How to correctly use `.user.ini`-file in PHP?

Question

In my working directory I have two files: index.php and .user.ini:

.user.ini:

display_errors=on

; http://be2.php.net/manual/en/filter.configuration.php#ini.filter.default
;filter.default = "full_special_chars"

index.php:

<?php
//ini_set("display_errors", "on");

// Use `.user.ini` file:
// http://php.net/manual/en/configuration.file.per-user.php
echo "Setting for 'user_ini.filename': " . ini_get("user_ini.filename");
echo "\n\n";


// It takes up to five minutes, until `.user.ini` is re-read:
echo "Setting for 'user_ini.cache_ttl': " . ini_get("user_ini.cache_ttl");
echo "\n\n";

// http://php.net/manual/en/function.ini-get.php
echo "Setting for 'display_errors': " . ini_get("display_errors");
echo "\n\n";
echo "Setting for 'filter.default': " . ini_get("filter.default");
echo "\n\n";

// php -S localhost:8000
// http://localhost:8000/

Using the above .user.ini-file (in my working directory) I expect the "Setting for 'display_errors': " having a value of on or 1, but it's empty.

How to correctly change settings using the .user.ini-file?

running php --ini results in

Configuration File (php.ini) Path: /etc/php5/cli
Loaded Configuration File:         /etc/php5/cli/php.ini
Scan for additional .ini files in: /etc/php5/cli/conf.d
Additional .ini files parsed:      /etc/php5/cli/conf.d/05-opcache.ini,
/etc/php5/cli/conf.d/10-pdo.ini,
/etc/php5/cli/conf.d/20-json.ini,
/etc/php5/cli/conf.d/20-readline.ini

which does not contain my .user.ini-file.

Explicitly adding the .user.ini-file works:

php --php-ini .user.ini index.php

but I'd like it to be automatically read when running the script from a given folder.

Alisander

Answer 1

In the documentation it says:

These files are processed only by the CGI/FastCGI SAPI

and

If you are using Apache, use .htaccess files for the same effect.

So if you run PHP as an Apache module, from the commandline, or using the builtin-Server, the .user.ini-files are not processed.

To find out your Server API, simply generate a PHP script with the following content and call it in your webbrowser:

<? phpinfo();

Seismograph

Is there a PHP-function that returns the Server-API? – Alisander

@Alisander You can use php_sapi_name(). – Seismograph

@CMCDragonkai yes, but only if your local server is configured as FastCGI module. You can recognize it by checking phpinfo(); in row Server API. – Reflect

@Reflect My tests showed that it doesn't work for php -S. – Bega

Somehow I skimmed the docs and missed this multiple times when trying to use .user.ini with php -S. Thanks for making it obvious for me. Additionally, I found it also does not use /etc/php-cli.ini. After checking php_sapi_name(), I was successful with /etc/php-cli-server.ini – Apotropaic

Answer 2

According to http://php.net/manual/en/configuration.file.per-user.php

Check user_ini.filename in your main php.ini to make sure it's not blank and it is indeed parsed. If its value is blank then PHP doesn't scan at all.

Also see the value of user_ini.cache_ttl

Please take a look at

php.net manual

Also check this question out Loading a .user.ini PHP conf file using the PHP 5.4 internal server?

Loss

Thats what the index.php already does. The output is: Setting for 'user_ini.filename': .user.ini and Setting for 'user_ini.cache_ttl': 300. So at least after five minutes the correct settings should be returned by the index.php - but they aren't,... – Alisander

Answer 3

Instead of using .htaccess for PHP config, you can create .user.ini file and put your settings there.

(without any indent or space)

For example my .user.ini config is:

max_execution_time=600
upload_max_filesize=200M
post_max_size=200M
memory_limit=256M 

Rentschler

Are you sure spaces will not work? Also please note there is a space in your .user.ini (see first line max_execution_time =600) – Cathepsin