How can the use of var_dump() function help in debugging and understanding the structure of SESSION variables in PHP, as demonstrated in the forum thread conversation?

Using var_dump() function can help in debugging and understanding the structure of SESSION variables in PHP by displaying the contents and data types of the variables stored in the $_SESSION superglobal array. This can be useful when trying to identify the values stored in SESSION variables or when troubleshooting issues related to sessions.

<?php
session_start();

// Set some session variables
$_SESSION['username'] = 'john_doe';
$_SESSION['user_id'] = 12345;

// Display the structure of SESSION variables using var_dump()
var_dump($_SESSION);
?>