Parse error syntax error unexpected token echo

Typical PHP Script errors and their default Action

In the following POST we will have a closer look at the following PHP Script Errors 

 Value     Constant     Description
     1     E_ERROR     Fatal run-time errors. Errors that cannot be recovered from. Execution of the script is halted        
     4     E_PARSE     Compile-time parse errors. Parse errors should only be generated by the parser. Script is halted.
     8     E_NOTICE    Run-time notices. The script found something that might be an error, but could also happen when 
                       running a script normaly . Script runs to the END.

Is using set_error_handler() a working solution ?

• The following error types cannot be handled with a user defined function: E_ERROR, E_PARSE, E_CORE_ERROR, E_CORE_WARNING,E_COMPILE_ERROR, E_COMPILE_WARNING, and most of E_STRICT raised in the file where set_error_handler() is called.
• Using set_error_handler is only useful for debugging Warnings [ like uninitialised variables ]
• If using a user function (error_handler) to handle errors in a script by using set_error_handler() any WARNING  will not get displayed in our register_shutdown_function() at the PHP page end.  This is not expected !
• As set_error_handler() can’t be used for all errors  we should use register_shutdown_function instead

Using register_shutdown_function() to handle PARSE, RUNTIME and WARNINGS

• Parse Errors can only be handled by using  register_shutdown_function in the top level PHP Page
• PHP shutdownhandler() uses  error_get_last() to retrieve the latest PHP error/warning
• NOTE: YOU should disable any error handler ( set by set_error_handler() ) if you want to log even WARNING messages.
  

PHP Code for our TOP LEVEL Page

 
<?php

include 'phpErrorHandler.php';                   /* defines errorHandler and shutdownHandler function */
// set_error_handler("errorHandler");            /* disable _error_handler when using register_shutdown_function */
                                                 /* If  set_error_handler() is enabled WARNIGNS will be missed in our  registered shutdown function*/
register_shutdown_function("shutdownHandler");
ini_set('display_errors', false);               /* Note PHP errors may break the JSON traffic in our AJAX requests */ 
                                                /* Don't to display any Errors in the Browser Window  */ 
ini_set('error_reporting', E_ALL); 
$handlerType='TOP LEVEL';  
  
echo "<p>____Before Error::</p>";
include 'create_a_php_error.php';                /* The PHP source with an errors */
      /* Note we will never reach this line in case of syntax errors in create_a_php_error.php  */
echo "<p>____After Include:: </p>"; 
runme();                                         /* The function with an error */
echo "<p>____Leaving Page:: </p>";
?>   

PHP Code for our shutdownHandler

 
<?php

function shutdownHandler()   //will be called when php script ends.
{
   global $handlerType;
   logError(" -------------- Inside shutdownHandler: ".$handlerType." -----------------------", "info"); 
   $lasterror = error_get_last();
   if ( $lasterror ===  null )
        logError('[SHUTDOWNHANDLER]:: No errors found in PHP Page',"info");
   else
     {
           // logError('[SHUTDOWNHANDLER]:: Found errors found in PHP Page: - Error Type::  '.$lasterror['type'] ,"info");       
      switch ($lasterror['type'])
       {
            case E_ERROR:
              case E_CORE_ERROR:
              case E_COMPILE_ERROR:
              case E_USER_ERROR:
              case E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR:
              case E_CORE_WARNING:
              case E_COMPILE_WARNING:
              case E_PARSE:    
                {   
                $error = "[SHUTDOWNHANDLER] lvl:" . $lasterror['type'] . " | msg:" . $lasterror['message'] . " | file:" . $lasterror['file'] . " | ln:" . $lasterror['line'];
                      //  echo '<p><b>'.$error.'</b></p>';
                logError($error, "fatal");
                break;
                }
              default:
                {
                $error = "[SHUTDOWNHANDLER: Unknown Type ] LVL:" . $lasterror['type'] . " | msg:" . $lasterror['message'] . " | file:" . $lasterror['file'] . " | ln:" . $lasterror['line'];
                  logError($error, "fatal"); 
                  }
          }
    }
}

function logError($error, $errlvl)
{
  error_log($error);                /* Write to PHP error log */ 
  echo '<p><b>'.$error.'<b></p>';   /* Display the error in our PHP page */
}

?>

PHP Code to be tested –  Runtime Warning – throws E_NOTICE error

 
<?php 
  function runme()
      {
      global $handlerType;
      $handlerType ='2nd LEVEL';     
      echo "<p><b>function runme():: This function creates a PHP Warning , PHP Runtime Error or PHP Syntax Error ! </b></p>";
    
    /* Error1 : Runtime Warning - throws E_NOTICE error */ 
    echo $test;
      
      echo "<p>Leaving function runme - Now dying !</p>";
      die();
    }
?>

HTML Output:     
____Before Error::
____After Include::
function runme():: This function creates a PHP Warning , PHP Runtime Error or PHP Syntax Error !
Leaving function runme - Now dying !
-------------- Inside shutdownHandler: 2nd LEVEL -----------------------
[SHUTDOWNHANDLER: Unknown Type ] LVL:8 | msg:Undefined variable: test | file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:23

PHP Log :
[29-Nov-2015 18:16:31 Europe/Berlin] PHP Notice:  Undefined variable: test in D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php on line 23
[29-Nov-2015 18:16:31 Europe/Berlin]  -------------- Inside shutdownHandler: 2nd LEVEL -----------------------
[29-Nov-2015 18:16:31 Europe/Berlin] [SHUTDOWNHANDLER: Unknown Type ] LVL:8 | msg:Undefined variable: test | 
                                     file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:23

• As we get only  E_NOTICE Warning  the script runs to the end
• Our PAGE SHUTDOWNHANDLER is able to retrieve  this WARNING

PHP Code to be tested –  Fatal Runtime error :  E_ERROR

 
<?php  
  function runme()
      {
      global $handlerType;
      $handlerType ='2nd LEVEL';     
      echo "<p><b>function runme():: This function creates a PHP Warning , PHP Runtime Error or PHP Syntax Error ! </b></p>";
    
    /* Error2 : Runtime Error - throws E_ERROR */
     echo "<p>Curent Working directory: ".getcd() . "</p>";   
  
      echo "<p>Leaving function runme - Now dying !</p>";
      die();
    }
?>

HTML Output:
____Before Error::
____After Include::
function runme():: This function creates a PHP Warning , PHP Runtime Error or PHP Syntax Error !
-------------- Inside shutdownHandler: 2nd LEVEL -----------------------
[SHUTDOWNHANDLER] lvl:1 | msg:Call to undefined function getcd() | file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:26   

PHP Error LOG:
[29-Nov-2015 18:24:09 Europe/Berlin] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function getcd() in 
                                      D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php on line 26
[29-Nov-2015 18:24:09 Europe/Berlin]  -------------- Inside shutdownHandler: 2nd LEVEL -----------------------
[29-Nov-2015 18:24:09 Europe/Berlin] [SHUTDOWNHANDLER] lvl:1 | msg:Call to undefined function getcd() | 
                                     file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:26

• Note this script was aborted due to fatal E_ERROR error

PHP Code to be tested –  Fatal PARSE error :  E_PARSE

 
<?php  
  function runme()
      {
      global $handlerType;
      $handlerType ='2nd LEVEL';     
      echo "<p><b>function runme():: This function creates a PHP Warning , PHP Runtime Error or PHP Syntax Error ! </b></p>";
    
      /* Error 3: Syntax error -  throws E_PARSE : this is a fatal error an can only handled in the TOP level PHP page  */
      logS(    
      
      echo "<p>Leaving function runme - Now dying !</p>";
      die();
    }
?>

HTML Output:
____Before Error::
-------------- Inside shutdownHandler: TOP LEVEL -----------------------
[SHUTDOWNHANDLER] lvl:4 | msg:syntax error, unexpected 'echo' (T_ECHO) | file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:31

PHP Error LOG:
[29-Nov-2015 18:31:07 Europe/Berlin] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected 'echo' (T_ECHO) in 
                                     D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php on line 31
[29-Nov-2015 18:31:07 Europe/Berlin]  -------------- Inside shutdownHandler: TOP LEVEL -----------------------
[29-Nov-2015 18:31:07 Europe/Berlin] [SHUTDOWNHANDLER] lvl:4 | msg:syntax error, unexpected 'echo' (T_ECHO) | 
                                     file:D:xampphtdocscreate_a_php_error.php | ln:31

• Note this script was aborted due to fatal E_PARSE error
• Only if we have registered a SHUTDOWNHANDLER in our top level page we can catch this type of PARSE errors

Reference

• PHP Error Codes
• Handling PHP PARSE errors
• A Survey of PHP Error Handling