PHP Conference Nagoya 2025

    Error Messages Explained

    PHP returns an appropriate error code along with the file array. The error code can be found in the error segment of the file array that is created during the file upload by PHP. In other words, the error might be found in $_FILES['userfile']['error'].

    The value of this error code is one of the UPLOAD_ERR_* constants.

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    User Contributed Notes 12 notes

    up
    241
    Viktor
    10 years ago
    Update to Adams old comment.

    This is probably useful to someone.

    <?php

    $phpFileUploadErrors     = array(
    0 => 'There is no error, the file uploaded with success',
    1 => 'The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini',
    2 => 'The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form',
    3 => 'The uploaded file was only partially uploaded',
    4 => 'No file was uploaded',
    6 => 'Missing a temporary folder',
    7 => 'Failed to write file to disk.',
    8 => 'A PHP extension stopped the file upload.',
    );
    up
    173
    Anonymous
    15 years ago
    [EDIT BY danbrown AT php DOT net: This code is a fixed version of a note originally submitted by (Thalent, Michiel Thalen) on 04-Mar-2009.]


    This is a handy exception to use when handling upload errors:

    <?php

    class UploadException extends Exception
    {
    public function     __construct($code) {
    $message = $this->codeToMessage($code);
    parent::__construct($message, $code);
    }

    private function     codeToMessage($code)
    {
    switch (    $code) {
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_INI_SIZE:
    $message = "The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_FORM_SIZE:
    $message = "The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_PARTIAL:
    $message = "The uploaded file was only partially uploaded";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE:
    $message = "No file was uploaded";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_NO_TMP_DIR:
    $message = "Missing a temporary folder";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_CANT_WRITE:
    $message = "Failed to write file to disk";
    break;
    case     UPLOAD_ERR_EXTENSION:
    $message = "File upload stopped by extension";
    break;

    default:
    $message = "Unknown upload error";
    break;
    }
    return     $message;
    }
    }

    // Use
    if ($_FILES['file']['error'] === UPLOAD_ERR_OK) {
    //uploading successfully done
    } else {
    throw new     UploadException($_FILES['file']['error']);
    }
    ?>
    up
    72
    adam at gotlinux dot us
    19 years ago
    This is probably useful to someone.

    <?php
    array(
    0=>"There is no error, the file uploaded with success",
    1=>"The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini",
    2=>"The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form"
    3=>"The uploaded file was only partially uploaded",
    4=>"No file was uploaded",
    6=>"Missing a temporary folder"
    );
    ?>
    up
    50
    stephen at poppymedia dot co dot uk
    19 years ago
    if post is greater than post_max_size set in php.ini

    $_FILES and $_POST will return empty
    up
    3
    Sohaib Essam
    1 year ago
    switch ($_FILES["image"]["error"]) {
    case UPLOAD_ERR_PARTIAL:
    exit('File only partially uploaded');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE:
    exit('No file was uploaded');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_EXTENSION:
    exit('File upload stopped by a PHP extension');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_FORM_SIZE:
    exit('File exceeds MAX_FILE_SIZE in the HTML form');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_INI_SIZE:
    exit('File exceeds upload_max_filesize in php.ini');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_NO_TMP_DIR:
    exit('Temporary folder not found');
    break;
    case UPLOAD_ERR_CANT_WRITE:
    exit('Failed to write file');
    break;
    default:
    exit('Unknown upload error');
    break;
    }
    up
    14
    svenr at selfhtml dot org
    17 years ago
    Clarification on the MAX_FILE_SIZE hidden form field and the UPLOAD_ERR_FORM_SIZE error code:

    PHP has the somewhat strange feature of checking multiple "maximum file sizes".

    The two widely known limits are the php.ini settings "post_max_size" and "upload_max_size", which in combination impose a hard limit on the maximum amount of data that can be received.

    In addition to this PHP somehow got implemented a soft limit feature. It checks the existance of a form field names "max_file_size" (upper case is also OK), which should contain an integer with the maximum number of bytes allowed. If the uploaded file is bigger than the integer in this field, PHP disallows this upload and presents an error code in the $_FILES-Array.

    The PHP documentation also makes (or made - see bug #40387 - http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=40387) vague references to "allows browsers to check the file size before uploading". This, however, is not true and has never been. Up til today there has never been a RFC proposing the usage of such named form field, nor has there been a browser actually checking its existance or content, or preventing anything. The PHP documentation implies that a browser may alert the user that his upload is too big - this is simply wrong.

    Please note that using this PHP feature is not a good idea. A form field can easily be changed by the client. If you have to check the size of a file, do it conventionally within your script, using a script-defined integer, not an arbitrary number you got from the HTTP client (which always must be mistrusted from a security standpoint).
    up
    4
    roland at REMOVE_ME dot mxchange dot org
    6 years ago
    I have expanded @adam at gotlinux dot us's example a bit with proper UPLOAD_FOO constants and gettext support. Also UPLOAD_ERR_EXTENSION is added (was missing in his version). Hope this helps someone.

    <?php
    class Some {
    /**
    * Upload error codes
    * @var array
    */
    private static $upload_errors = [];

    public function     __construct() {
    // Init upload errors
    self::$upload_errors = [
    UPLOAD_ERR_OK => _('There is no error, the file uploaded with success.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_INI_SIZE => _('The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_FORM_SIZE => _('The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_PARTIAL => _('The uploaded file was only partially uploaded.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE => _('No file was uploaded.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_NO_TMP_DIR => _('Missing a temporary folder.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_CANT_WRITE => _('Cannot write to target directory. Please fix CHMOD.'),
    UPLOAD_ERR_EXTENSION => _('A PHP extension stopped the file upload.'),
    ];
    }
    }
    ?>
    up
    6
    jille at quis dot cx
    15 years ago
    UPLOAD_ERR_PARTIAL is given when the mime boundary is not found after the file data. A possibly cause for this is that the upload was cancelled by the user (pressed ESC, etc).
    up
    1
    jalcort at att dot net
    4 years ago
    When uploading a file, it is common to visit the php.ini and set up upload_tmp_dir = /temp but in the case of some web hostess as fatcow you need to direct not only /tmp but upload_tmp_dir = /hermes/walnaweb13a/b345/moo.youruser/tmp

    If not the $_FILES show you an error #6 "Missing a temporary folder
    up
    8
    Jeff Miner mrjminer AT gmail DOT com
    14 years ago
    One thing that is annoying is that the way these constant values are handled requires processing no error with the equality, which wastes a little bit of space. Even though "no error" is 0, which typically evaluates to "false" in an if statement, it will always evaluate to true in this context.

    So, instead of this:
    -----
    <?php
    if($_FILES['userfile']['error']) {
    // handle the error
    } else {
    // process
    }
    ?>
    -----
    You have to do this:
    -----
    <?php
    if($_FILES['userfile']['error']==0) {
    // process
    } else {
    // handle the error
    }
    ?>
    -----
    Also, ctype_digit fails, but is_int works. If you're wondering... no, it doesn't make any sense.

    To Schoschie:

    You ask the question: Why make stuff complicated when you can make it easy? I ask the same question since the version of the code you / Anonymous / Thalent (per danbrown) have posted is unnecessary overhead and would result in a function call, as well as a potentially lengthy switch statement. In a loop, that would be deadly... try this instead:

    -----
    <?php
    $error_types     = array(
    1=>'The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini.',
    'The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form.',
    'The uploaded file was only partially uploaded.',
    'No file was uploaded.',
    6=>'Missing a temporary folder.',
    'Failed to write file to disk.',
    'A PHP extension stopped the file upload.'
    );

    // Outside a loop...
    if($_FILES['userfile']['error']==0) {
    // process
    } else {
    $error_message = $error_types[$_FILES['userfile']['error']];
    // do whatever with the error message
    }

    // In a loop...
    for($x=0,$y=count($_FILES['userfile']['error']);$x<$y;++$x) {
    if(    $_FILES['userfile']['error'][$x]==0) {
    // process
    } else {
    $error_message = $error_types[$_FILES['userfile']['error'][$x]];
    // Do whatever with the error message
    }
    }

    // When you're done... if you aren't doing all of this in a function that's about to end / complete all the processing and want to reclaim the memory
    unset($error_types);
    ?>
    up
    4
    tyler at fishmas dot org
    20 years ago
    In regards to the dud filename being sent, a very simple way to check for this is to check the file size as well as the file name. For example, to check the file size simple use the size attribute in your file info array:

    <?php
    if($_FILES["file_id"]["size"] == 0)
    {
    // ...PROCESS ERROR
    }
    ?>
    up
    2
    Tom
    14 years ago
    Note: something that might surprise you, PHP also provides a value in the $_FILES array, if the input element has no value at all, stating an error UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE.

    So UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE is not an error, but a note that the input element just had no value. Thus you can't rely on the $_FILES array to see if a file was provided. Instead you have to walk the array and check every single damn entry - which can be quite difficult since the values may be nested if you use input elements named like "foo[bar][bla]".

    Seems like PHP just introduced you to yet another common pitfall.
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