How to create a custom error page
Creating a custom error page is as easy as creating any HTML page. All you need to do is name the file correctly. The file must be named "e[error number].html". So, for the most common error number, 404 (not found), the file must be named "e404.html". This file must be in your home (or root) directory.What are the error numbers?
Here are some standard server errors and their meanings:| Error Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 400 | Indicates the syntax of the request was bad. |
| 401 | Authorization is rquired. The name/password provided with the request (if any) does not match an authorized person. |
| 403 | Forbidden. The request was understood but the server is not allowed to serve the resource that was requested. |
| 404 | Not found. The resource named is not present on the server. |
| 406 | Not acceptable. The client's request included some "accept" qualifications which were not met. |
| 407 | Proxy authentication required. |
| 408 | Request timeout. The server was waiting for the completion of the request and it took too long. |
| 409 | Conflict. Current server state prohibits fulfilling the request. |
| 410 | Gone. The requested resource is not available now nor is it ever likely to be available on the future. |
| 411 | Length required. The request needs to have a length value supplied by the client. |
| 412 | A condition specified in a request header was false. |
| 413 | Too large. The request entity was too large for the server. |
| 414 | Request URI too long. Longer than the server would accept. |
| 500 | Internal server error. |
| 503 | Service not available. The server can't fulfill the request at this time. Try again later. |
What should be on a custom error page?
That depends on the error code. Some useful information for someone who gets a 404 error are:- A suggestion to recheck the spelling
- Links to some of the more important link pages on your web site
- A form for searching your web site (see Personal site search)
- Your email address so they can mail you if they think there is a problem
- Other contact information - especially if this is a business or organization web site
An example
<html>
<head>
<title>401 Error</title>
</head>
<body background="/images/bg.gif" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000FF" vlink="#000099" text="#000000"
>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400">
<tr valign="top" align="left">
<td><img src="images/c.gif" height=1 width="70"></td>
<td><img src="images/c.gif" height=1 width="150"></td>
<td><img src="images/c.gif" height=1 width="150"></td>
<td><img src="images/c.gif" height=1 width="30"></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td colspan="4" height=2></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td colspan=1 height="58" align="center" valign="middle"></td>
<td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1"><font face="Arial Black" size="+1"><span style="font-size:18">Webmaster-Showcase.net</span></font></td>
<td valign="middle" align="center" colspan="1"><font face="Arial Black" size="+1"><span style="font-size:18">401 Error</span></font></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td colspan="3" height=17></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="1"></td>
<td colspan="2">
<h1 align="center">Not Authorized</h1>
<p>
The name and password you provided does not match any authorized pair. If you were not provided a valid name and password pair by the owner of this web site then please stop trying to access the URL http://<!--#echo var="SERVER_NAME" --><!--#echo var="REDIRECT_URL" -->.
</p>
If you have previously been authorized but forgot, send an email request to <a href="mailto:owner@webmaster-showcase.net">the owner</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
