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How to Enable Xdebug In XAMPP For Debugging?

12 minutes read

To enable Xdebug in XAMPP for debugging, follow these steps:

  1. Locate the php.ini file: Open your XAMPP installation directory (usually "C:\xampp") and navigate to the "php" folder. Inside it, you will find the "php.ini" file. Create a backup of this file before making any modifications.
  2. Open the php.ini file: Use a text editor (e.g., Notepad, Sublime Text) to open the php.ini file.
  3. Find the Xdebug section: Scroll through the php.ini file until you find the section related to Xdebug. It will likely be marked with "[Xdebug]" at the beginning of the section.
  4. Enable Xdebug by removing the semicolon: In the Xdebug section, locate the line that starts with ";zend_extension" and remove the leading semicolon (;) to uncomment it.
  5. Configure Xdebug options: Below the zend_extension line, you can customize several Xdebug options based on your debugging requirements. Some commonly modified settings include: xdebug.remote_enable: Set this to "On" to enable remote debugging. xdebug.remote_autostart: Set this to "On" to automatically start debugging upon page load. xdebug.remote_host: Set this to your computer's IP address or hostname for remote debugging. xdebug.remote_port: Customize this to specify the port number for remote debugging (default is 9000).
  6. Save and close the php.ini file: After making the necessary changes, save the php.ini file and close the text editor.
  7. Restart the Apache server: Open the XAMPP control panel and stop the Apache server. Once stopped, start the Apache server again to apply the changes made to the php.ini file.
  8. Verify Xdebug installation: To ensure Xdebug is enabled and running, create a new PHP file with the following content: Save the file in the XAMPP "htdocs" folder (e.g., "C:\xampp\htdocs") with a filename like "phpinfo.php". Then, access the file through your browser by entering "http://localhost/phpinfo.php". Look for the Xdebug section in the PHP information displayed. If Xdebug is installed correctly, you should see Xdebug-related information.


Xdebug is now enabled in XAMPP, and you can start using it for debugging your PHP applications.

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How to set up multiple virtual hosts with Xdebug in XAMPP?

To set up multiple virtual hosts with Xdebug in XAMPP, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Open the XAMPP control panel and locate the "Apache" module. Start the module if it is not already running.
  2. Open the XAMPP installation directory and navigate to the "apache\conf\extra" directory.
  3. Open the "httpd-vhosts.conf" file in a text editor. This file is used to define the virtual hosts.
  4. Uncomment the following line in the file to enable the use of virtual hosts: Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
  5. Add the following virtual host configuration to the file, replacing "example.com" with your desired domain and directory path: DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/example" ServerName example.com Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes ExecCGI AllowOverride All Require all granted You can create multiple virtual hosts using the above template and adjust the document root, server name, and directory path accordingly.
  6. Save the file and close it.
  7. Open the "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" file in a text editor (make sure to run your text editor with administrative privileges).
  8. Add the following line to the file, mapping the virtual host domain to the localhost IP address: 127.0.0.1 example.com Replace "example.com" with the domain name used in the virtual host configuration.
  9. Save the hosts file and close it.
  10. Restart the Apache server in the XAMPP control panel to apply the changes.
  11. Configure Xdebug by opening the "php.ini" file located in your XAMPP installation directory (e.g., "C:/xampp/php/php.ini").
  12. Uncomment the following lines in the file to enable Xdebug: 
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;zend_extension = "C:\xampp\php\ext\php_xdebug.dll"
;xdebug.remote_enable = 1
;xdebug.remote_host = "localhost"
;xdebug.remote_port = 9000
;xdebug.remote_handler = "dbgp"


  1. Save the file and close it.
  2. Restart the Apache server again to apply the Xdebug configuration.
  3. Now you should be able to access your virtual hosts using the defined domain names and Xdebug should be enabled for debugging purposes.


How to use Xdebug with PHPUnit in XAMPP?

To use Xdebug with PHPUnit in XAMPP, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Install Xdebug: Open the php.ini file (usually located in the XAMPP installation folder). Uncomment (remove the semicolon at the beginning) the line that starts with ;zend_extension. Set the correct path to the Xdebug extension file. It should look something like this: zend_extension = "C:\xampp\php\ext\php_xdebug.dll". Restart the Apache server to apply the changes.
  2. Configure Xdebug: Open the php.ini file again. Add the following lines at the end of the file to configure Xdebug: [Xdebug] xdebug.mode=coverage xdebug.client_port=9000 xdebug.start_with_request=yes xdebug.idekey=PHPSTORM Save the changes and restart Apache.
  3. Verify Xdebug installation: Create a PHP file (e.g., phpinfo.php) with the following content: . Place the file in the XAMPP's htdocs folder. Open the file in a web browser (e.g., http://localhost/phpinfo.php). Look for the Xdebug section to verify if Xdebug is installed and enabled.
  4. Enable PHPUnit in your project: If you haven't already, install PHPUnit using Composer in your project directory: composer require --dev phpunit/phpunit Create a PHPUnit configuration file named phpunit.xml in your project directory with the following content: tests/Unit src
  5. Configure PhpStorm (optional): Open PhpStorm and go to "Languages & Frameworks" > "PHP" > "Debug". Set the "Debug port" to the same port specified in the xdebug.client_port configuration in the php.ini file (e.g., 9000). Ensure that the "Force break at first line when no path mapping specified" option is checked.
  6. Run PHPUnit tests: Open a terminal and navigate to your project directory. Run PHPUnit by executing the following command: vendor/bin/phpunit


Xdebug should now be integrated with PHPUnit in XAMPP, allowing you to debug your tests using breakpoints and other debugging tools.


How to use Xdebug var_dump replacement function in XAMPP?

To use Xdebug's var_dump replacement function in XAMPP, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Install and enable Xdebug: If you haven't already installed Xdebug, you can download it from the Xdebug website and then enable it in your XAMPP server. Locate the php.ini file of your XAMPP installation, and uncomment the line that starts with ;zend_extension = "path/to/xdebug.so" by removing the semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line.
  2. Configure the xdebug.remote_enable setting: Open the php.ini file again and add the following line to enable remote debugging: 
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xdebug.remote_enable = 1


Save the php.ini file and restart your Apache server for the changes to take effect.

  1. Set breakpoints in your code: In the PHP file where you want to use the var_dump replacement function, add breakpoints at the desired locations. You can set breakpoints using the xdebug_break() function.
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xdebug_break(); // Set a breakpoint here


  1. Access the page triggering the breakpoint: Open the URL in your web browser that triggers the breakpoints you set in your code.
  2. Debug using Xdebug: When the breakpoints are encountered, the execution will pause, and you can use an IDE with Xdebug support (like PhpStorm, Eclipse with PDT, etc.) to inspect variables and step through the code. The var_dump replacement function provided by Xdebug will automatically be used instead of the default PHP var_dump function.


Note: Additionally, you can customize the display of the variables by modifying Xdebug's configuration settings in the php.ini file. For example, you can enable the xdebug.var_display_max_data, xdebug.var_display_max_depth, and xdebug.var_display_max_children settings to control the amount and depth of data displayed.


How to configure Xdebug coverage analysis in XAMPP?

To configure Xdebug coverage analysis in XAMPP, follow the steps below:

  1. Make sure that Xdebug is installed and enabled in your XAMPP environment. You can check this by creating a PHP file with the following code and running it in your browser:
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<?php
phpinfo();
?>


  1. Open the php.ini file for the PHP version you are using in XAMPP. You can find the php.ini file in the php folder of your XAMPP installation directory.
  2. Search for the line that starts with ;zend_extension (for XAMPP versions up to 1.7.3) or ;zend_extension_ts (for XAMPP versions 1.7.4 and above). Remove the semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line to uncomment it.
  3. Add the following configuration lines below the zend extension line: 
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xdebug.remote_enable=1
xdebug.remote_autostart=1
xdebug.coverage_enable=1
xdebug.remote_handler=dbgp
xdebug.remote_host=localhost
xdebug.remote_port=9000


These lines enable remote debugging, configure the remote debugger to start automatically, enable coverage analysis, and set up the host and port for Xdebug remote debugging.


Note: The remote_port value might be different depending on your Xdebug settings. Check the phpinfo() output from step 1 for the correct value.

  1. Save the php.ini file and restart your XAMPP server.
  2. Create a PHP script that you want to analyze for code coverage. For example, create a file named index.php in the htdocs folder of your XAMPP installation: 
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<?php

function sum($a, $b) {
    return $a + $b;
}

echo sum(2, 3);

?>


  1. Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost/index.php to execute the script.
  2. After executing the script, Xdebug will generate coverage files. By default, the files will be saved in the /tmp directory. You can find the coverage files by running the following command: 
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php -i | grep 'xdebug.coverage_dir'


  1. Open the coverage files in your favorite code coverage analysis tool to view the results.


Note: Remember to disable coverage analysis in the php.ini file when you are done, as it adds overhead to script execution.


How to use Xdebug with Laravel in XAMPP?

To use Xdebug with Laravel in XAMPP, you need to follow the below steps:


Step 1: Install Xdebug

  1. Download the appropriate version of Xdebug matching your PHP version from the official Xdebug website.
  2. Extract the downloaded file.
  3. Copy the extracted Xdebug DLL file into your XAMPP's PHP/ext directory.
  4. Open the php.ini file located in your XAMPP's PHP directory.
  5. Search for the [XDebug] section and add the following lines at the end of the section: 
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zend_extension = <path to xdebug.dll>
xdebug.remote_enable=1
xdebug.remote_autostart=1


Make sure to replace with the actual path to the Xdebug DLL file you copied in step 3.

  1. Save the changes and restart your Apache server.


Step 2: Configure Xdebug in Laravel

  1. Open the .env file in your Laravel project.
  2. Ensure that the APP_DEBUG setting is set to true: 
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APP_DEBUG=true


  1. Add the following lines at the end of the .env file:
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XDEBUG_CONFIG="remote_enable=on remote_mode=req remote_port=9000 remote_host=127.0.0.1 remote_log=/tmp/xdebug.log idekey=VSCODE"


You can adjust the remote_port, remote_host, remote_log, and idekey values according to your preferences.


Step 3: Configure the IDE (VS Code)

  1. Install the PHP Debug extension by Felix Becker in your VS Code.
  2. Open your Laravel project in VS Code.
  3. Click on the Debug icon on the left sidebar or press Ctrl + Shift + D to open the Debug view.
  4. Click on the gear icon to create a launch.json file.
  5. Select the PHP environment.
  6. Replace the contents of the launch.json file with the following: 
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{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Listen for Xdebug",
            "type": "php",
            "request": "launch",
            "pathMappings": {
                "/path/to/your/laravel/project": "${workspaceFolder}"
            },
            "port": 9000
        }
    ]
}


Make sure to replace /path/to/your/laravel/project with the actual path to your Laravel project.


Step 4: Start Debugging

  1. Set breakpoints in your Laravel project where you want to debug.
  2. Click on the Run button in the left sidebar or press F5 to start debugging.
  3. Perform the actions in your Laravel application to trigger the breakpoints.
  4. VS Code will stop at the breakpoints, and you can inspect variables, step through the code, and debug your Laravel application.


That's it! You have successfully set up Xdebug with Laravel in XAMPP and can now debug your Laravel application using VS Code.

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