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Resolving "404" (file not found) errors

While navigating the Joomla website, a click on a menu-link (pointing to a webpage) returns a "404" or "page not found" error.

In this tutorial we will focus on "missing" webpage articles.

This occurs when a menu-link is pointing to an "Article Manager" webpage which is currently:

1. "Unpublished" or disabled (or)
2. Deleted from "Article Manager" (or)
3. Set to "Registered" or "Special" view access when the menu-link is visible to the "Public"

Alternatively - the error could be returned when a link is pointing to a "Component" or "Module" which is currently "Unpublished" or it's elements are not "Public" - Not covered in this tutorial

Any "Public" website button or link must point to a:

1. Current live or "Published" page
2. Webpage set to "Public" view if the link is "Public" viewed
3. A "Component" or "Module" also "Published" and "Public"

This is caused by:

1. "Un-publishing" a page in "Article Manager" while leaving the "Menu link" pointing to it "Published"
2. Setting a webpage article in "Article Manager" to "Registered" or "Special" (requires logging into the "Members Area" to view) while the Menu Link remains set to "Public" view.
3. The same as the above 2 causes but the link points to an unpublished / non-public "Component" or "Module"

To resolve - Identify the missing page (step1):

1. On the website - click back once and note the "Name" of the menu-link clicked on which returned the "404" error (in this example it will be the "Documents" menu-link or button)
2. Log into the website admin panel
3. Open "Menus > Main Menu" (or whatever menu the link was on)
4. Type into the filter box the menu button name (from our example "Documents") and click Go to return the "broken" link
   • If no document is found the webpage must have been deleted or renamed (bad)
   • All menu button names should reflect the same name as the webpage to synchronise between menus buttons and there referred to page
   • If the page is missing you will need to:
     • Rename a currently "unpublished" page to match the name of the missing page and re-publish it
     • Or check the "deleted" items to see if the page can be restored
     • Or create a new page ("New" button - right top menu) called the same name as the missing page
5. In our example we would - click on this "Documents" menu link to open the settings
6. On the now open edit menu-link window on the right side, note the "Select Article" box which lists the webpage this button is pointing to...(write down if necessary)

Correct the "broken" link (step2):

If you realise this page does not exist (or if finding this out later in "Article Manager") you have 3 options.

1. Select another page for this link to point to - Use the "Select Article" button to browse to, and select a new webpage from "Article Manager"
2. Or (described below) in "Article Manager" you could rename a another unpublished page (re-publish it after) to the same name as the missing page
3. Or (described below) in "Article Manager" create a "New" page with the same name as the missing webpage.

Alternatively, you might decide to remove this link altogether by changing this menu-link to "unpublished" and saving - thereby finishing this tutorial. Go home.

If the page does/should exist track it down in "Article Manager" and set its "published" or "view" permission settings

1. Open "Content > Article Manager" to check the missing page
2. Scrolled down - find the webpage article (use the filter box to limit results)
3. Found "School Dress Code" (blue circle) as in image below
   • In this case its "unpublished" (red box)
   • Its also correctly set to "Public" (green box)
4. Click on the "red X" button to "publish" the webpage (or)
5. If "View" is set to "Registered" or "Special" (Green box)
   • For "Registered" - click "Registered" twice to cycle back to "Public"
   • For "Special" - click once to cycle page back to "public"

If the page "Name" is correct - the Live state is "Published" and the page is now "Public" the link will no longer be broken.

Follow this process to resolve other "broken" menu-links on the website.

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