htaccess block access to directory but allow access to files

htaccess block access to directory but allow access to files - .htaccess files are extremely useful in many cases for users who either do not have root permissions or for users who simply aren't comfortable in making changes in their web server's configuration file. Trying to debug .htaccess not working isn't always the easiest thing to do, however, hopefully by checking the discuss below mentioned about htaccess, looking-for-a-script, 403-forbidden, , .htaccess common problems as well as the troubleshooting tips, you'll have a better grasp on what you may have to modify to get your .htaccess file running smoothly.Problem :

I need to block directory access but allow access to files if typed into a browser.

Also would like this to load my custom 403.shtml

Solution :

Options -Indexes
ErrorDocument 403 /path/to/403.shtml

Both lines go into an .htaccess file in your root directory

Additionally, if you would like to do some further testing, give the htaccess tester tool a try. It allows you to specify a certain URL as well as the rules you would like to include and then shows which rules were tested, which ones met the criteria, and which ones were executed.