that - you could capture all of the "directories" in the URL and
> just remove anything that doesn't look familiar.  But that is very hackish
> since it could easily break and make it very difficult for someone to debug.
>
> Andrew
>
> On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 9:20 AM, Godmar Back <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>   
>> On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 9:13 AM, Peter Kiraly <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> From: "Godmar Back" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>
>>>       
>>>> is it possible to write this without hardwiring the RewriteBase in it?
>>>>         
>>  So
>>     
>>>> that it can be used, for instance, in an .htaccess file from within any
>>>> /path?
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> Yes, you can put it into a .htaccess file, and the URL rewrite will
>>> apply on that directory only.
>>>
>>>       
>> You misunderstood the question; let me rephrase it:
>>
>> Can I write a .htaccess file without specifying the path where the script
>> will be located in RewriteBase?
>> For instance, consider
>>
>> http://code.google.com/p/tictoclookup/source/browse/trunk/standalone/.htaccess
>> Here, anybody who wishes to use this code has to adapt the .htaccess file
>> to
>> their path and change the "RewriteBase" entry.
>>
>> Is it possible to write a .htaccess file that works *no matter* where it is
>> located, entirely based on where it is located relative to the Apache root
>> or an Apache directory?
>>
>>  - Godmar
>>
>>     
>
>