The value of a solid and robust PHP debugger -
http://www.nusphere.com/products/php_debugger.htm - is obvious when it comes to debugging your own scripts; but it's even more important when dealing
with the 3rd party scripts that are so commonly found in PHP AJAX Frameworks.
Learn why print statements are simply not a reliable
debugging strategy, particularly when it comes to using AJAX frameworks. To illustrate why, we've
published an example
of how to use PhpED for debugging on XOAD
(http://www.nusphere.com/products/ajax_php_debugger.htm), a widely used PHP AJAX framework. You can skim the highlights below, or read the full article entitled:
Demystifying AJAX frameworks (http://www.nusphere.com/products/ajax_php.htm) for
free today.
If you're even considering using any of the new PHP AJAX frameworks but are still stuck using print
statements to troubleshoot your PHP applications, then here are a few reasons to reconsider your
debugging strategy:
- The A in AJAX stands for Asynchronous: Asynchronous means that the calls from
the client to the server scripts aren't synchronized, rendering print-statement-based debugging useless.
- The J in AJAX stands for JavaScript: AJAX frameworks produce a ton of JavaScript
code. (It's just how they work.) As a result, it's you'll be dealing with calls to the methods of PHP classes which in turn generate even more JavaScript, etc. With so much JavaScript flying around you'll need a PHP debugger just to figure out where to put your print statements!
- Got Product Documentation? PHP frameworks (along with most other software) are often poorly
documented. But an experienced developer will take a solid and robust PHP debugger
(http://www.nusphere.com/products/php_debugger.htm) over a pile of product documentation any
day, simply because it's often easier step through the code and see for yourself exactly what
the PHP code is doing. Ask yourself: Do I really want to read a manual?
- View Source: Inspection of the HTML source code generated by a framework can help you understand
what's going on, provided that you can actually see the source. Unfortunately, quite often you can't, since in AJAX, your HTML is often dynamically generated by JavaScript and so if you try to View->Source, what you see is not always what you get.
We could go on but we think you get the point by now. PHP Frameworks are fantastic for application
development and can save you tons of time, but only with the right PHP IDE
(http://www.nusphere.com/products/phped.htm) featuring a powerful and robust PHP debugger
(http://www.nusphere.com/products/php_debugger.htm ), which provide the following benefits:
- Step through PHP Code: Step through and step into any line of PHP code and trace the logic from
the first method call to any class of the Framework all way up to the first ancestor of the class.
- Output Window: Using PhpED's debugger output window see which lines of HTML or Javascript are
produced by each call to the Framework classes - just when they are about to be sent back to the client.
The mystery of "who made that HTML or Javascript line" is solved forever!
- Set Execution Point: Using the Set Execution Point feature of the DBG PHP debugger (only available in PhpED), you can resume program execution to anywhere in your application.
- Breakpoints: Set the break points anywhere in you PHP code and stop at them using either simple
condition or even an Expression True Global
(http://www.nusphere.com/products/phped_features.htm)
- Server Side Script Debugging: Leverage debugging on AJAX calls made to server side scripts with calls to the DebugBreak() function provided by DBG. You can also use DBGSESSID which is passed in the AJAX's
call to the server.
OK so this is all great in theory - but to make thinks more concrete, we've published a real-world example
of how to use PhpED for debugging of XOAD -
http://www.nusphere.com/products/ajax_php.htm , an industry leading PHP AJAX framework. So what are you waiting for? Download http://www.nusphere.com/download.php.ide.htm
or purchase [url=http://shop.nusphere.com/customer/home.php?cat=9 our]http://shop.nusphere.com/customer/home.php?cat=9 our[/URL] award winning PHP IDE (http://www.nusphere.com/products/phped.htm) today and simplify development on PHP AJAX Frameworks today!

I must say that it was extremely informative and valuable to have known more about the PHP AJAX Framework world. NuSphere has done a brilliant job by coming up with the PHP Debugger. From what I can understand, this is the most reliable and practical PHP debuggers out there.

It was really nice to learn more of the details of PHP AJAX Framework. As far as I can see, most of what is detailed here are unknown to the majority of the PHP users. It was really shocking for me to learn the value and role a robust and solid PHP debugger from NuSphere’s PHPEd plays.