How do I enable error reporting in PHP?

How to Enable Error Reporting in PHP

Error reporting is essential for debugging during development in PHP. Here’s a detailed guide on how to enable it:

1. Modify php.ini Configuration

The first and most reliable way is by modifying the php.ini file, which controls the PHP environment on your server.

• Enable all error reporting by setting the following:

error_reporting = E_ALL
display_errors = On

This configuration will report all errors and display them on the webpage.

2. Enable Error Reporting in Code

If you don’t have access to php.ini, you can enable error reporting directly in your PHP script by adding the following code at the top of your file:

error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

This will make sure that all errors are reported and displayed on the screen.

3. Suppress Errors in Production

In a live environment, you usually don’t want errors to be shown to users. In such cases, keep error reporting on, but log errors instead of displaying them. You can do this by setting:

error_reporting = E_ALL
display_errors = Off
log_errors = On
error_log = /path_to_log/php_error.log

This will ensure that all errors are logged without being shown to users.

4. Common Error Levels

• E_ALL: Report all errors (recommended for development).
• E_ERROR: Report only fatal run-time errors.
• E_WARNING: Report run-time warnings that don’t stop script execution.
• E_NOTICE: Report minor issues like uninitialized variables.

Conclusion

Enabling error reporting in PHP is a straightforward process, either by adjusting php.ini or by using the error_reporting() function in your code. Make sure to display errors during development, but log them in production for security and performance.