PHP development resources

Get solutions and answers to your PHP development questions here.

What is PHP?

Are you new to web development? Have you heard about PHP and wonder what it’s all about? Read this article first, which covers what exactly PHP is and why you would use it.

PHP script basics

In this article, we cover permissions for PHP scripts along with other essentials to help you manage your PHP scripts.

Viewing PHP settings

You can use the phpinfo() function to view detailed information about the PHP environment, configuration settings, and more. This article covers how to create a test PHP page that uses the phpinfo() function.

Changing PHP settings and versions

How you change the PHP version and settings depends on the type of hosting account that you have. Read this article for everything you need to know.

Custom php.ini files

You can use php.ini files to customize a wide range of PHP settings for your web site. This article covers how to set up your own custom php.ini file.

Using php.ini directives

The directives in php.ini files allow you to control many settings for your web site. This collection of articles covers how to control error logging, specify time zone information, and much more.

Custom .htaccess files for PHP settings

If you have a managed VPS or Dedicated Server, you can use .htaccess files to customize a wide range of PHP settings for your website. This article shows you how to set up custom .htaccess files to control PHP settings.

Using PHP directives in custom .htaccess files

These articles explain how to set various PHP directives in an .htaccess file. For example, you can control error logging, specify time zone information, and more. Please note that these articles only apply to managed VPS or Dedicated Server accounts.

Run PHP scripts from cron jobs

Learn how to run PHP scripts from cron jobs using the PHP command-line interpreter. This method is faster and more efficient than using curl or wget to run a PHP script.

Using PHP to send e-mail messages

This article covers three methods for sending e-mail messages from a hosting account by using PHP: the mail() function, the PEAR Mail class, and PHPMailer.

PHP include paths

There are several ways you can set the include path in PHP. This article covers three methods: using a custom php.ini file, using the set_include_path() function, and using an .htaccess file.

PEAR packages

PEAR packages are reusable PHP code libraries that you can use in your own projects. Learn how to install PEAR packages with either cPanel or by submitting a support ticket. This article also covers how to configure the PHP include path so that your PEAR packages can be located.

Determining if a PHP function is available

You can use the function_exists() function to determine if a particular PHP function is available for your web site. This article covers how to create a test PHP page that uses the function_exists() function.

‘500 Internal Server Error’ while running PHP

There are several reasons why visitors to your web site might receive “500 Internal Server Error” messages. This article covers two possible causes and how to fix them: incorrect file permissions and .htaccess directives.

‘String could not be parsed as XML’ error message in PHP

When you try to parse XML data in a PHP script file, you may receive a “String could not be parsed as XML” error message. This article describes some possible causes and ways to troubleshoot the problem.

Using the Exif extension in PHP

Hostvento Hosting’s shared servers include PHP support for processing Exif (Exchangeable image file format) data. Learn how to use this extension here.

Common issues after PHP upgrade

This article discusses some issues that may occur after a PHP upgrade on a shared server, and ways to resolve them.

Using a custom php.ini file for cPanel cron jobs

Depending on how PHP scripts are invoked, they often use different php.ini files to run in different environments. This article demonstrates how to use a custom php.ini file that you can use with cron jobs set up in cPanel.

Using PHP sessions

This article discusses PHP sessions — what they are, when to use them, and how to implement them. This article covers Php Session start, how to work with PHP session variables, how to end a session, session settings in php.ini, and session security.

ionCube PHP Loader support

Learn about ionCube PHP Loader support and how to use it on the following Hostvento Hosting servers: shared, reseller, managed VPS, managed Dedicated, unmanaged VPS, and unmanaged Dedicated servers.

Specifying the MySQL character set in PHP

Learn how to specify the character set when you use the MySQL Improved (mysqli) PHP extension or PDO (PHP Data Objects) to connect to a MySQL database.

‘Unable to allocate memory for pool’ error message in PHP

When you try to view a page running PHP, you may receive an “Unable to allocate memory for pool” error message. This article describes how to resolve this issue.

Optimizing Symfony using APC

Learn how to optimize your Symfony PHP framework code on a managed VPS using APC (Alternative PHP Cache).

Using the internationalization extension in PHP

The PHP internationalization (intl) extension enables you to display locale-specific information for a wide variety of countries and regions. Learn more in this article, which includes a code sample that demonstrates internationalization usage in PHP.

Installing PHP composer

Learn how to install and configure composer, a PHP dependency manager.

Determining if APC is installed on a server

Learn how to determine if the Alternative PHP Cache (APC) is installed on your server. Please note that not all hosting packages support APC.

Using the MailChimp API with PHP

The MailChimp API (application programming interface) enables you to work with a MailChimp account programmatically. This article demonstrates how to use the API with PHP, including a code sample you can use in your own site.

‘Allowed memory size exhausted’ error message in PHP

When you try to view a PHP-enabled page, you may receive an “Allowed memory size of bytes exhausted” error message. This article describes how to resolve this issue.

Using ionCube Loader with different PHP versions

Learn how to use ionCube Loader with different PHP versions on your account. The ionCube Loader is a PHP extension that decodes and executes encoded PHP script files at run-time.

Enabling PHP opcode caching

This article gives you an overview of APC and OPcache and shows you how to enable PHP opcode caching for your hosting account.

Sending e-mail with PHPMailer

Learn to send e-mail via SMTP with PHP and PHPMailer. This article shows you how to install PHPMailer with Composer and Git, and includes code samples to get you started.

Hardening PHP 7 and earlier versions

Learn how to harden PHP 7 and earlier versions to have better security. This article shows how to configure PHP 7 settings to help improve security.

Custom PHP settings per directory with .user.ini files

This article describes how to use .user.ini files to specify custom PHP settings in a specific directory.

ionCube PHP Loader unavailable on PHP 8.0

ionCube PHP Loader is not available when running PHP 8.0, but it does work on PHP 8.1. Learn more in this article.

Changing the PHP version for a specific directory

This article shows how to set the PHP version for a specific directory on a shared, reseller, or Turbo Web hosting account. For example, the default PHP version for your account may be 7.4, but if you want to run PHP 8.0 for a particular application in a specific directory, you can do so.