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error_reporting configuration

PHP course · Intermediate · Lesson 102/115

Learn to set which errors are shown with error_reporting and ini_set.

What does error_reporting do?

PHP produces errors at different severity levels: E_ERROR fatal, E_WARNING warning, E_NOTICE notice, E_ALL everything. Each level represents a different seriousness.

error_reporting(E_ALL) chooses which levels are reported. Use E_ALL in development and only E_ERROR in production.

This setting can be changed in php.ini or from inside the script with ini_set().

display_errors and ini_set

error_reporting tells PHP which errors to capture; display_errors decides whether captured errors are printed to the screen. They do different jobs.

ini_set('display_errors', '1') shows errors in development; '0' hides them in production. In production you write errors to a log and hide them from users, because detailed error messages can leak information.

The two settings work together: error_reporting captures, display_errors shows.

Exercise Configure error reporting

Call error_reporting(E_ALL) and ini_set('display_errors', '1'). Then check if (error_reporting() === E_ALL) and print 'E_ALL on'.

Show example solution 
Write error_reporting(E_ALL); and ini_set('display_errors', '1');. Then if (error_reporting() === E_ALL) { echo "E_ALL on\n"; }.
Example solution:
<?php
// Set error_reporting and display_errors, then print E_ALL on
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');
if (error_reporting() === E_ALL) {
    echo "E_ALL on\n";
}

Test yourself

  1. What do you use to show all errors?

    • error_reporting(0);
    • error_reporting(E_ALL);
    • error_reporting(E_ERROR);
    • ini_set('errors', 1);
    Show answer

    error_reporting(E_ALL); — Correct. error_reporting(E_ALL) reports every level.

  2. Report all errors

    <?php
____(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');
$cfg = ['level' => E_ALL];
echo $cfg['level'] . "\n";
    Show answer 
    <?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');
$cfg = ['level' => E_ALL];
echo $cfg['level'] . "\n";

  3. Match the error levels

    E_ERROR
    Fatal error
    E_WARNING
    Warning
    E_NOTICE
    Notice
    E_ALL
    All errors

All lessons in Intermediate

1 Classes

  1. Defining a class
  2. Defining properties
  3. Defining methods
  4. In-class access with $this
  5. Instantiating with new
  6. Summary - Classes

2 Constructor

  1. The __construct method
  2. Passing parameters to the constructor
  3. Initializing properties
  4. Class type declaration
  5. The __destruct method
  6. Summary - Constructor

3 Inheritance

  1. Inheritance with extends
  2. Accessing parent with parent::
  3. Method override
  4. protected property and method
  5. Inheritance chain
  6. Summary - Inheritance

4 Project: Utility library

  1. Project: Utility library
  2. Class skeleton
  3. Adding methods
  4. Using with file inclusion
  5. Project final - Library

5 Visibility

  1. public access
  2. protected access
  3. private access
  4. Encapsulation
  5. Getter and setter methods
  6. Summary - Visibility

6 Static members

  1. static property
  2. static method
  3. In-class access with self::
  4. Late static binding with static::
  5. static vs instance
  6. Summary - Static members

7 Class constants

  1. Class constants with const
  2. Accessing constants
  3. Class name with ::class
  4. Class constants vs static
  5. Constant use cases
  6. Summary - Class constants

8 Project: Quiz app

  1. Project: Quiz app
  2. Designing a question class
  3. Checking answers
  4. Computing the score
  5. Project final - Quiz app

9 Interfaces

  1. Defining interfaces
  2. Implementing with implements
  3. Multiple interfaces
  4. Polymorphism
  5. interface vs abstract
  6. Summary - Interfaces

10 Abstract classes

  1. Defining abstract classes
  2. abstract methods
  3. Abstract class inheritance
  4. Template method pattern
  5. Constructor and abstract
  6. Summary - Abstract classes

11 Traits

  1. Defining traits
  2. Using traits with use
  3. Multiple traits
  4. Resolving method conflicts
  5. Trait vs inheritance
  6. Summary - Traits

12 Project: Blog app

  1. Project: Blog app
  2. Creating a post class
  3. Adding posts with a form
  4. Displaying the post list
  5. Project final - Blog

13 File handling

  1. Reading with file_get_contents()
  2. Writing with file_put_contents()
  3. Opening files with fopen()
  4. fwrite() and fread()
  5. Closing files with fclose()
  6. Summary - File handling

14 File upload

  1. The $_FILES superglobal
  2. move_uploaded_file()
  3. Validating file type
  4. File size limit
  5. Upload error handling
  6. Summary - File upload

15 Sessions

  1. Starting a session with session_start()
  2. Storing data with $_SESSION
  3. Reading from a session
  4. unset() and session_destroy()
  5. Login/logout logic
  6. Summary - Sessions

16 Cookies

  1. Creating cookies with setcookie()
  2. Reading cookies with $_COOKIE
  3. Cookie expiration
  4. Deleting cookies
  5. Session vs cookie
  6. Summary - Cookies

17 Project: Contact form

  1. Project: Contact form
  2. Form skeleton
  3. Validating data
  4. Integrating file upload
  5. Project final - Contact form

18 Error handling

  1. The try/catch block
  2. Throwing exceptions with throw
  3. The Exception class
  4. error_reporting configuration
  5. Custom exception classes
  6. Summary - Error handling

19 Date and time

  1. Formatting dates with date()
  2. Timestamps with time()
  3. Parsing dates with strtotime()
  4. The DateTime class
  5. DateInterval and DatePeriod
  6. Summary - Date and time

20 Intermediate final

  1. Challenge - OOP app
  2. Challenge - File and session
  3. Challenge - Multi-step registration form
  4. Challenge - Error handling
  5. Challenge - Mini API