Debugging: Demystified

Stop wasting hours chasing seemingly unsolvable bugs. This training demystifies debugging, equipping you with the systematic methodologies and professional techniques that distinguish expert developers from those who struggle in frustration.

We cover every stage of the bug lifecycle, from identifying and reproducing bugs to diagnosing them and ultimately deploying lasting solutions. You will learn everything from understanding errors at a basic level to advanced techniques with Xdebug and modern IDEs.

• Strategies and techniques to reproduce, diagnose, and fix bugs in PHP code
• Setting up Xdebug and PhpStorm for debugging PHP code
• Executing code one instruction at a time while monitoring the software's state
• Visualizing object graphs to better understand state of object-oriented programs
• Analysing performance issues in PHP code
• Improving the debuggability of PHP code

Developers interested in leveraging professional tools and techniques to increase code quality and reduce time spent troubleshooting.

We recommend several months of experience programming in PHP or a similar programming language. To participate in the hands-on exercises, you will need a current version of the PHP command-line interpreter with the Xdebug extension, as well as PhpStorm.

• Systematically classify and handle PHP error types
• Use Xdebug professionally in your development environment
• Use breakpoints, step debugging, and variable inspection routinely
• Integrate debugging workflows into existing development processes
• Improve code quality through preventive debugging practices