Notify by email of 500 errors or exceptions with PHP

When developing web applications in PHP, it is essential to handle errors effectively to ensure a smooth user experience and to promptly notify system administrators of any issues. In this tutorial, we will learn how to implement a basic exception handling system that will automatically send an email to the administrator when a 500 error occurs in our application.

Step 1: Configuration of the handler.php File

Firstly, we will create a file named handler.php that will contain our exception handling and email sending functions. This file can be included in all scripts of our application.

<?php

// Set the email address to which the message will be sent
$recipient = 'contact@email.com';

// Function to send an email
function sendEmail($message, $recipient) {
    $subject = 'Error 500 on the website';
    $headers = 'From: webmaster@example.com' . "\r\n" .
                 'Reply-To: webmaster@example.com' . "\r\n" .
                 'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();

    // Use PHP's mail() function to send the email
    mail($recipient, $subject, $message, $headers);
}

// Function to handle exceptions
function handleException($exception) {
    // Get information about the exception
    $message = 'An error has occurred on the website.' . "\n\n";
    $message .= 'Error message: ' . $exception->getMessage() . "\n";
    $message .= 'File: ' . $exception->getFile() . "\n";
    $message .= 'Line: ' . $exception->getLine() . "\n";
    
    // Send an email with the error information
    sendEmail($message, $GLOBALS['recipient']);

    // You can log the error somewhere else, like a log file

    // Show a generic message to the user (optional)
    echo 'An error has occurred. The administrator has been notified.';

    // You can redirect the user to a custom error page if you wish
    // header('Location: error.php');
}

// Set the custom exception handling function
set_exception_handler('handleException');

// Generate a 500 error (for example, trying to access an undefined variable)
echo $undefinedVariable;

?>

Step 2: Inclusion of the handler.php File in Your PHP Scripts

Now, in each of your PHP scripts, include the handler.php file at the beginning to enable exception handling and email sending.

// index.php

<?php

// Include the handler.php file
include 'handler.php';

// Rest of the code for your main script
// ...

// Generate a 500 error (for example, trying to access an undefined variable)
echo $undefinedVariable;

?>

// another_script.php

<?php

// Include the handler.php file
include 'handler.php';

// Rest of the code for your other script
// ...

// Generate a 500 error (for example, trying to access an undefined variable)
echo $anotherUndefinedVariable;

?>

If instead of sending by email, we want to display the error in the console:

<

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$currentDate = date(‘Y-m-d H:i:s’);
$errorString = $currentDate . $message;
// Output log to console (docker)
file_put_contents(‘php://stdout’, $errorString . “\n”);

Conclusion:

With these simple steps, you have implemented a basic but effective PHP exception handling system that will automatically send emails to the administrator when a 500 error occurs in your application. Customize the functions according to your specific needs, and keep in mind that this is just a starting point; you can expand and enhance this functionality based on your project requirements.

You are now better equipped to maintain and manage your PHP application more effectively!
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