How to Enable Error Reporting in PHP: Simple Steps

To enable error reporting in PHP, use error_reporting(E_ALL) to report all errors and ini_set('display_errors', '1') to show errors on the screen. Place these lines at the start of your PHP script to see all warnings, notices, and errors during development.

Syntax

Use error_reporting() to set which errors PHP reports, and ini_set() to control if errors are displayed. Commonly, E_ALL reports all errors, and 'display_errors' set to '1' shows errors on the page.

php

<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');
?>

Example

This example enables full error reporting and then triggers a warning by dividing by zero. You will see the warning message on the page.

php

<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');

// This will cause a warning (division by zero)
$result = 10 / 0;
?>

Output

<b>Warning</b>:  Division by zero in /path/to/script.php on line 7

Common Pitfalls

Many beginners forget to enable display_errors, so errors are logged but not shown. Also, on some servers, display_errors is disabled in php.ini for security. Remember to disable error display on live sites to avoid exposing sensitive info.

php

<?php
// Wrong: Only setting error_reporting, no display
error_reporting(E_ALL);

// Right: Set both error reporting and display
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', '1');
?>

Quick Reference

Setting	Purpose	Example Value
error_reporting()	Sets which errors to report	E_ALL
ini_set('display_errors', '1')	Shows errors on the page	'1' to enable, '0' to disable
ini_set('log_errors', '1')	Logs errors to server log	'1' to enable
error_reporting(0)	Turns off error reporting	0

Key Takeaways

Use error_reporting(E_ALL) to report all types of errors in PHP.

Enable ini_set('display_errors', '1') to show errors on the screen during development.

Disable error display on live sites to protect sensitive information.

Check your server's php.ini settings if errors do not show as expected.

Always place error reporting code at the start of your PHP scripts.