Custom Web server messages

You can customize some of the error messages or responses that are generated by the Web server. If an Error & Response form-mapping document exists in DOMCFG5.NSF, then custom errors, not generic errors, are used.

About this task

To create a message page, create a form for each type of message and then create a mapping document in the IBM® Domino® Web Server Configuration database (DOMCFG5.NSF) to specify which form to display. While you can store message pages in any database, the one most commonly used is DOMCFG5.NSF.

You can customize the messages that a user receives when:

  • The user fails to authenticate with the server.
  • The user is not authorized to access one of the databases that is part of the Web site on the server.
  • The user issues a command to delete a document from a database, and the server successfully completes the deletion.
  • The user's Internet password has expired.
  • The user attempts to change their Internet password and that is not allowed.
  • The user changes their Internet password and the change is submitted and accepted.

In addition, you can specify a general message that appears for all other types of errors or responses that occur on the Web server.

Note: The general error message will not be generated for errors that occur when accessing non-database files. This type of custom error message only works when errors are encountered while accessing .NSF files.

If you enabled session-based name and password authentication, Domino® displays an HTML page you specify to request name and password information from the user. Domino® does not use customized error pages to display errors when authenticating with the server or accessing a database if session-based name and password authentication is enabled.

Database designers also have the ability to create custom error messages for individual databases that reside on Domino® servers. These types of custom error messages are stored within the database and will only be generated when errors occur while accessing that specific database.

For information on creating forms and customizing Web server messages for a specific database on a server, see IBM® Domino® Designer Help.

You can create custom error pages that apply to the entire server, a specific Web site, or specific databases. If you have a custom error page configured for a specific database, it overrides the server-wide Web site specific custom error pages. If you have a Web site specific custom error page configured, it overrides the server-wide custom error message.

Complete these procedures to create a custom Web server messages:

Procedure

  1. Create the Domino® Web Server Configuration database.
  2. Use mapping to customize the Web server messages.