![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/11\/eBook_-Build-website-in-9-steps_in-text-banner-1-1024x283.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>
How to Enable PHP Error Logging<\/h2>
It is only possible to check the PHP error log if it’s enabled on your web hosting account. Unfortunately, the error logging on a website’s directory is disabled by default in most cases.<\/p>
However, before tweaking some code and the web hosting configuration, take a look at the PHP info to know whether PHP logging is enabled on your hosting account. Here are the steps to do so in hPanel:<\/p>
- \n
- Log in to your hPanel account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Head to the Advanced <\/strong>section and click PHP Info<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/hpanel-advanced-phpinfo-sidebar.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>- \n
- Press CTRL + F <\/strong>for Windows or Command + F <\/strong>for MacOS <\/strong>to open the search bar. Type log_errors<\/strong> to find the log_errors <\/strong>row. If the value is Off<\/strong>, then the PHP error logging is disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"Locating](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/log-errors.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>Or, if you don’t use hPanel, create a phpinfo.php<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>file to access the PHP info. Use an FTP client or the hosting’s file manager and perform the following steps:<\/p>
- \n
- Open the public_html <\/strong>directory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Create a phpinfo.php <\/strong>file. If the file already exists, open it and make sure it contains the code from Step 3<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Open the file and insert the following line:
<?php<\/code>phpinfo();<\/code>?><\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>- \n
- Save and close the file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Go to yourdomain.com\/phpinfo.php<\/strong>., replacing yourdomain <\/strong>with the actual domain name. It will show the PHP configuration details, like this:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"PHP](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/php-details.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>- \n
- Press CTRL + F <\/strong>for Windows or Command + F <\/strong>for MacOS <\/strong>to open the search bar on your web browser. Type log_errors<\/strong> to find the log_errors <\/strong>row. If the value is Off<\/strong>, then the PHP error logging is disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
There are three ways to turn on the PHP error log, depending on the hosting platform:<\/p>
- \n
- Accessing the hPanel if you are Hostinger’s WordPress<\/a>, cloud<\/a> or standard web hosting<\/a> plans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Editing the .htaccess<\/strong> file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Editing the php.ini<\/strong> file if you are a Linux desktop or Linux VPS hosting user.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
How to Enable Error Log Using hPanel<\/h3>
Enabling PHP error logs on hPanel is easy as there’s a dedicated setting for that. Follow these simple steps:<\/p>
- \n
- Access the hPanel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Head to the Advanced <\/strong>section and click PHP Configuration<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/hpanel-advanced-phpconfiguration.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>- \n
- Open the PHP options <\/strong>and tick the logErrors <\/strong>box:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"PHP](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/logerrors.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>- \n
- Scroll down to the bottom of the section and click Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
The system now will generate the error_log <\/strong>file when the site encounters an error, such as 502 bad gateway<\/a>. Follow these steps to open the file:<\/p>
1. Open the File Manager<\/a><\/strong> and the Access all files of Hosting<\/strong> option:<\/p>
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/hpanel-files-filemanager-accessallfiles-highlighted-1024x173.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>2. Go to the .logs<\/strong> directory.<\/p>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/filemanager-logs-highlighted-1024x506.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>3. Find the error_log_[domain] <\/strong>file.<\/p>
When you open the file, it will show the error log messages, including the date when the error occurred, the type of error, and even the details of the file and line that need correction.<\/p>
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/filemanager-errorlog-1024x203.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>In the example above, the error log specifies an unexpected IF <\/strong>syntax on line 109 of the functions.php<\/strong> file. Such information helps to locate the error quickly and take corrective action.<\/p>
How to Use hPanel to Display Errors<\/h3>
Additionally, hPanel lets you easily enable the displayErrors<\/strong> option. For that, refer to the following steps:<\/p>
1. Access the hPanel.<\/p>
2. Head to the Advanced <\/strong>→ PHP Configuration<\/strong> section:<\/p>
\n![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/hpanel-advanced-phpconfiguration.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>3. Open the PHP options <\/strong>and tick the displayErrors <\/strong>box:<\/p>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/hpanel-advanced-phpconfiguration-phpoptions-displayerrors-highlighted-1024x368.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>4. Save <\/strong>the changes<\/p>
5. Lastly, visit your website, and the PHP error will be displayed:<\/p>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/wordpresswebsite-parserror.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>How to Enable Error Log Using the .htaccess File<\/h3>
If you don’t use Hostinger and can’t find any PHP error log settings on the provider’s control panel, enable it by editing the .htaccess <\/strong>file.<\/p>
Locate the .htaccess <\/strong>file<\/a> using the file manager or an FTP client<\/a>. It should be located inside the site’s root <\/strong>directory. However, the file is hidden in some cases. In that case, go to the settings on the control panel or FTP client to display hidden files.<\/p>
\n\n\n
Important!<\/strong> Back up the .htaccess<\/b> file before making any changes.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>
Once you’ve found the .htaccess <\/strong>file, follow the following steps:<\/p>
- \n
- Open the .htaccess <\/strong>file and insert the following code:
php_flag log_errors on<\/code>php_value error_reporting 32767<\/code>php_value error_log \"error_log.txt\"<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>- \n
- Create a file titled error_log.txt <\/strong>in the public_html <\/strong>directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Save and close it. All PHP error logs will be reported in the error_log.txt <\/strong>file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
Now the PHP error logging is enabled. You can check it by using the PHP info again, and the Local Value <\/strong>should be on. Don’t worry if the Master Value <\/strong>is still off, as the local value will override it.<\/p>
If the site encounters any trouble, open the error_log.txt<\/strong>, <\/strong>and you’ll see the PHP error logs.<\/p>
How to Enable Error Log Using php.ini File<\/h3>
The third method to enable the PHP error log is by editing the php.ini<\/strong> file. It contains the default web server configuration for running PHP applications.<\/p>
Note that the php.ini <\/strong>file is not accessible for standard hosting users as it requires server root access. Instead, this method is an alternative for Linux or VPS hosting users.<\/p>
Locating the php.ini File<\/strong><\/p>
The directory may differ depending on whether it’s on the command line interface (CLI)<\/a> or the web server’s operating system, such as Apache<\/a> and NGINX<\/a>.<\/p>
Locate the php.ini <\/strong>file by accessing the PHP info. Once you open it, press CTRL + F <\/strong>for Windows or Command + F <\/strong>for MacOS to open the search bar and look for the Loaded Configuration File <\/strong>section. You’ll find the directory of the php.ini <\/strong>file.<\/p>
\n![\"Loaded](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/loaded-configuration.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>Another method to find the configuration file is using the command line. Connect to the web server by using an SSH client<\/a> and execute the following command:<\/p>
php -i | grep php.ini<\/pre>
It should print an output like this:<\/p>
\n![\"Output](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/configuration-file-output.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>That said, here are the common directories for php.ini <\/strong>file depending on the operating system:<\/p>
- \n
- CLI<\/strong> –
\/etc\/php\/7.4\/cli\/php.ini<\/code>. Note that changing the PHP configuration in CLI won’t affect the web server.<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Apache <\/strong>–
\/etc\/php\/7.4\/apache2\/php.ini<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n- NGINX or Apache with PHP-FPM<\/strong> –
\/etc\/php\/7.4\/fpm\/php.ini<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
Important!<\/strong> If necessary, replace 7.4<\/strong> with the PHP version you actually use.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>
Editing the php.ini File<\/strong><\/p>
Once you locate the php.ini <\/strong>file, open and edit it <\/strong>with the Nano text editor<\/a> using the following command:<\/p>
nano etc\/php\/7.4\/apache2\/php.ini<\/pre>
Note that you should adapt the command depending on the php.ini <\/strong>path. It should print an output like this:<\/p>
\n![\"Editing](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/edit-php-ini-file.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>Once you open the php.ini <\/strong>file, it will display the configuration directives<\/a>. Change the values of these directives to configure the PHP setup on your web server.<\/p>
When it comes to PHP error logging, there are three primary directives:<\/p>
- \n
- log_errors<\/strong> – toggles the PHP error logging. The default value is 0,<\/strong> which indicates that PHP error logging is disabled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- error_log<\/strong> – sends the error message to the error log file. The default value is 0<\/strong>, and you should set the absolute path for the error log file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- error_reporting<\/strong> – defines the minimum error reporting level. The value is null <\/strong>by default, and you should change its parameters to report all types of errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
To configure those directives, simply use the following commands on the text editor:<\/p>
log_errors = on\nerror_reporting = E_All\nerror_log = \/path\/filename<\/pre>
Be sure to replace \/path\/filename<\/strong> with the desired path and file name of the error log file. Alternatively, use this command to log errors in the system log:<\/p>
error_log = syslog<\/pre>
Apart from these three main directives, several others are related to PHP error logging, such as:<\/p>
- \n
- display_errors<\/strong> – defines whether to display errors on the error output. We recommend disabling this as a security measure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- log_error_max_length<\/strong> – defines the maximum length of logged errors. Set the value to zero to disable the limit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- track_errors<\/strong> – specifies whether to store the last error message in the
$php_errormsg<\/code> variable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>Most Common PHP Error Log Types<\/h2>
One of the details that the PHP error log provides is the type of error that occurred. In general, there are four types of PHP errors. Understanding them is essential to know how to fix and prevent the same errors from happening again.<\/p>
Warning Error<\/strong><\/p>
This error warns about a problem that may cause a more significant issue in the long run. However, it doesn’t stop the script execution.<\/p>
The most common cause is using a file path that doesn’t exist. If you encounter this error, check the file name on the script or directory as a typo can make the script unable to find it.<\/p>
Notice Error<\/strong><\/p>
A notice error is similar to a warning error, as it still allows the execution of the script. However, it usually indicates an undeclared or undefined variable in the script instead of a missing file.<\/p>
Simply check the variable indicated in the error message.<\/p>
Parse Error<\/strong><\/p>
A parse or syntax error indicates a wrong symbol, unclosed quote, missing semicolon, or misspelling in the script syntax. It terminates the script and can trigger error messages on WordPress sites.<\/p>
The error logs will indicate the specific symbol or syntax that caused it, along with the file and code line, making it easy to fix the syntax error<\/a>.<\/p>
Here’s an example of a parse error message:<\/p>
PHP Parse error: syntax error, unexpected ‘2’ (T_LNUMBER), expecting ‘)’ in \/home\/u802426761\/domains\/username\/public_html\/wp-config.php on line 54<\/pre>
- log_error_max_length<\/strong> – defines the maximum length of logged errors. Set the value to zero to disable the limit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- error_log<\/strong> – sends the error message to the error log file. The default value is 0<\/strong>, and you should set the absolute path for the error log file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Apache <\/strong>–
- Save and close it. All PHP error logs will be reported in the error_log.txt <\/strong>file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Create a file titled error_log.txt <\/strong>in the public_html <\/strong>directory<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Open the .htaccess <\/strong>file and insert the following code:
- Scroll down to the bottom of the section and click Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Open the PHP options <\/strong>and tick the logErrors <\/strong>box:<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Editing the .htaccess<\/strong> file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Accessing the hPanel if you are Hostinger’s WordPress<\/a>, cloud<\/a> or standard web hosting<\/a> plans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Press CTRL + F <\/strong>for Windows or Command + F <\/strong>for MacOS <\/strong>to open the search bar on your web browser. Type log_errors<\/strong> to find the log_errors <\/strong>row. If the value is Off<\/strong>, then the PHP error logging is disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
- Create a phpinfo.php <\/strong>file. If the file already exists, open it and make sure it contains the code from Step 3<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Open the public_html <\/strong>directory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Press CTRL + F <\/strong>for Windows or Command + F <\/strong>for MacOS <\/strong>to open the search bar. Type log_errors<\/strong> to find the log_errors <\/strong>row. If the value is Off<\/strong>, then the PHP error logging is disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>