Easiest Way Of Redirecting WordPress Error 404 Page To A Custom URL

You can easily set your WordPress installation to redirect page requests causing error 404 to a custom web page URL. 404 Simple Redirect is a simple WordPress plugin that hooks your normal WordPress workflow in order to determine if the request is processing will cause a 404 HTTP error. In such case the plugin prevents to do further processing and sends the visitor to defined web page.

Simply install and activate 404 Simple Redirect. After activation visit its admin area options page and enter the URL where you want to redirect your error 404 web page requests.

OR…. Alternatively if you don’t like installing many plugins then copy paste the following plugin code in your site’s common plugin or your theme’s function.php file and it works the same.

add_action(‘admin_init’, ‘fourzerofour_register_settings’);
add_action(‘admin_menu’, ‘fourzerofour_add_menu’);
add_action(‘wp’,’determine_if_fourzerofour’);
add_filter(‘plugin_action_links’, ‘add_settings_link’, 10, 2 );

function fourzerofour_add_menu(){
//Add menu page
add_options_page(__(‘404 Simple Redirect’,’fzf’), __(‘404 Redirect’,’fzf’), ‘manage_options’, ‘fourzerofour’, ‘fourzerofour_render_options’);
}

function fourzerofour_register_settings(){
register_setting(“fourzerofour_options_group”, ‘fourzerofour_options_group’, ‘fourzerofour_options_validate’);
add_settings_section(‘fourzerofour_main’, __(‘404 Simple Redirect Options’,’fzf’), ‘fourzerofour_section_text’, ‘fourzerofour’);
add_settings_field(‘fourzerofour_url’, __(‘URL to redirect’,’fzf’), ‘fourzerofour_setting_string’, ‘fourzerofour’, ‘fourzerofour_main’);
}

function fourzerofour_options_validate($input){
//Autocomplete URL, just in case
$url_redirect = $input[‘fourzerofour_url’];
if(empty($url_redirect)) return $url_redirect;
if(strpos($url_redirect,’http://’)===false){
$url_redirect = ‘http://’.$url_redirect;
}
$validated[‘fourzerofour_url’] = $url_redirect;
return $validated;
}

function fourzerofour_section_text(){
?>
<p><?php _e(‘This plugin hooks the normal WordPress workflow in order to determine if the request is processing will cause a 404 HTTP error.<br/>In that case it prevents WordPress to do any other processing and sends the user to the page defined in the plugin options.’,’fzf’); ?></p>
<?php
}

function fourzerofour_setting_string(){
$options = get_option(‘fourzerofour_options_group’);
echo “<input id=’plugin_text_string’ name=’fourzerofour_options_group[fourzerofour_url]’ size=’80’ type=’text’ value='{$options[‘fourzerofour_url’]}’ /> <p class=’howto’>”.__(‘Note: If this option is left empty the plugin will redirect user to homepage.’,’fzf’).”</p>”;
}

function fourzerofour_render_options(){
?>
<div class=”wrap”>
<form action=”options.php” method=”post”>
<?php settings_fields(‘fourzerofour_options_group’); ?>
<?php do_settings_sections( ‘fourzerofour’ ); ?>
<p class=”submit”><input type=”submit” value=”<?php _e(‘Save Plugin Options’,’fzf’); ?>” title=”<?php _e(‘Save Plugin Options’,’fzf’); ?>” class=”button-primary”></p>
</form>
</div>
<?php

}

function determine_if_fourzerofour(&$arr){
global $wp_query;

if($wp_query->is_404){

$options = get_option(‘fourzerofour_options_group’);
if(!empty($options[‘fourzerofour_url’])){
$url_redirect = $options[‘fourzerofour_url’];
}else{
//By default redirect to home
$url_redirect = site_url();
}

header(‘Location: ‘.$url_redirect);
die;
}
}

function add_settings_link($links, $file) {
static $this_plugin;
if (!$this_plugin) $this_plugin = plugin_basename(__FILE__);

if ($file == $this_plugin){
$settings_link = ‘<a href=”options-general.php?page=fourzerofour.php”>Settings</a>’;
array_unshift($links, $settings_link);
}
return $links;
}
?>