Changing PHP settings and extensions in Server by Zaweba

Each PHP version in Server by Zaweba keeps its own php.ini, and the PHP page edits them one version at a time without you hunting for the file. Pick a version and you get a display_errors switch, memory_limit, an upload size box, max_execution_time and date.timezone, followed by every extension in that version's ext folder as a tick box. Changes apply with a graceful Apache restart shortly after the last one.

The settings people change most

display_errors decides whether PHP shows errors in the page. During development you usually want it on, so a mistake appears where you can see it instead of leaving a blank page. Turn it off to see the page as visitors would.

memory_limit caps how much memory one script may use. Image processing, imports and large reports can hit the default, and raising it here is the usual cure.

The upload size box sets upload_max_filesize and post_max_size together. Those two must agree, because a form upload is limited by whichever is smaller, and setting them separately is a classic source of uploads that fail with no obvious reason. One box removes the problem.

max_execution_time is how long a script may run before PHP stops it, which matters for imports and long jobs. date.timezone sets the zone PHP uses for dates, so times in your site match your clock rather than a default.

Extensions as tick boxes

Every extension present in the chosen version's ext folder is listed with a tick box. Tick one to load it, untick to stop loading it. opcache and xdebug are loaded as zend_extension, which is what they need, and the app handles that difference for you. Because each version has its own list, you can enable an extension for PHP 8.3 without affecting a PHP 7.4 site.

If a project's installer says an extension is missing, this page is the place to check. Just remember to change the version the site actually uses; the sites list shows each site's PHP version.

Your own edits survive

Changes from the PHP page are single-line edits to php.ini. The rest of the file is left as it is, so settings you have added by hand and comments you have written stay put. You can open php.ini in Notepad straight from the page for anything the page doesn't cover.

If a php.ini gets into a muddle, start a fresh one from the same page. The old copy is kept, so you can look back at what was in it or copy across a line you need.

When changes take effect

There is no save button to remember. A short time after your last change, Server by Zaweba restarts Apache gracefully and the new settings apply. Changing several things in a row only causes one restart. Every Apache configuration change is tested first, so a mistake doesn't take the server down.

To confirm what PHP is really using, the new-site wizard can create a starter index.php that shows phpinfo, which lists every active setting and extension for that site's version.

Good habits

Change one thing at a time when you are chasing a problem. Keep production values in mind if the site will go live elsewhere, so you don't come to rely on a memory limit your host won't give you. And if errors still don't show with display_errors on, the Logs page has each PHP version's error log, which records them either way.