How do I catch a PHP fatal (`E_ERROR`) error?

Question

I can use set_error_handler() to catch most PHP errors, but it doesn\'t work for fatal (E_ERROR) errors, such as calling a function that doesn\'t e

Answer 1

PHP has catchable fatal errors. They are defined as E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR. The PHP manual describes an E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR as:

Catchable fatal error. It indicates that a probably dangerous error occured, but did not leave the Engine in an unstable state. If the error is not caught by a user defined handle (see also set_error_handler()), the application aborts as it was an E_ERROR.

You can "catch" these "fatal" errors by using set_error_handler() and checking for E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR. I find it useful to throw an Exception when this error is caught, then you can use try/catch.

This question and answer provides a useful example: How can I catch a "catchable fatal error" on PHP type hinting?

E_ERROR errors, however, can be handled, but not recovered from as the engine is in an unstable state.