These modes determine when and where a PHP directive may or may not be set, and each directive within the manual refers to one of these modes. For example, some settings may be set within a PHP script using ini_set(), whereas others may require php.ini or httpd.conf.
For example, the
output_buffering setting
is PHP_INI_PERDIR therefore it may not be set using
ini_set(). However, the
display_errors directive is
PHP_INI_ALL therefore it may be set anywhere,
including with ini_set().
| Mode | Meaning |
|---|---|
PHP_INI_USER |
Entry can be set in user scripts (like with ini_set()) or in the Windows registry. Since PHP 5.3, entry can be set in .user.ini |
PHP_INI_PERDIR |
Entry can be set in php.ini, .htaccess, httpd.conf or .user.ini (since PHP 5.3) |
PHP_INI_SYSTEM |
Entry can be set in php.ini or httpd.conf |
PHP_INI_ALL |
Entry can be set anywhere |