PHP CompileError

In PHP 7.3 onwards, CompileError exception has been added. This class inherits the Error class. Some error conditions that previously resulted in fatal errors now throw a CompileError. This affects compilation errors that are likely to be thrown by the token_get_all() function when parsing invalid PHP syntax.

The token_get_all() function uses Zend lexical scanner to parse a given string into PHP language tokens. When used in TOKEN_PARSE mode, it can throw a CompileError for invalid PHP code.

Syntax

token_get_all ( string $source [, int $flags = 0 ] ) : array

Parameters

Example

Here's how CompileError is thrown when token_get_all() encounters invalid PHP syntax ?

<?php
try {
    // Invalid PHP syntax - missing semicolon
    $invalidCode = '<?php echo "Hello World"';
    
    // This will throw CompileError in TOKEN_PARSE mode
    $tokens = token_get_all($invalidCode, TOKEN_PARSE);
    
} catch (CompileError $e) {
    echo "CompileError caught: " . $e->getMessage();
} catch (ParseError $e) {
    echo "ParseError caught: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

CompileError caught: syntax error, unexpected end of file

Valid Code Example

For comparison, here's how valid PHP code is parsed without errors ?

<?php
try {
    // Valid PHP syntax
    $validCode = '<?php echo "Hello World"; ?>';
    
    $tokens = token_get_all($validCode, TOKEN_PARSE);
    echo "Parsing successful. Token count: " . count($tokens);
    
} catch (CompileError $e) {
    echo "CompileError: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

Parsing successful. Token count: 7

Key Points

• CompileError was introduced in PHP 7.3
• It extends the Error class
• Mainly thrown by token_get_all() in TOKEN_PARSE mode
• Replaces fatal errors that occurred during compilation

Conclusion

CompileError provides better error handling for PHP compilation issues. Use try-catch blocks when parsing potentially invalid PHP code with token_get_all() to handle these exceptions gracefully.