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

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 Lotus Domino Designer Help.

In this example, the form for the message exists in the database ANYDB.NSF and is returned to the user when the user encounters an error.

Users must have Reader access to the Domino Configuration (DOMCFG.NSF) database and Any database (ANYDB.NSF).

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.

Creating custom Web server messages

Complete these procedures:

1. Create the Domino Configuration database.

2. Use mapping to customize the Web server messages.

Example

Related topics

Session-based name-and-password authentication for Web clients
Managing Internet passwords
Creating the Domino Configuration database
Mapping custom Web server messages

Glossary