Version

Error Handler

Laravel DataTables allows you to configure how server-side errors are handled when processing DataTables requests. Instead of exposing raw stack traces, you can customize the error response format.

Configuration

Error handling is configured in config/datatables.php under the error key:

'error' => env('DATATABLES_ERROR', null),

Alternatively, set the DATATABLES_ERROR environment variable in your .env file:

# Display actual exception message
DATATABLES_ERROR=null
 
# Throw an exception for custom handling
DATATABLES_ERROR=throw
 
# Display a custom message
DATATABLES_ERROR="An error occurred while loading data"

Available Options

Option	Description
`null`	Display the actual exception message (default)
`'throw'`	Throw a `\Yajra\DataTables\Exceptions\Exception` for custom handling
Custom string	Display a custom friendly message

NULL Error (Default)

When set to null, the actual exception message is returned in the response:

{
    "draw": 24,
    "recordsTotal": 200,
    "recordsFiltered": 0,
    "data": [],
    "error": "Exception Message:\n\nSQLSTATE[42S22]: Column not found: 1054 Unknown column 'xxx' in 'order clause'"
}

[!TIP] This is useful during development to quickly identify issues.

THROW Error

When set to 'throw', the package throws a \Yajra\DataTables\Exceptions\Exception. This allows you to catch and handle the error with your own logic.

<?php
 
use Illuminate\Foundation\Application;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Configuration\Exceptions;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Exception\HttpException;
use Yajra\DataTables\Exceptions\Exception;
 
return Application::configure(basePath: dirname(__DIR__))
    ->withExceptions(function (Exceptions $exceptions): void {
        $exceptions->render(function (Exception $e, Request $request) {
            if ($request->expectsJson() || $request->is('datatables/*')) {
                return response()->json([
                    'draw'            => 0,
                    'recordsTotal'    => 0,
                    'recordsFiltered' => 0,
                    'data'            => [],
                    'error'           => $e->getMessage(),
                ], 500);
            }
        });
    })->create();

Custom HTTP Exceptions

You can also handle specific HTTP exceptions:

->withExceptions(function (Exceptions $exceptions): void {
    $exceptions->render(function (HttpException $e, Request $request) {
        if ($request->expectsJson() || $request->is('datatables/*')) {
            return response()->json([
                'draw'            => 0,
                'recordsTotal'    => 0,
                'recordsFiltered' => 0,
                'data'            => [],
                'error'           => $e->getMessage(),
            ], $e->getStatusCode());
        }
    });
})

Custom Message

If set to any custom string, that message will be displayed instead of the exception:

{
    "draw": 24,
    "recordsTotal": 200,
    "recordsFiltered": 0,
    "data": [],
    "error": "any custom message"
}