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1. smbaker
   Member
   Posted 2 years ago #

   My site makes extensive use of page templates to render different classes of pages. Each page has some code that looks like the following for dealing with what happens when a page cannot be found:

   <?php if (have_posts()) : ?>
   <?php while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
   
   ... stuff for displaying the page ...
   
   <?php endwhile; ?>
   
   <?php else : ?>
   
   ... stuff for telling the user the page can't be found ...
   Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here. You can search again by using 
   
   <?php endif; ?>

   Recently I wanted to change this message, but I don't want to have to hunt it down in 20 different page templates and keep them all consistent. I'm assuming that's what a "404.php" template would be for...

   Now, to my question.... Are the conditions that cause 404.php and !have_posts() to be true the same? Can I safely eliminate the !have_posts() code from my page templates provided I supply a 404.php? It seems like a great way to clean up the page templates and make them simpler.

   Also, is there an action hook or a filter where I can intercept page not found errors? I'm considering writing a plugin to deal with them.

   Thanks,
   Scott

2. esmi
   Theme Diva & Forum Moderator
   Posted 2 years ago #

   Can I safely eliminate the !have_posts() code from my page templates provided I supply a 404.php?

   Yes.

   Not sure about a filter though. There's the is_404() conditional if that's of any use.

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