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To use the debugger, first ensure that Configure::read('debug') is set to a value greater than 0.

Dump prints out the contents of a variable. It will print out all properties and methods (if any) of the supplied variable.

	$foo = array(1,2,3);
	
	Debugger::dump($foo);
	
	//outputs
	array(
		1,
		2,
		3
	)
	
	//simple object	
	$car = new Car();
	
	Debugger::dump($car);
	
	//outputs
	Car::
	Car::colour = 'red'
	Car::make = 'Toyota'
	Car::model = 'Camry'
	Car::mileage = '15000'
	Car::acclerate()
	Car::decelerate()
	Car::stop()

1. $foo = array(1,2,3);
3. Debugger::dump($foo);
5. //outputs
6. array(
7. 1,
8. 2,
9. 3
10. )
12. //simple object
13. $car = new Car();
15. Debugger::dump($car);
17. //outputs
18. Car::
19. Car::colour = 'red'
20. Car::make = 'Toyota'
21. Car::model = 'Camry'
22. Car::mileage = '15000'
23. Car::acclerate()
24. Car::decelerate()
25. Car::stop()

Creates a detailed stack trace log at the time of invocation. The log() method prints out data similar to that done by Debugger::dump(), but to the debug.log instead of the output buffer. Note your app/tmp directory (and its contents) must be writable by the web server for log() to work correctly.

Returns the current stack trace. Each line of the trace includes the calling method, including which file and line the call originated from.

	//In PostsController::index()
	pr( Debugger::trace() );
	
	//outputs
	PostsController::index() - APP/controllers/downloads_controller.php, line 48
	Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/cake/dispatcher.php, line 265
	Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/cake/dispatcher.php, line 237
	[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 84

1. //In PostsController::index()
2. pr( Debugger::trace() );
4. //outputs
5. PostsController::index() - APP/controllers/downloads_controller.php, line 48
6. Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/cake/dispatcher.php, line 265
7. Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/cake/dispatcher.php, line 237
8. [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 84

Above is the stack trace generated by calling Debugger::trace() in a controller action. Reading the stack trace bottom to top shows the order of currently running functions (stack frames). In the above example, index.php called Dispatcher::dispatch(), which in-turn called Dispatcher::_invoke(). The _invoke() method then called PostsController::index(). This information is useful when working with recursive operations or deep stacks, as it identifies which functions are currently running at the time of the trace().

Grab an excerpt from the file at $path (which is an absolute filepath), highlights line number $line with $context number of lines around it.

	pr( Debugger::excerpt(ROOT.DS.LIBS.'debugger.php', 321, 2) );
	
	//will output the following.
	Array
	(
	    [0] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> * @access public</span></code>
	    [1] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> */</span></code>
	    [2] => <code><span style="color: #000000">    function excerpt($file, $line, $context = 2) {</span></code>

	    [3] => <span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">        $data = $lines = array();</span></code></span>
	    [4] => <code><span style="color: #000000">        $data = @explode("\n", file_get_contents($file));</span></code>
	)

1. pr( Debugger::excerpt(ROOT.DS.LIBS.'debugger.php', 321, 2) );
3. //will output the following.
4. Array
5. (
6. [0] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> * @access public</span></code>
7. [1] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> */</span></code>
8. [2] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> function excerpt($file, $line, $context = 2) {</span></code>
9. [3] => <span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000"> $data = $lines = array();</span></code></span>
10. [4] => <code><span style="color: #000000"> $data = @explode("\n", file_get_contents($file));</span></code>
11. )

Although this method is used internally, it can be handy if you're creating your own error messages or log entries for custom situations.

Converts a variable of any type to a string for use in debug output. This method is also used by most of Debugger for internal variable conversions, and can be used in your own Debuggers as well.

Replace the CakePHP Debugger with a new Error Handler.