Best tools for debugging PHP

12 years ago

I know that the IDE NetBeans can debug PHP code. They even have a tutorial on their site.

Code:

netbeans.org/kb/docs/php/debugging.html

I bet other IDEs like Eclipse can also debug code.

Thanks

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Sodaware

12 years ago

I'm a fan of Xdebug (Xdebug - Debugger and Profiler Tool for PHP). It makes debugging things much easier, and also integrates with IDE's to provide line by line step throughs. The profiling features are also top notch.

Thanks

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Byron Stuart

12 years ago

Thanks for the suggestions, from looking at netbeans.org/kb/docs/php/debugging.html NetBeans actually needs XDebug to provide line by line debugging. As I am already familiar with NetBeans I will incorporate both of your suggestions :-)

Thanks

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ALicenseToCode

12 years ago

Dreamweaver CS5 also has an excellent debugger built in straight out of the box, it highlights all the errors for you and tells you what they are. Although after you've been coding for a year or two you will start just seeing the errors through your supreme nerd-o-vision like I do lol.

Thanks

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jicon

12 years ago

I have little knowledge about php but You can use the Xdebug extension, and Eclipse PDT as IDE : the second one is able to use the first one as debugger.

Thanks

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TopicSpan

12 years ago

Just wanted to second/third/fourth the XDebug comment. It really is an amazing tool.

Also bear in mind that you can often do things like this to establish what's gone wrong:

Code:

echo print_r(somevariable);
exit;

(sorry, code tags don't like the $ symbol!)

Throw that slap bang in the middle of your code where you think the problem is, and it'll die during the request, neatly spitting out a human-readable form of a variable, object, or array. That may be a little faster than waiting for something to break

Thanks
1 reply

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anconsoft

12 years ago

Originally Posted by TopicSpan

Just wanted to second/third/fourth the XDebug comment. It really is an amazing tool.

Also bear in mind that you can often do things like this to establish what's gone wrong:

Code:

echo print_r(somevariable);
exit;

(sorry, code tags don't like the $ symbol!)

Throw that slap bang in the middle of your code where you think the problem is, and it'll die during the request, neatly spitting out a human-readable form of a variable, object, or array. That may be a little faster than waiting for something to break

You could add something like this to have the results clearer:

Code:

echo "<pre>";
print_r(somevariable);
echo "</pre>";
exit;

Also, Netbeans rules at debugging.

Thanks

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teguhyuliantos

12 years ago

Here list of debugging tools for PHP, among of them are :

1. webgrind
2. xdebug
3. gubed PHP
4. DBG
5. PHP debug
6. PHP dyn
7. etc

You can try above PHP tools as you wish.

Thanks
1 reply

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oknoorap

12 years ago

Originally Posted by teguhyuliantos

Here list of debugging tools for PHP, among of them are :

1. webgrind
2. xdebug
3. gubed PHP
4. DBG
5. PHP debug
6. PHP dyn
7. etc

You can try above PHP tools as you wish.

Agree with you sir, I'm using wamp server for localhost, webgrind and xdebug is very help me a lot. But don't forget to clear /tmp folder inside wamp directory.

Recently I was deleted about 70GB files in /tmp directory.

Thanks

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jaasmit

12 years ago

No confusion!!!
Netbean is the one. That is very easy to use and enriched with so many features.
So my vote is for netbean.

Thanks

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cutegirl36

12 years ago

Hello friv. You should enable error_reporting
Php code: error_reporting(1);

Thanks

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mmrumii

12 years ago

Xdebug, PHP debug and PHP dyn.
I just know about those. you can try those tools to debug php.
may be it'll help you out.

Thanks

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26medias

12 years ago

They pretty much listed all the tool.
I also integrate this function to my code to debug fast:
function debug($label, $data) {
echo "<div style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"><u><h3>".$label."</h3></u><pre style=\"border-left:2px solid #000000;margin:10px;padding:4px;\">".print_r($data , true)."</pre></div>";
}

use like this:
debug("any text", $var);

Thanks

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SolidShellSecurity

12 years ago

I've found the best way to do debugging is by adding catch and debug statements in the code so you know where the code is going and why.

Thanks

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hitmobi

12 years ago

I use NetBeans with xDebug .Makes the uncomfortable debugging a breeze.

Thanks

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augusterber

Banned 12 years ago

[DELETED]

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hitmobi

12 years ago

Originally Posted by augusterber

Thanks @SolidShellSecurity, I never thought of that, would try that one.
@hitmobi, you use netbeans with xdebug? how can I do that. Do you integrate xdebug with netbeans? or you run both?

I think netBeans uses xDebug by default.

So if you use netBeans and a have a project open - just start debugging. If something is wrong, netBeans will let you know.

Thanks
1 reply

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Byron Stuart 12 years ago

I've looked up the NetBeans documentation in relation to debugging with xDebug and I'm having trouble understanding how exactly these 2 programs integrate.

The NetBeans debugging page: Debugging PHP Source Code in the NetBeans IDE for PHP Editor provides a link to xDebug stating that it's one of the pieces of software needed. I've downloaded a file called php_xdebug-2.2.1-5.4-vc9-nts-x86_64.dll (I hope it's the right version for me) but where do I put it?

I see the suggestion by hitmobi that it should just work and he may be right but it seems to me that dll I downloaded should be included and it's definitely not part of NetBeans. I searched the NetBeans directory and xdebug.php is the only file in there with xdebug in the name.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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- Brandon Tanner 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Byron Stuart
  
  I've looked up the NetBeans documentation in relation to debugging with xDebug and I'm having trouble understanding how exactly these 2 programs integrate.
  
  If I recall correctly, Xdebug is not actually a part of Netbeans... it's a part of XAMPP. So if you install the full version of XAMPP, then you will have Xdebug. Then it's just a matter of tweaking a few lines in your php.ini file, then you'll be good to go.
  
  To configure...
  
  HowToConfigureXDebug - NetBeans Wiki
  
  To use...
  
  Debugging PHP Source Code in the NetBeans IDE for PHP Editor
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
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locke815

12 years ago

Even a Dreamweaver can debug PHP

Thanks

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stevenh512

12 years ago

It's been a while since I've done any PHP programming, mostly Rails these days, but I always used Firebug+FirePHP to debug a running app. If you're doing object-oriented PHP (especially using an MVC framework like CodeIgniter) you should also be using a unit testing framework like PHPUnit. Not the same as debugging, but it'll help you find a lot of problems with your code before you deploy it to a live site.

Thanks

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nobita436

12 years ago

I am using Dreamweaver to debug PHP script ,but it is not like java editor .You need little knowledge about Dreamweaver,otherwise debugging may be complex to you.

Thanks

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rising_sun

Banned 12 years ago

"notepad++" I am using it right now.
You can choose "aptana studio",
but the best tool is "Dreamweaver".

Thanks

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luckytools

12 years ago

Xampp is best for development or you may use Wamp but I could recommend you to use Xampp.It's very easy to easy & has lots of features.

Thanks

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Brennen Noble

12 years ago

I like Jetbrains PHPStorm alot, bit expensive though...I think it's the best at charting the includes and functions across the filesystem though.

Thanks

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brianng

12 years ago

I use Eclipse PHP, and of course, debug options in wordpress/drupal.
Tried Zend before but I personally felt it's too much. On my second screen: php error logs, apache access, apache error, apache rewrite. That's more than enough =)

Thanks
1 reply

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Tavor9 12 years ago

Call me old fashion but i'm using NotePad++ and checking the logs from my server before going to production..
- Thanks
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Stanislav Ustimenko

7 years ago

I use Codelobster to debug PHP code.
It is free and works very well for me.

Thanks

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Best tools for debugging PHP

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