FTP error log location

August 7, 2025 · AI Conversations

User

error_log where the error store in ftp

Assistant

In WordPress or PHP-based websites, the location of the `error_log` file in FTP depends on how your server is configured. Here are common locations where error logs are typically found:

—

### 🔧 **Common FTP Paths for `error_log`:**

#### 1. **Inside the Root Directory (`public_html` or `htdocs`):**
– File: `public_html/error_log`
– Often contains PHP warnings/errors from your main site.

#### 2. **Inside the Subfolder or Plugin/Theme Directory:**
– If a specific plugin or theme causes errors, you might find:

public_html/wp-content/plugins/your-plugin/error_log
  public_html/wp-content/themes/your-theme/error_log

#### 3. **Inside the `wp-admin` or `wp-includes` folder** (less common but possible):
– Example: `public_html/wp-admin/error_log`

#### 4. **Server-wide error log** (outside FTP access, only via cPanel or SSH):
– **cPanel:** Go to **Metrics → Errors** or check `Logs → Error Log`.
– **SSH:** Common paths:

/var/log/apache2/error.log
  /var/log/httpd/error_log

—

### 📌 **How to Enable PHP Error Logging (if not available):**

If `error_log` is missing and you want to create it:

Add this to your `wp-config.php`:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false ); // So errors aren't shown on the frontend

This will generate:

wp-content/debug.log

—

Let me know your hosting type (cPanel, Plesk, etc.) or if you're using a managed host (like Kinsta, WP Engine), and I can give exact directions.

User

error_log not saving errors

Assistant

If `error_log` is **not saving errors**, it usually means one of the following is misconfigured. Here's a checklist to diagnose and fix it:

—

## ✅ **Checklist to Make `error_log` Work in WordPress / PHP**

### 🔹 1. **Enable WP Debug Mode**
Open `wp-config.php` and ensure these lines are set **before** `/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */`:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false); // This hides errors from frontend

✅ This will write errors to `wp-content/debug.log` (not `error_log`).

—

### 🔹 2. **Check File Permissions**
Ensure the server has permission to write the log file.

#### For `wp-content/debug.log`:
– Set folder `wp-content` permission to `755`
– If `debug.log` exists, set its permission to `644`
– If it doesn’t exist, WordPress will create it automatically.

—

### 🔹 3. **Check `php.ini` Configuration (Server-Level PHP Settings)**
If using a custom server or VPS, ensure the following are set:

log_errors = On
error_log = /path/to/your/error_log

> If `error_log` path is not set, it defaults to the server's default error log (usually not inside FTP-visible folders).

To check this, create a `phpinfo.php` file:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Look for:
– `log_errors`
– `error_log` (the current path)
– `display_errors`

—

### 🔹 4. **Try Manual Logging**
Add this line in your PHP or WordPress file to test

User

we have core php

Assistant

Thanks! Since you're using **Core PHP (not WordPress)**, here's a tailored guide to **make sure errors are logged to `error_log`** and stored properly via FTP:

—

## ✅ How to Enable Error Logging in Core PHP

### 🔹 1. **Edit your PHP script to enable error logging**

At the top of your main PHP file (like `index.php`), add:

ini_set('display_errors', 0); // Don't show errors on screen
ini_set('log_errors', 1);     // Enable error logging
ini_set('error_log', __DIR__ . '/error_log'); // Log file in current folder

error_reporting(E_ALL); // Log all errors

> 🔄 Replace `__DIR__ . '/error_log'` with a full path if needed.

—

### 🔹 2. **Trigger a test error**
Add a line like this to check if logging works:

non_existing_function(); // This will throw a fatal error

Then check your FTP for `error_log` file in the same folder.

—

### 🔹 3. **File and Folder Permissions**

Make sure PHP can write the file:

– Folder: `755`
– File (if exists): `644`
– Owner should be the web server (e.g. `www-data` on Linux)

—

### 🔹 4. **No error_log file appearing? Try system-wide log**

If `error_log` still isn’t created, the server may be logging to a default system path. Check:

– **Via cPanel:** `Metrics > Errors` or `Logs > Error Log`
– **Via SSH** (if available): Common log file locations:
– `/var/log/apache2/error.log`
– `/var/log/httpd/error_log`

—

## 🛠 Summary

| Step | Task |
|——|——|
| ✅ | Add `ini_set('log_errors', 1);` and set `error_log` path |
| ✅ | Trigger an error manually |
| ✅ | Check for `error_log` file in FTP |
| ✅ | Ensure correct file permissions |

—

If you're on shared hosting and still don’t see it, let me know your hosting provider — I’ll give you the exact path.

User

what is codeingter 3 APPPATH

Assistant

In **CodeIgniter 3**, `APPPATH` is a **predefined constant** that represents the **full server path to your application folder** — typically the `application/` directory in your project.

—

## ✅ Example

If your CodeIgniter folder structure looks like this:

/var/www/html/myproject/
├── application/
├── system/
├── index.php

Then:

echo APPPATH;

Will output:

/var/www/html/myproject/application/

—

## 🧠 Common Uses of `APPPATH`

You can use `APPPATH` in your code to refer to files or directories inside the application:

### ✅ Load a config file manually:

require_once(APPPATH . 'config/custom_config.php');

### ✅ Write a log file:

file_put_contents(APPPATH . 'logs/my_log.txt', "Hello Log!");

### ✅ Include a library or helper:

include_once(APPPATH . 'libraries/MyLibrary.php');

—

## 🛠 Defined In:
`APPPATH` is defined in `index.php` of CodeIgniter:

define('APPPATH', $application_folder . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR);

So it's always available throughout your entire application.

—

Let me know if you need help using `APPPATH` in a specific file or use case.

User

okso what is the public url for this

Assistant

Great question!

In **CodeIgniter 3**, `APPPATH` points to the **server-side path** (like `/var/www/html/myproject/application/`) — it is **not directly accessible via a public URL** for security reasons.

—

## ✅ Summary:

—

## 🔓 If You Want to Access Public Assets

You should **not expose `application/`** to the web.

Instead, place **publicly accessible files** (images, CSS, JS) in a folder like this:

/var/www/html/myproject/assets/

Then access them via a public URL like:

http://yourdomain.com/assets/css/style.css

—

## 🛡 Security Tip

Never expose the `application/` or `system/` folders to the public via URL. If someone can open this in the browser:

http://yourdomain.com/application/config/config.php

That means your server is misconfigured.

To protect it, ensure:

– `.htaccess` blocks access to `application/` and `system/` if you're using Apache.
– Or move them outside the `public_html/` folder.

—

If you tell me your folder structure and hosting setup (shared, VPS, etc.), I can help you set the correct public path for assets.

User

php mailer attach qrcode

Assistant

To **attach a QR code to an email using PHPMailer**, you need to:

1. **Generate the QR code** (as an image or string).
2. **Save it to a file or keep it in memory**.
3. **Attach it using PHPMailer's `addAttachment()` or `addStringAttachment()`**.

—

## ✅ Step-by-Step Code (Using Endroid QR Code + PHPMailer)

### 1. **Install required packages via Composer**

composer require phpmailer/phpmailer
composer require endroid/qr-code

—

### 2. **PHP Script to Generate and Send Email with QR Code**

<?php
use PHPMailerPHPMailerPHPMailer;
use EndroidQrCodeBuilderBuilder;
use EndroidQrCodeWriterPngWriter;

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

// Generate QR Code Image (to string or file)
$result = Builder::create()
    ->writer(new PngWriter())
    ->data('https://yourdomain.com/verify?id=12345')
    ->size(300)
    ->build();

// Option 1: Save to file
$filePath = __DIR__ . '/qrcode.png';
file_put_contents($filePath, $result->getString());

// OR Option 2: Use in-memory image string
$imageData = $result->getString();

$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
    // Server settings
    $mail->isSMTP();
    $mail->Host       = 'smtp.yourhost.com';
    $mail->SMTPAuth   = true;
    $mail->Username   = 'your@email.com';
    $mail->Password   = 'yourpassword';
    $mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
    $mail->Port       = 587;

    // Recipients
    $mail->setFrom('your@email.com', 'Your Name');
    $mail->addAddress('user@example.com', 'Recipient');

    // Content
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Here is your QR Code';
    $mail->Body    = 'Please find the QR code attached.';

    // Attach QR (choose one)
    // Option A: attach saved file
    $mail->addAttachment($filePath, 'qrcode.png');

    // Option B: attach in-memory image
    // $mail->addStringAttachment($imageData, 'qrcode.png', 'base64', 'image/png');

    $mail->send();
    echo 'Message has been sent';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Mailer Error: {$mail->ErrorInfo}";
}

—

## ✅ Output

– The email will include `qrcode.png` as an attachment.
– You can also embed it inline with `addEmbeddedImage()` if you want it inside the email body.

—

## Let me know:
– If you want the QR embedded instead of attached.
– If you're not using Composer.
– Or want to generate QR code without `endroid/qr-code`.

I can adjust accordingly.

FTP error log location

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