[print_r vs var_dump] #php

print_r-vs-var_dump.md

print_r vs var_dump

Created: 2017.04.18

I've always used print_r, but some tutorials use var_dump.

php var_dump() vs print_r()

The var_dump function displays structured information about variables/expressions including its type and value. Arrays are explored recursively with values indented to show structure. It also shows which array values and object properties are references.

The print_r() displays information about a variable in a way that's readable by humans. array values will be presented in a format that shows keys and elements. Similar notation is used for objects.

and

Generally, print_r( ) output is nicer, more concise and easier to read, aka more human-readable but cannot show data types.

With print_r() you can also store the output into a variable.

var_dump is better for debugging

When requesting data via an API, var_dump is preferable.

Using var_dump reveals the data types used, so we can easily check whether the data is in the expected format - or whether we need to convert it, using e.g. json_decode.

We can also see useful information like how many items are in an array, and which index an array item has.