How can beginners in PHP effectively troubleshoot and debug their scripts when encountering errors or unexpected behavior?
Issue: Beginners in PHP can effectively troubleshoot and debug their scripts by utilizing error reporting, checking for syntax errors, using var_dump() or print_r() to inspect variables, and utilizing tools like Xdebug for more advanced debugging.
<?php
// Enable error reporting
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);
// Check for syntax errors
if (syntax_error) {
echo "Syntax error detected";
}
// Use var_dump() or print_r() to inspect variables
$variable = "Hello World";
var_dump($variable);
// Utilize Xdebug for advanced debugging
// Install Xdebug extension in PHP and configure IDE for debugging