config/917: Inconsistency in ErrorDocument result in different types of blocks

[Brian Tiemann <bt...@pacific.net>]

>Number:         917
>Category:       config
>Synopsis:       Inconsistency in ErrorDocument result in different types of blocks
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    apache (Apache HTTP Project)
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   apache
>Arrival-Date:   Fri Jul 25 12:20:01 1997
>Originator:     btman@pacific.net
>Organization:
apache
>Release:        1.3a1
>Environment:
BSD/OS www.pacific.net 2.1 BSDI BSD/OS 2.1 Kernel #1: Mon May  5 10:17:03 PDT 19
97     dpm@www.pacific.net:/usr/src/sys/compile/PACIFIC  i386
>Description:
In srm.conf, I have an ErrorDocument 403 which sets the root-server
error message.
Then, in access.conf, a <Directory> block which sets a different 403
message for a particular user directory. That user directory is used
in a VirtualHost.
Then, accessing a -x directory by dirname/ in that virtual server, I get
the second 403 message, as expected. However, if I specify a particular
filename inside that directory (dirname/somefile.gif), it returns the
*first* 403 message (the root-server one from srm.conf).

If I set the ErrorDocument 403 to the second, virtual-host 403 message
within the <VirtualHost> block in httpd.conf, the problem does not occur
(the same 403 message is returned for directories and files).
>How-To-Repeat:
1)
ErrorDocument 403 /denied.html

2)
<Directory /home/username/>
ErrorDocument 403 /user.denied.html
</Directory>

3)
<VirtualHost www.usernamesdomain.com>
DocumentRoot /home/username/public_html
ErrorDocument 403 /vhdenied.html
</VirtualHost>

Then, access a) a non-executable directory, and b) a file inside that
directory. They should both return vhdenied.html; however, if it is not
set in (2), vhdenied.html comes up for directories, but denied.html
appears for specific files.
>Fix:
Perhaps this is just confusion on my part as to the priority set on
documents overriding each other in different statement levels, but it
seems to me that directives set in <VirtualHost> should unconditionally
override directives set in other blocks. Or at least, directories and
files (though "access denied" means different things for each) should
behave the same way through inheritance.

%0
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: