mod_rewrite and 404

fiskeben_dk

Hi,

I'm trying to do something that I guess can't be done, but I need somebody to confirm it or otherwise give me a helping hand with a solution.

I'm implementing some mod_rewrite rules on my homepage (a weblog). In short I want the headline to be part of the URL (like you see ... other places), for example 'mypage.com/blog/Some_headline/'. This works just fine, and I can lookup the (modified) headline in the database and show the related article.

However, what happens if someone requests 'mypage.com/blog/This_Article_Does_not_exist/'? Surely, I want to redirect the user to my fabulous 404-page. Here, I have a message saying something like "Sorry, the page $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] does not exist. Blah blah blah." and the requested URL stays in the address field of the browser.

This also works fine - but only if someone requests a file, that is not recognized by my RewriteRules in .htaccess. If I look up a headline in the database and can't find any, I use a 'header("HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found")' to redirect the user to a proper 404, but all I get is a blank page.

Isn't it possible to redirect the user properly to my custom 404, show the message "Sorry, the page 'This_Article_Does_not_exist' does not exist" and keep the requested URL in the address field? I have tried using a 'header("Location: /include/404.php")' and in this case the 404-page states that it can't find '/include/404.php' and that's just silly...

I hope someone can help.

NogDog

How about just doing a header() directly to your 404 page?

fiskeben_dk

That's the problem... if I do that first of all the url in the browser address bar will show the address to the 404-page and not the requested url. Secondly, my "sorry-message" telling the user that page x wasn't found won't work (although this probably could be fixed some other yet less fancy way).

Weedpacket

fiskbeb.dk wrote:
I use a 'header("HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found")' to redirect the user to a proper 404, but all I get is a blank page.

Not quite. That doesn't perform a redirect; it merely sets the response code to 404. If you want content, then you still have to supply it:

<?php header('HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found');?>
<html>
<body style="margin:25%">
<pre><?php echo $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];?></pre>
<div "style=font-style:italic;line-height:1.5em">Your page is not here<br>
And perhaps it never was.<br>
I couldn't find it.</div>
</body></html>

fiskeben_dk

Of course! How stupid of me. Thanks a lot.