Returning Http Status Code to Apache from PHP?

Question

On my local development machine, I downloaded PDT + Zend Server, which included Apache 2.2.16 and PHP 5.3.5, running on Windows 7. On my local site, I included a .htaccess that includes ErrorDocuments for 404, 403, and 500. In my PHP, I use header("Http/1.0 404 Not Found") when the user requests a document that doesn't exist. On my local server, everything works great. My custom ErrorDocument appears and I'm happy.

I upload the everything to my shared host running Apache 2.2.38 and PHP 5.3.8 on a Linux server, and suddenly the ErrorDocuments only work if they don't come from PHP.

Is there some setting in PHP.ini or httpd.conf or .htaccess that allows Apace to see the error codes from PHP, which makes my dev server work correctly, but not my shared host?

In researching this, all I ever saw was "Apache doesn't see the status code once it passes off to PHP." In such a case, why does my dev server work right?

Edit

For clarity, here's the .htaccess:

# Use PHP 5.3
Action application/x-hg-php53 /cgi-sys/php53
AddHandler application/x-hg-php53 .php 

#Deny Include Files
<Files *.inc>
order deny,allow
deny from all
</files>

#Provide custom error documents
ErrorDocument 404 /Errors/Http404.php
ErrorDocument 403 /Errors/Http403.php
ErrorDocument 500 /Errors/Http500.php

The .htaccess works because if the user navigates to myhost.com/jdkslfjdls the user receives the content of Errors/Http404.php.

However, if the user navigates to myhost.com/images/GetImage.php?Id=5 (when there is no image #5) the user receives no content.

If they navigate to (Internal IP Address)/images/GetImage.php?Id=5, the user receives the content of Errors/Http404.php.

A similar problem occurs if the user tries to access GetImage.php?Id=6 (when there is an image #6 but they don't have permission). On the shared server, they get a blank page or the browser's 403 error. On my dev server, they get my actual custom 403 error page.

Again, 403 error document works on the shared server if I try to access a .inc file.

Answer 1

Are you sure that your .htaccess file is used on the server? Sometimes the hosting company does not allow the global apache settings to be overwritten by the local .htaccess files.

If you however have access to your virtualhost configuration than you may want to look at the following directive

AllowOverride All

If instead you find

AllowOverride None

try to change as above.

Answer 2

Check if you have

AllowOverride ALL

in your apache.conf under the Directory directive inside the VirtualHost corresponding to your website

Anyway, that may be one possible cause, the other may be to check whether or not you have enabled mod_rewrite

On ubuntu or debian based systems, you'd simply link or copy the mod_rewrite.load from /etc/apache2/mods-available/mod_rewrite.load to /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/mod_rewrite.load

Rewrite should have nothing to do though, but I've seen cases where your .htaccess directives may require mod_rewrite

So check for those things in apache conf files. If nothing happens contact me @ phpcip@gmail.com

Hope it works.