Error Codes

---

Please choose from the following questions.

If you can't find your question, please let us know and we'll answer it in e-mail and add it to the FAQ.

1. What is an HTTP response code?
2. What does Code 404 Not found mean?
3. What does Code 302 mean?
4. How do a I customize error messages like 404 not found ?

What is an HTTP response code?

HTTP response codes are the standard numbers associated web server error messages. An example is:

404 Error: File not found

What does Code 404 Not found mean?

It means that you had a request for a document in your site that did not exist. Typically this is the result of a bad URL in one of your documents which links to a non existent document, either a mistake, or one that you were planning on writing but haven't yet.

What does Code 302 mean?

Code 302 Redirected requests result when ever you specify a directory for a URL. For example, if you specify:

http://dss.he.net/~retailer

the server redirects the browser to request:

http://dss.he.net/~retailer/index.html

The server handles the redirection in this manner in conformance with HTTP standards. It is quite normal.

How do a I customize error messages like 404 not found ?

You can customize your error messages by creating or editing your .htaccess file. But first you need to create the following html documents.

400.html
401.html
403.html
404.html
500.html

You can word the contents of these documents however you please.

Now comes your .htaccess file. Inside your public_html directory, or one of its subdirectories, you may have a file named .htaccess. If an .htaccess file isn't already there, then you can either create one online using the pico command in telnet, or create one in a text editor and upload it to the server using an ftp program. Now add the following lines to your .htaccess file.

ErrorDocument 400 URL
ErrorDocument 401 URL
ErrorDocument 403 URL
ErrorDocument 404 URL
ErrorDocument 500 URL

Make sure to replace where it says URL with the full URL to that error message. For example, your .htaccess file may look something like this:

ErrorDocument 400 http://dss.he.net/~rflyer/400.html
ErrorDocument 401 http://dss.he.net/~rflyer/401.html
ErrorDocument 403 http://dss.he.net/~rflyer/403.html
ErrorDocument 404 http://dss.he.net/~rflyer/404.html
ErrorDocument 500 http://dss.he.net/~rflyer/500.html

You also have the option of just puting in the text or HTML to display in your .htaccess file. For example:

ErrorDocument 404 <H1><B>404 Error:</B> File not found</H1>

---

Call 1-800-THE-LOST if you've seen this child. Click on the image for case details. We support the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Click Here To Add A Missing Child Link To Your Pages!