How can I fix "The PHP temporary folder is not set" warning/error?

Question

I'm attempting to migrate a Joomla 3.7.1 website onto a new server - and have (mostly) successfully done so using a traditional AkeebaBackup migration.

The source site/server is running PHP 5.6.30 with EasyApache 3, and the destination site/server is running PHP 7.1 with EasyApache 4.

The most obvious problem I'm seeing on the destination site is that within EXTENSIONS > MANAGE > WARNINGS, the message "The PHP temporary folder is not set." appears - and I cannot understand why, because;

• My temporary folder path has been defined in GLOBAL CONFIGURATION > SERVER > PATH TO TEMP FOLDER (and this is correctly reflected within the configuration.php file.
• The temporary folder path has also been defined in the Joomla root's php.ini file.
• If I run phpinfo using a Joomla article, or a custom .php file in the site's root, the upload_tmp_dir value correctly returns my defined folder path.
• My temporary folder does exist and has the correct permissions (0755) - identical to those on my fully-working source site.

However ...

• If I look at phpinfo via Joomla's own SYSTEM > SYSTEM INFORMATION > PHP INFORMATION, the upload_tmp_dir value states 'no value', in complete contradiction to the phpinfo results run elsewhere (as mentioned above).

So my question, quite simply, is how do I fix the message "The PHP temporary folder is not set." - and why is Joomla's own phpinfo not finding the upload_tmp_dir when everything else is? The source site does not have this problem.

The other notable difference that I should mention is that since the switch from EasyApache 3 to EasyApache 4, I'm no longer using suPHP_ConfigPath in order to define my custom php.ini file (as I am on the source site) - and am instead using the 'MultiPHP INI Editor' within cPanel. Because upload_tmp_dir is not one of the included parameters, I've added it via Editor Mode.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Answer 1

Likely Joomla will work without issues even with the php's tmp directory not being set. However, if you get issues, or simply want to get rid of this warning in you Joomla Admin, then you have to define in your php configuration the upload-tmp-dir directive.

Note that setting up the hosting/server environment is not exactly a Joomla question. There is nothing inside Joomla to help you define this core php.ini directive, and also do note that setting up Joomla's tmp directory is a different thing than setting up php upload_tmp_dir.

Now regarding your issue and with all these in mind and the info you have provided, it's hard to say what's wrong in your setup.

Certainly if you get that upload_tmp_dir is not set, then this is how it is - at least for the backend. I am sure that if you contact your hosting provider/system administrator, they will resolve this in just a few minutes. Otherwise you might get some clue if you look at Joomla's System Info (phpinfo) page for which php.ini files are getting loaded in the backend and review those settings there.

Ah - and usually you have to restart apache, after making any changes to php.ini files.

Answer 2

Step 1: Just upload the upgrade package to the server via ftp or extract in cpanel file manager.

Step 2: You will see an error after installation in the administration site only. Go to Extensions, Manage, Database and press "FIX" Button.

Answer 3

Setting upload_tmp_dir in php.ini or .htaccess does not seem to work.

The only way I have been able to silence this warning message in Joomla is setting upload_tmp_dir via cPanel -> Select PHP Version -> Options -> upload_tmp_dir.

The default value of ~/public_html/tmp that some hosts use for upload_tmp_dir does not seem to work but setting the value to a specific folder e.g. /home/accountname/tmp does seem to work.

The Select PHP Version tool in cPanel is available on servers with EasyApache 3 and CloudLinux.

EasyApache 4 cPanel replaced the Select PHP Version tool with MultiPHP Manager which does not seem to have any equivalent option to set upload_tmp_dir.

Apparently the Select PHP Version tool can be enabled to work alongside MultiPHP Manager but most hosts only offer one or the other.