Title: custom header error
Last modified: August 19, 2016

---

# custom header error

 *  Resolved [christian_d](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christian_d/)
 * (@christian_d)
 * [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/)
 * Hi and thanks in advance.
 * So I am trying to set up my site so that each page has a different header image;
   I used this method:
    [http://www.wprecipes.com/how-to-use-multiple-custom-headers-on-a-wordpress-theme](http://www.wprecipes.com/how-to-use-multiple-custom-headers-on-a-wordpress-theme)
 * My version of that header file looks like this:
 *     ```
       <?php
       if (is_page('editing')){
       	<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerediting.php'); ?>
       }
       elseif (is_page('writing')){
       	<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerwriting.php'); ?>
       }
       elseif (is_page('about-me')){
       	<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headeraboutme.php'); ?>
       }
       elseif (is_page('contact')){
       	<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headercontact.php'); ?>
       }
       else {
       	<?php include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerdefault.php'); ?>
       }
       ?>
       ```
   
 * I created the corresponding .php header pages that I reference in there, only
   when I replace the default header file with the one I created I get this error:
 * Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘<‘ in /home7/mayerack/public_html/jenniferacker/
   wp-content/themes/sandbox/header.php on line 3
 * Does anyone have a clue what is going on? I don’t know which “<” would be “unexpected”,
   and I got this set up from that website I linked to above and it seems from the
   comments on there that other people used it with no problem.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  [Nessdufrat](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nessdufrat/)
 * (@nessdufrat)
 * [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/#post-1322007)
 * Ok, I’m not that good at php, but I’d suggest first to get rid of the multiple
   php tags. The first one and the last one are necessary, but not the one inbetween,
   since you already tell the server you are writing in php.
 * Try this one :
 *     ```
       <?php
       if (is_page('editing')){
           include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerediting.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('writing')){
           include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerwriting.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('about-me')){
           include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headeraboutme.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('contact')){
           include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headercontact.php');
       }
       else {
           include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerdefault.php');
       }
       ?>
       ```
   
 * I don’t know if it’ll solve your problem, but you could try it.
 * Also, could you post one of your header files ? like headercontact.php, or any
   other ? Your problem might come from something in those files.
 *  [Michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/alchymyth/)
 * (@alchymyth)
 * [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/#post-1322009)
 * you are using another `<?php` opening tag while you are already ‘within php’.
   
   also, TEMPLATEPATH already points to /wp-content/themes/sandbox. leave only one
   php tag with its closing tag, and try this:
 *     ```
       <?php
       if (is_page('editing')){
       	 include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/headerediting.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('writing')){
       	 include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/headerwriting.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('about-me')){
       	 include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/headeraboutme.php');
       }
       elseif (is_page('contact')){
       	 include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/headercontact.php');
       }
       else {
       	 include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/headerdefault.php');
       }
       ?>
       ```
   
 *  Thread Starter [christian_d](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christian_d/)
 * (@christian_d)
 * [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/#post-1322010)
 * That seems to be some sort of progress. When I did that I got these errors instead:
 * Warning: include(/home7/mayerack/public_html/jenniferacker/wp-content/themes/
   sandbox/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerdefault.php) [function.include]: failed
   to open stream: No such file or directory in /home7/mayerack/public_html/jenniferacker/
   wp-content/themes/sandbox/header.php on line 15
 * Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening ‘/home7/mayerack/public_html/
   jenniferacker/wp-content/themes/sandbox/wp-content/themes/sandbox/headerdefault.
   php’ for inclusion (include_path=’.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php’) in /home7/
   mayerack/public_html/jenniferacker/wp-content/themes/sandbox/header.php on line
   15
 * And then the rest of the site displays but with out its CSS styling/images.
 *  Thread Starter [christian_d](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christian_d/)
 * (@christian_d)
 * [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/#post-1322012)
 * Oh, god—you guys are the best. You fixed my problem. Thank you thank you thank
   you thank you.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘custom header error’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 4 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [christian_d](https://wordpress.org/support/users/christian_d/)
 * Last activity: [16 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/custom-header-error/#post-1322012)
 * Status: resolved

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