PDOERRMODE

PDOERRMODE is a constant used with the PDO (PHP Data Objects) extension in PHP to control how database errors are handled. When instantiating a PDO object, you can specify an error mode using the PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE attribute.

The most common and recommended error mode is PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION. When this mode is set, if a database operation fails, PDO will throw a PDOException. This exception can then be caught using a try-catch block, allowing for structured error handling and preventing the script from terminating abruptly with an error message that might expose sensitive information.

Another available mode is PDOERRMODE_SILENT, which is the default. In this mode, PDO will simply set an error code on the PDO object. You would then need to manually check for errors after each operation using methods like PDO::errorCode() or PDO::errorInfo(). This approach is generally less preferred as it requires more diligent error checking and can easily lead to missed errors.

The third mode is PDOERRMODE_WARNING. This mode causes PDO to issue a PHP warning when a database error occurs. While it makes errors more visible than PDOERRMODE_SILENT, it doesn't provide the robust error handling capabilities of exceptions and can clutter the output with warnings. For most applications, PDOERRMODE_EXCEPTION is the best choice for its clarity and control over error management.