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How to Display All Errors in PHP?

PHP

When developing PHP applications, it’s important to be able to see all errors, warnings, and notices to quickly debug and improve your code. By default, PHP might hide certain errors, which can make it difficult to identify issues.

In this post, we’ll guide you through different ways to display all PHP errors during development.

Different Types of Errors in PHP

Before displaying errors, it’s useful to understand the different types of PHP errors:

  1. Parse Errors (Syntax Errors):
    These errors happen when there’s a syntax issue in your code, such as missing semicolons or parentheses.
    Example: echo "Hello, World!"
  2. Fatal Errors:
    Fatal errors stop the execution of the script, like calling an undefined function or class.
    Example: nonExistentFunction();
  3. Warning Errors:
    Warnings do not stop the script but indicate potential issues, such as including a non-existent file.
    Example: include('non_existent_file.php');
  4. Notice Errors:
    Notices are minor issues like accessing undefined variables. These do not stop the script.
    Example: echo $undefinedVariable;

Different Ways to Display Errors in PHP

Here are four ways to display all PHP errors:

1. Use Code in Your PHP Script

The quickest way to display all errors is by adding these lines to your PHP file:

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

This will show all errors, warnings, and notices on the screen.

2. Modify the php.ini File

To enable error display for all PHP scripts, edit the php.ini file:

display_errors = On
error_reporting = E_ALL

After saving the changes, restart your server for the settings to take effect.

3. Use .htaccess (For Apache Servers)

If you’re using Apache, add these lines to your .htaccess file:

php_flag display_errors On
php_value error_reporting 32767

This is useful if you don’t have access to the php.ini file.

4. Display Errors Based on Environment

In production environments, you may not want to display errors. Here’s how to show errors only in development:

if ($_SERVER['ENVIRONMENT'] == 'development') {
    ini_set('display_errors', 1);
    ini_set('display_startup_errors', 1);
    error_reporting(E_ALL);
} else {
    ini_set('display_errors', 0);
    error_reporting(E_ALL);
    ini_set('log_errors', 1);
    ini_set('error_log', '/path/to/error.log');
}

This method ensures errors are shown in development and logged in production.

Conclusion

Displaying all errors in PHP is crucial for debugging and improving your code. Whether you modify the code in your script, change the php.ini settings, use .htaccess, or display errors conditionally based on the environment, each method helps you quickly spot and resolve issues.