PHP PDOStatement::errorInfo() Method: Usage and Examples

Returns a statement SQLSTATE and driver-specific error details.

The objective is to understand the behavior and operational limits, not only the method name.

What It Does

Returns a statement SQLSTATE and driver-specific error details.

Syntax and Return Value

PDOStatement::errorInfo(): mixed

The return value and exceptional cases depend on the call described here: Database errors may include schema details or values; log safely and hide from clients.

Example 1: Basic Use

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT name FROM products WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([1]);
echo $stmt->errorInfo()[0] ?? "unknown";

Example 2: A Second Scenario

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT name FROM products WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([2]);
echo $stmt->errorInfo()[0] ?? "unknown";

Example 3: Practical Checks

The statement has a real query and result set; database-specific metadata and statement options may be unsupported.

<?php
$pdo = new PDO('sqlite::memory:', null, null, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
$pdo->exec('CREATE TABLE products (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL, price INTEGER NOT NULL, active INTEGER)');
$pdo->exec("INSERT INTO products (id,name,price,active) VALUES (1,'Desk',120,1),(2,'Lamp',35,1),(3,'Chair',85,0)");
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT name FROM products WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->execute([3]);
echo $stmt->errorInfo()[0] ?? "unknown";

Important Behavior and Edge Cases

Database errors may include schema details or values; log safely and hide from clients.

For production use, also account for error handling, data validation, resource limits and environment-specific driver behavior.

Comparison with Related Approaches

Common Beginner Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Returns a statement SQLSTATE and driver-specific error details.
• Database errors may include schema details or values; log safely and hide from clients.
• PDOStatement::errorCode returns just SQLSTATE.

Choose this API or pattern when its exact semantics match your task, and verify the result against the database driver and runtime used by your application.