var_dump is your friend! Forget about print_r!
We'll see in a bit, why!
Pros
- Easy to add to your code
- Fast way to check simple issues
- Gives detailed information on dumped variable
- Can also view complete objects/arrays
- Also provides type information
Cons
- No environment information
- Complex issues need lots of debugging code
- Dumping lots of variables gives lots of code
<?php
class Foo {
private $foo = "abc";
protected $bar = 100;
public $baz = "100";
}
echo "<pre>";
print_r( new Foo() );
var_dump(new Foo() );
var_dump( array( 1, 2, "foo" => "bar" ) );
echo "</pre>";
?>
Output
Foo Object
(
[foo:Foo:private] => abc
[bar:protected] => 100
[baz] => 100
)
object(Foo)#866 (3) {
["foo":"Foo":private]=>
string(3) "abc"
["bar":protected]=>
int(100)
["baz"]=>
string(3) "100"
}
array(3) {
[0]=>
int(1)
[1]=>
int(2)
["foo"]=>
string(3) "bar"
}