Simple PHP error log

pdparry

Hi,

I need to create a simple PHP script that writes php errors (Warning notices etc.) to a text file (no MySQL necessary). I know PHP has a built in error log function but the examples given in the manual are too complex. Any ideas where I could start?

I already have error reporting enabled at the start of my scripts,

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

But I need a way of capturing the error messages in a log. Any ideas where I could start?

Thanks!

Peter.

pdparry

Hi,

I was thinking about something like this...

<?php
// Enable error reporting
ini_set('display_errors', 1);
error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE);

// Tell php where your custom php error log is
ini_set('error_log', 'php-error.log');

// Try to do something that will generate an error, like opening a file that doesn't exist
$file=fopen('welcome.txt','r');

// Append the error message to the php-error log
error_log($php_error_msg);
?>

🙂

jazz_snob

If you are trying to capture errors to a log file, then you need 2 steps:
1. set an error handler callback
2. write the callback implementation

http://us3.php.net/manual/en/function.set-error-handler.php

Then my callback implementation would basically call this:
http://us3.php.net/manual/en/function.error-log.php

In the end, I think its the same as your approach.

// set up an error log, you'd probably keep this under lock and key rather than in /tmp
define('MY_ERR_LOG_FILE', '/tmp/php-error.log');
// register callback to capture error msgs
set_error_handler('my_error_logger');
// implement the callback
function my_error_logger($errno, $errstr, $errfile, $errline, $errctx)
{
    $date = date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
    $msg = "[$date] $errno: $errst in $errfile at line $errline\n";
    error_log($msg, 3, MY_ERR_LOG_FILE);
}

Weedpacket

You could also use PHP's error log. Two settings in php.ini:

; Log errors into a log file (server-specific log, stderr, or error_log (below))
; As stated above, you're strongly advised to use error logging in place of
; error displaying on production web sites.
log_errors = On

; Log errors to specified file.
error_log = /insert/path/to/logfile.here

And maybe a third:

; Print out errors (as a part of the output).  For production web sites,
; you're strongly encouraged to turn this feature off, and use error logging
; instead (see below).  Keeping display_errors enabled on a production web site
; may reveal security information to end users, such as file paths on your Web
; server, your database schema or other information.
display_errors = Off