Apache Directories

The standard config of Apache means that you get a 404 error if you put in a URL of a directory without a trailing slash? How can this be changed and are there any reasons for not enabling this (security etc.)?
www.boofar.com/directory = 404 www.boofar.com/direcotry/ = default

Start here -> http://www.apache.org/docs/misc/rewriteguide.html
and check under "Trailing Slash Problem
".

Thanks, but I am still a little confused, surely this does not mean you need to set a rewrite for every top-level directory you have in the document path? How would I write the Rewrite to look for any directory - just a RegEx for a name with no dot? This does not seem very satisfactory. There must be a better way, I have just look through the conf file of another server that appears to have this ability and could not see any trace of the use of Rewrite (or though I guess I could have missed it!)

Or have I just missed the point, I have a feeling this may be it.

You can also check out the following directives:

DirectoryMatch
FilesMatch
LocationMatch
RedirectMatch

and within the block, external redirect to the appropriate URL with /.