Troubleshoot PHP Error Display Issues via .htaccess

When testing a website and encountering issues, error display is crucial. However, this display can sometimes be disabled. For users who only have access to the .htaccess file and want to enable error display, this question provides a comprehensive solution.

The question addresses the scenario where the .htaccess file is the only accessible resource. It suggests adding three PHP flags: display_startup_errors, display_errors, and html_errors. These flags control the behavior of error display in PHP. However, after applying these changes, the website displayed an "Internal server error" instead of detailed error messages.

To resolve this issue, the answer suggests an additional PHP flag: log_errors. This flag enables PHP error logging, allowing errors to be recorded in a log file specified by error_log. By adding these lines to the .htaccess file:

php_flag display_startup_errors on
php_flag display_errors on
php_flag html_errors on
php_flag log_errors on
php_value error_log /home/path/public_html/domain/PHP_errors.log

the website will now display detailed error messages on the pages and log them to the specified location. This allows users to identify and resolve errors more easily without relying on access beyond the .htaccess file.