Because of the integration of more and more complex databases, detailed user authentication, third party web services, and licensed management solution, web application debugging process has become a daunting task for the programmers. However, many coders still count on PHP debugging practices that were not functioning mostly before ten years.
If you are placing echo statements into source code to look over variable data, you may feel like a great immediate indulgence; but the method is extremely ineffective. Luckily, PHP programmers have a lot of efficient debugging solutions at their service. From array contents checking to status verification of an Ajax-driven Post response, these four PHP debugging solutions discussed below will certainly make a quick effect on your productivity.
Reconfigure PHP for Error Report Enhancement
The first and foremost step of enhancing the debugging process entails reconfiguration of PHP, so its error sensitive and report-handling capacity gets improved. Enable display_errors directive and configure error_reporting directive to E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE. With this setting, you can see all major errors captured on your browser’s screen. Nevertheless, these configurations may have modified as and when needed by the person operating the PHP server. In case you’re not able to change the php.ini file, you can use error_reporting() and ini_set() functions to set these directives.
XDebug for Improved Variable Inspection
Echo and var_dump functions surely play a crucial role in your strategy for a simplified and effective debugging process, however, this shouldn’t be the only method you rely on. Taking this into account, install XDebug, which will work together with var_dump to generate comprehensible yield of complex data structures including arrays and objects. XDebug also boasts of some other capabilities involving function and stack traces, script profiling, and code coverage analysis.
FireBug and FirePHP for Debugging of Ajax-based Application
Debugging Ajax-based web application is a frightening job, as it can be challenging to know which of the all scripts in a classic request is accountable for the issue. For example, the issue might be with the JavaScript dependable for generating a request, the server-side PHP script dependable for request processing, and with the JavaScript dependable for carrying out the request. Or the problem may lie in any mixture of the three. FireBug and FirePHP are two extremely helpful tools that noticeably reduce your speculation time while debugging Ajax-enabled websites.
FireBug is a significant add-on of Firefox, which helps you check and tweak HTML and CSS elements, debug and sketch JavaScript, and perform a large number of other programmer-particular responsibilities. Fire PHP working in conjunction with FireBug further improves its competence by offering you a means of transferring debug information from your PHP script directly in FireBug’s console.
Test-Driven Development Approach
Certainly, the best way to debug web applications is to ensure not to have an error in the code to handle primitively. In a test-driven development approach, the programmer first needs to search out all-natural errors by jotting down individual tests that while passing will ensure an error-free execution of a particular functionality. I know it’s not as easy as it sounds! In this approach, the developers first need to think of consequences that can fail their code, instead of pondering on them after the completion of development.
PHP developer India boasts of some great testing tools at their command including PHPUnit, PHP UnderControl, Phing, and Selenium. These four solutions will help you get better than the best code in no time.