How to Get Email Alerts for Unhandled PHP Exceptions

This tutorial provides a solution to get email alerts, when a unhandled error occurs. For this tutorial, we are using WordPress.

Imagine you created a php application and it’s running fine.  A couple of days later, a user complains about an error which you’re totally unaware of. Such unhandled errors are very common in php applications. So, to find these issues, we are going to send email notifications whenever an error occurs.

Step 1. First of all we need to identify a common application file that include at top of application. in this case the file is “wp-config.php” at the root of your wordpress hosting directory.

Step 2. Let’s add the following line of code in this file under php tag.

set_error_handler('errorHandler'); // this line of code sets an error handler custom function to handle any php error. And here we pass our custom function that name “errorHandler”

function createTable($array){
    if(is_array($array) && count($array)>0){
        $errorContent = "<table border = 1><tr><td>";
        foreach ($array as $key => $val) {
            $errorContent .= $key . "</td><td>";
            if(is_array($val) && count($val)>0){
                $errorContent .= createTable(json_decode(json_encode($val),true)) ;
            }else{
                $errorContent .= print_r($val, true) ;
            }
        }
        $errorContent .= "</td></tr></table>";
        return $errorContent;
    }
    return '';
}
 
/**
 * 
 * @param type $errorNumber        // This parameter returns error number.
 * @param type $errorString           // This parameter returns error string.
 * @param type $errorFile               // This parameter returns path of file in which error found.
 * @param type $errorLine              // This parameter returns line number of file in which you get an error.
 * @param type $errorContext         // This parameter return error context.
 */
function errorHandler($errorNumber, $errorString, $errorFile, $errorLine, $errorContext) {
    $emailAddress = 'example@example.com';
    $emailSubject = 'Error on my Application';
    $emailMessage = '<h2>Error Reporting on :- </h2>[' . date("Y-m-d h:i:s", time()) . ']';
    $emailMessage .= "<h2>Error Number :- </h2>".print_r($errorNumber, true).'';
    $emailMessage .= "<h2>Error String :- </h2>".print_r($errorString, true).'';
    $emailMessage .= "<h2>Error File :- </h2>".print_r($errorFile, true).'';
    $emailMessage .= "<h2>Error Line :- </h2>".print_r($errorLine, true).'';
    $emailMessage .= "<h2>Error Context :- </h2>".createTable($errorContext);
    $headers = "MIME-Version: 1.0" . "rn";
    $headers .= "Content-type:text/html;charset=UTF-8" . "rn";
    mail($emailAddress, $emailSubject, $emailMessage, $headers); // you may use SMTP, default php mail service OR other email sending process
}

Step 3. Now save the file and upload on server.

Whenever we got any error in wordpress then above code will send an email to given email-address (example@example.com). You can use the above code on production websites to improve application performance and track all errors that’s are missed.

Similarly we can use above code in drupal, joomla, and many other content management systems.
Common config files on other platforms are listed below:

CMS/application name	Location of common file
4Images Gallery	/config.php
B2 Evolution	/conf/_basic_config.php
Boonex Dolphin	/inc/header.inc.php
Concrete5	/config/site.php
Coppermine Photo Gallery	/include/config.inc.php
Crafty Syntax Live Help	/config.php
Cube Cart	/includes/global.inc.php
dotProject	/includes/config.php
Drupal	/sites/default/settings.php
e107	/e107_config.php
FAQMasterFlex	/faq_config.php
Gallery	/config.php
Geeklog	/db-config.php or /siteconfig.php or /lib-common.php
glfusion	/private/db-config.php
Hotaru	/hotaru_settings.php
Joomla	/configuration.php
LiveSite	/livesite/config.php
LifeType	/config/config.properties.php
Mambo	/configuration.php
Marketecture	/include/config.php
MODx	/manager/includes/config.inc.php
Moodle	/config.php
MyBB	/inc/config.php
Noahs Classifieds	/app/config.php
Nucleus	/config.php
ocPortal	/info.php
OpenCart	/config.php or /admin/config.php
osCommerce	/includes/configure.php or /admin/includes/configure.php
Oxwall	/ow_includes/config.php
PHP-Nuke	/config.php
phpBB	/config.php
phpFormGenerator	/index.php or /mysql.class.php
phpFreeChat	/forms/admin/config.inc.php (only if you have saved form input to a database)
PHPlist	/config/config.php
phpMyDirectory	/defaults.php
phpWCMS	/include/inc_conf/conf.inc.php
phpWebSite	/conf/config.php
PhpWiki	/admin.php or /lib/config.php
Pligg	/libs/dbconnect.php
Post-Nuke	/config.php
PrestaShop	/config/settings.inc.php
Saurus CMS	/config.php
ShopSite	/includes/configure.php or /admin/includes/configure.php
Siteframe	/config.php
Simple Machines Forum	/Settings.php
Soholaunch	/sohoadmin/config/isp.conf.php
SugarCRM	/config.php
Textpattern	/textpattern/config.php
TikiWiki	/db/local.php
Tomato Cart	/includes/configure.php
TYPO3	/typo3conf/localconf.php
WebCalendar	/includes/settings.php
WHMCS	/configuration.php
WordPress	/wp-config.php
X7 Chat	/config.php
Xoops	/mainfile.php
Zen Cart	/includes/configure.php or /admin/includes/configure.php
Zikula	/config.php