.htaccess deny from all affecting ability to access custom error pages

[stickynote427]

I'm trying to set up custom error pages on my Web site. I got the 404 page set up successfully, but once I try to make the 403 page, neither of the error pages work.

 

The following is the content of .htaccess in my public_html directory:

ErrorDocument 403 /pages/error_pages/403.php
ErrorDocument 404 /pages/error_pages/404.php

 

I can go to a nonexistent page and have the 404 page appear correctly.

 

Now, I don't want the /pages directory (which includes all directories and files in that directory) to be listed when someone visits there (www.example.com/pages), which is what happens right now. So, I create an .htaccess file in the /pages directory and enter the following:

deny from all

Now when I try to visit a nonexistent or disallowed page (anything in the /pages directory) I get the default error pages (not my custom ones).

 

I don't understand why this is happening. It seems to me that my server(?) or PHP is also being disallowed access to any files in the /pages directory. Shouldn't my site/server/whatever still be able to access anything on the server, and just someone browsing around my site can't?

 

If you need more info, please ask.

 

Thanks,

stickynote427

[stickynote427]

Never mind. I was using the wrong directive. I needed Options -Indexes instead.

 

Sorry.