h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How do you make a page that acts as your htttp: error page and points you to your homepage
(without making every possible http: filename

How do you mean?

Do you mean that you want to be able to change your default error page?
Or that you want to make a normal html page that looks like a 404 error page?

If it's the former, then some servers allow you to set what page they point to in an error, if you set up your own server then you're likely to be able to find where to do this. If it's not your server, then you need to see who ever runs your server. Most hosting companies don't let you have your own error pages though.

If it's the later, then the easiest thing to do would be to deliberatley get a 404, then do a view source and copy the code.

If you have access to an Apache server, this may help:

http://www.bignosebird.com/apache/a7.shtml

errm i use
F*s*h*s*S
*a*t*o*t*


hee heee heee

If any of the tech team are looking over our shoulders here (hi, Jim!) could they explain why the BBC 404 error is so damn persistent? After navigating three or four sites away from a BBCi site page errors *still* bring the Beeb's 404 error up...?

You need to first create a html page that will serve as your 404 error page. Secondly, you need to create a new file in something like notepad and call it .htaccess

Then add the following line, ErrorDocument 404 [location]

where [location] is the web address of your custom page. Save this file and upload it to your root directory. Note it is case sensitive, so be careful with what you're typing.

More in depth details can be found at http://www.pageresource.com/zine/custom404.htm

I did that, but instead of a html, I did a CGI page which handled all the error pages, that way I could better control (and log) errors on a web site. very usefull if downloads or links are broken.

-- DoctorMO --