Let’s chat about PHP error reporting. It’s a wild beast, but we’ve got the tools to tame it. If you’ve ever been coding a CLI script in PHP, you’ll know that sinking feeling when your beautiful script spits out…nothing. Zilch. Nada. Just a big, blank, empty void of a screen. You’re sitting there, scratching your head, your coffee growing cold next to you, and your code is as silent as the grave.

See, PHP - bless its heart - has a way of keeping secrets. By default, it hides its errors away like a kid hiding a broken vase. Great for keeping your server info under wraps from prying eyes, not so great when you’re trying to figure out why your script isn’t doing the thing. This is where the display_errors directive comes in.

Decoding display_errors

display_errors is like PHP’s truth serum. It’s a confessional box where PHP spills the beans about what’s gone wrong. You can tinker with this in your php.ini file, or you can bring it out at runtime with the ini_set() function. But sometimes, you just want to bring it out for a quick interrogation.

That’s when you need the -d option in your command line.

Spilling the Beans with -d display_errors=on

When you’re working in the CLI, you’ve got the -d option to change PHP directives on the fly. It’s a quick and dirty way to get what you need without changing the settings for every script.

So here’s how you bring out the big guns:

php -d display_errors=on your-awesome-script.php

So let’s break this down: php is calling on PHP to do its thing, -d is your magic wand that lets you change PHP directives on the fly, display_errors=on is your detective badge that gets PHP to spill the beans, and your-awesome-script.php… well, that’s the script you’re about to debug like a pro.

Running that command will get PHP singing like a canary, confessing its errors straight to your terminal.

Wrapping Up

That -d display_errors=on option? It’s like a secret handshake. It’s an insider tip that can save you a world of headaches when you’re trying to suss out what’s going wrong with your PHP scripts. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility: always, always, ALWAYS make sure display_errors is turned off when you’re in a production environment. Otherwise, you’re just inviting trouble.

But while you’re knee-deep in code and troubleshooting, it’s a lifeline. Happy debugging!