PHP Output Buffer Getting White Screen & No Errors On Method Return

Question

I have been using PHP for a very long time and for some reason migrating to a new server has caused a White Screen of Death. Obviously it must be because of a version difference. I have been using the same output buffer pattern for years.

Typically...

ob_start();
?>
    //HTML...
<?php
$output = ob_get_clean();
ob_flush();

return $output;

Recently I had discovered some problems in my normal/newer versions of PHP (5.4+ On my WAMP I think) while returning HTML sections and passing them around between views (I use MVC). They were displaying entirely to the screen and not being saved in the buffer at all. I found out that I needed a necessary flag in my ob_start() to let it know that buffers can be removed.

Like so ob_start(null, 0, PHP_OUTPUT_HANDLER_REMOVABLE);

However now that my page is live and not on WAMP the entire page now breaks and shows full whitescreen. I have all error reporting turned on and still nothing. Nothing showing up in logs, etc. So I have done a large series of echo "test"; die; to see at what line it is breaking and sure enough all is well when I remove the buffered sections that pass finished HTML blocks between views.

I need to figure out how to properly have my sections returned.

Answer 1

You don't need ob_flush() in this situation because ob_get_clean() has already closed the output buffer.