Can’t redirect error 500 to custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5? We’ve Got the Solution!

Are you tired of seeing the dreaded “Error 500: Internal Server Error” page in your ASP.NET MVC 5 application? Do you want to provide a better user experience by redirecting your users to a custom error page? Well, you’re in luck because we’re about to dive into the world of custom error handling in ASP.NET MVC 5.

The Problem: Error 500 Won’t Redirect to Custom Error Page

By default, ASP.NET MVC 5 will display a generic error page when an internal server error occurs. This page is not very user-friendly and doesn’t provide much information about the error. The problem arises when you try to redirect this error to a custom error page using the usual methods. You might have tried using the <customErrors> section in your web.config file or the [HandleError] attribute in your controller, but to no avail.

The reason for this is that ASP.NET MVC 5 handles errors differently than previous versions. In MVC 5, the error handling is done through the OwinMiddleware pipeline, which bypasses the traditional error handling mechanisms.

The Solution: OwinMiddleware to the Rescue!

To redirect Error 500 to a custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5, you need to create a custom OwinMiddleware component. This component will catch the error and redirect it to your custom error page.

<pre><code>using Microsoft.Owin;

using Owin;
namespace MyApplication.Middlewares

{

    public class ErrorHandlerMiddleware : OwinMiddleware

    {

        public ErrorHandlerMiddleware(OwinMiddleware next)

            : base(next)

        {

        }
        public override async Task Invoke(IOwinContext context)

        {

            try

            {

                await Next.Invoke(context);

            }

            catch (Exception ex)

            {

                await HandleError(context, ex);

            }

        }
        private async Task HandleError(IOwinContext context, Exception ex)

        {

            context.Response.StatusCode = 500;

            context.Response.ReasonPhrase = "Internal Server Error";
            var errorPageUrl = "/Error/Error500"; // URL of your custom error page

            context.Request.Uri = new Uri(context.Request.Uri, errorPageUrl);

            await Next.Invoke(context);

        }

    }

}</code></pre>

This middleware component catches any errors that occur in the pipeline and invokes the HandleError method. In this method, we set the status code and reason phrase of the response to 500, and then redirect the request to our custom error page using the context.Request.Uri property.
Registering the Middleware Component
To register the middleware component, you need to add it to the Owin pipeline in your Startup.cs file.
<pre><code>using Microsoft.Owin;

using Owin;
namespace MyApplication

{

    public class Startup

    {

        public void Configuration(IAppBuilder app)

        {

            app.UseErrorHandlerMiddleware(); // Add this line

            app.MapSignalR();

            app.UseWebApi(WebApiConfig.Register());

        }

    }

}</code></pre>

Make sure to add the middleware component before the UseWebApi and MapSignalR lines.
Configuring the Custom Error Page
Now that we have our middleware component in place, let's create our custom error page. Create a new controller and view for your error page.
<pre><code>using System.Web.Mvc;
namespace MyApplication.Controllers

{

    public class ErrorController : Controller

    {

        public ActionResult Error500()

        {

            return View();

        }

    }

}</code></pre>

Create a new view for the Error500 action and add your custom HTML and CSS to make it look pretty.
Testing the Custom Error Page
To test our custom error page, let's simulate an internal server error by throwing an exception in one of our controllers.
<pre><code>using System.Web.Mvc;
namespace MyApplication.Controllers

{

    public class HomeController : Controller

    {

        public ActionResult Index()

        {

            throw new Exception("Simulated internal server error");

            return View();

        }

    }

}</code></pre>

Run your application and navigate to the home page. You should see your custom error page instead of the generic error page.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the world of custom error handling in ASP.NET MVC 5. We learned how to create a custom OwinMiddleware component to catch and redirect internal server errors to a custom error page. We also configured the custom error page and tested it by simulating an internal server error.
By following these steps, you can provide a better user experience for your users by redirecting them to a custom error page when an internal server error occurs. Remember to customize the error page to fit your application's branding and style.

This article has been optimized for the keyword "Can't redirect error 500 to custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5" and should provide a comprehensive guide for developers struggling with this issue.

FAQs

1. What is the purpose of the OwinMiddleware component?

   The OwinMiddleware component is used to catch and handle errors in the ASP.NET MVC 5 pipeline.

2. Why do I need to register the middleware component in the Startup.cs file?

   The middleware component needs to be registered in the Startup.cs file to be included in the Owin pipeline.

3. Can I use this solution for other types of errors, such as 404 or 403?

   Yes, you can modify the middleware component to catch and handle other types of errors.

We hope this article has been helpful in solving the problem of redirecting Error 500 to a custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5. If you have any further questions or need more assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

Here are 5 questions and answers about "Can't redirect error 500 to custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5":

Frequently Asked Question

Having trouble with error 500 redirecting to a custom error page in ASP.NET MVC 5? You're not alone! Here are some FAQs to help you troubleshoot the issue.