PHP.ini max_execution_time setting not being honoured by EE

Question

I've being trying to increase the max_execution_time php variable for an EE site (EE 2.6.1, FastCGI on php 5.4.44, running on SiteGround's Managed Cloud hosting with cPanel) but it's not updating the local value, currently only 300. Only the global value changes to 800.

This is what I see in EE's CP > Tools > Utilities > PHP Info

Whereas another php info file that sits in the webroot for the site shows this

Using cPanel's PHP Variable Manager, I've increased the memory_limit and max_input_vars without issue: both the local and global values change.

My host's support say that it's an EE "thing". But I've never come across anything of the sort. How do I get the max_execution_time already set as a global value to be honoured by EE?

Any pointers?

Answer 1

Roll this:

http://php.net/manual/en/function.ini-set.php

into your main index.php file, and set your max_execution_time via that method. It only sets it for that script execution, so you may have to put it in your system index.php file as well, depending on your use case.

This really isn't an EE thing (unless someone manually set it like how I'm suggesting you fix it), so your host is being incompetent.

ini_set('max_execution_time', '800');

Answer 2

Apparently to resolve this you have to hack the /system/expressionengine/libraries/Core.php file.

From

@set_time_limit((REQ == 'CP') ? 300 : 90);

to

@set_time_limit((REQ == 'CP') ? 800 : 90);

Not pretty nor advisable.