PHP error_reporting

In PHP, error_reporting is a configuration directive that controls which types of errors and warnings are displayed or logged. It determines the level of error reporting that PHP should adhere to during script execution. By setting the error_reporting directive, you can specify the types of errors you want PHP to report.

Syntax:
The syntax to set the error_reporting directive in PHP is as follows:

error_reporting(E_ALL);

The parameter inside error_reporting() is a bitmask that represents the level of error reporting. You can use predefined constants or a combination of them to specify the error reporting level.

Common Error Reporting Constants:

• E_ALL: Report all errors and warnings (including runtime notices).
• E_ERROR: Report fatal run-time errors. These errors halt script execution.
• E_WARNING: Report non-fatal runtime warnings.
• E_NOTICE: Report runtime notices.
• E_PARSE: Report parse errors.
• E_STRICT: Report runtime notices about code that may not be compatible with future versions of PHP.

To enable multiple error reporting constants, you can use the bitwise OR (|) operator:

error_reporting(E_ERROR | E_WARNING | E_NOTICE);

Setting error_reporting to E_ALL is a common practice during development and debugging to catch all types of errors and warnings. However, in a production environment, you should avoid displaying error messages to users, as it may expose sensitive information about your server. Instead, you can log errors for review and display user-friendly error messages.

To change the error reporting level, you can use one of the following methods:

1. In PHP script:

<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);

2. In php.ini:
   Locate the php.ini file and look for the error_reporting directive. Set it to the desired error reporting level:

error_reporting = E_ALL

Remember to restart your web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx) after making changes to the php.ini file for the modifications to take effect.

Keep in mind that while error_reporting controls the error reporting level, you can also use ini_set('display_errors', 1) to enable or disable displaying error messages on the screen for a specific script, as explained in the previous response.