# Cannot set debug = true when zend.assertions = -1

**URL:** <https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [February 18, 2024, 11:32am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877 "2024-02-18T11:32:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jmcd73](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/jmcd73/32/481_2.png) [@jmcd73](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/jmcd73)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 11:32am UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877/1 "2024-02-18T11:32:28Z")

</div>

```auto
bin/cake version
5.0.5

```

In CakePHP 4 I had been able to have `zend.assertions = -1` set and still use `debug = true` but now am finding warnings as follows in the browser and no HTML output

```auto
Warning: You should set `zend.assertions` to `1` in your php.ini for your development environment. in /var/www/dev/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Core/Configure.php on line 104
Warning (2) : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /var/www/dev/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Renderer/HtmlErrorRenderer.php:37) [in /var/www/dev/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 192]

```

Is there a way to have `'debug' => true` and avoid the above warnings in CakePHP 5.x?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/alex/32/2375_2.png) [@alex](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/alex)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877/2 "2024-03-07T19:09:18Z")

</div>

The source code of where this error comes from looks like this:

```
if (isset($config['debug'])) {
    static::$_hasIniSet ??= function_exists('ini_set');

    if (static::$_hasIniSet) {
        ini_set('display_errors', $config['debug'] ? '1' : '0');
    }

    if ($config['debug'] && PHP_SAPI !== 'cli' && ini_get('zend.assertions') === '-1') {
        trigger_error(
            'You should set `zend.assertions` to `1` in your php.ini for your development environment.',
            E_USER_WARNING
        );
    }
}

```

So there may be a way to play with what that `if` evaluates to where it doesn’t trigger the error.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jmcd73](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/jmcd73/32/481_2.png) [@jmcd73](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/jmcd73)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877/3 "2024-03-07T19:43:25Z")

</div>

> [@alex](#):
>
> ```auto
> if ($config['debug'] && PHP_SAPI !== 'cli' && ini_get('zend.assertions') === '-1') {
> trigger_error(
> 'You should set `zend.assertions` to `1` in your php.ini for your development environment.',
> E_USER_WARNING
> );
> }
> 
> ```

Ahh thanks Alex,

With the above code (and to avoid editing it) I’m going to have to set up another instance of php:fpm for the directory serving this instance of CakePHP on the server with `zend.assertions = 1` set. This is my staging install I test before deploying to live and I want to stay in debug mode and can’t change the zend assertion setting at runtime or per directory [https://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.zend.assertions](https://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.zend.assertions)

I’m using nginx so it looks like I will have to do a per directory php:fpm pool with `zend.assertions = 1` just for that CakePHP instance in my staging/test/dev directory [https://serverfault.com/a/836827/481914](https://serverfault.com/a/836827/481914)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alex](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.cakephp.org/alex/32/2375_2.png) [@alex](https://discourse.cakephp.org/u/alex)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cakephp.org/t/cannot-set-debug-true-when-zend-assertions-1/11877/4 "2024-03-08T17:26:55Z")

</div>

Yeah, it looks like that.

I had the same error and was hoping I could just set that value locally with `.user.ini` to have the error shut up, but apparently `zend.assertions` is one of those flags that can’t be set on the per-directory level. So I had to configure it on the PHP-FPM level indeed just so I could move on. Maybe there’s a better way though.

For those coming from Google and willing to read more, here’s what ChatGPT had to say about it.

> If settings like `expose_php`, `zend.assertions`, and previously mentioned `display_errors` in the `.user.ini` file don’t seem to have any effect, it could be due to the nature of these directives and how PHP-FPM processes `.user.ini` files.
> 
> ### Directive Scope and PHP-FPM
> 
> Some PHP directives cannot be changed using `.user.ini` files due to their scope. PHP directives are classified into different modes, indicating where they can be changed:
> 
> - **PHP\_INI\_USER** : Can be set in user scripts, `.htaccess`, or `.user.ini`
> - **PHP\_INI\_PERDIR** : Can be set in `.htaccess` or `.user.ini`
> - **PHP\_INI\_SYSTEM** : Can only be set in `php.ini` or the server configuration file
> - **PHP\_INI\_ALL** : Can be set anywhere
> 
> `expose_php` and `zend.assertions` are examples of directives that have a PHP\_INI\_SYSTEM scope, meaning they can only be set in the `php.ini` file or through the server’s (or PHP-FPM’s) startup configuration. This is why changes to these directives in a `.user.ini` file do not take effect.
> 
> ### Understanding `.user.ini` Limitations
> 
> `.user.ini` files are very useful for overriding certain PHP settings on a per-directory basis when using PHP as CGI/FastCGI, such as with PHP-FPM. However, they have limitations:
> 
> 1. **Scope** : Only directives that are flagged as PHP\_INI\_ALL or PHP\_INI\_PERDIR can be overridden in `.user.ini`.
> 2. **Directive Nature** : Some directives are intended to be set before PHP starts (system-level), and thus cannot be altered at runtime or through per-directory configurations.
> 
> ### Solutions and Workarounds
> 
> Given these limitations, if you need to change directives like `expose_php` or `zend.assertions`, you have to modify them in the `php.ini` file or, depending on your hosting environment, through a custom PHP configuration provided by your hosting service.
> 
> - **For `php.ini`** : Edit your `php.ini` file directly to change these settings. Remember to restart your PHP-FPM service to apply these changes.
> - **PHP-FPM Pool Configuration** : For settings that affect PHP-FPM behavior or performance but are not changeable through `.user.ini`, consider editing the PHP-FPM pool configuration files directly (typically found in `/etc/php/7.x/fpm/pool.d/` or a similar directory). Again, restart PHP-FPM after making changes.
> 
> ### Verifying Changes
> 
> To verify changes made directly to `php.ini` or PHP-FPM’s pool configuration files:
> 
> - Use `phpinfo()` in a PHP script to output current configuration settings and verify that your changes have taken effect.
> - Ensure you’re editing the correct `php.ini` file or pool configuration file used by your PHP-FPM service, as there can be multiple versions of PHP installed on a server.
> 
> In conclusion, understanding the scope and limitations of PHP configuration directives is crucial for effective PHP configuration management, especially when working with PHP-FPM and `.user.ini` files. For system-level directives, modifications must be made directly within the `php.ini` file or through server-level configurations.