In what ways can proper debugging techniques, such as error_reporting and var_dump, help identify and resolve issues in PHP code related to user authentication and access control?

Proper debugging techniques like error_reporting and var_dump can help identify and resolve issues in PHP code related to user authentication and access control by providing valuable information about errors, variables, and data flow in the code. Error_reporting can help pinpoint specific errors or warnings that may be affecting the authentication process, while var_dump can display the contents of variables and objects at different stages of the code execution, helping to identify any unexpected values or behaviors.

// Enable error reporting to display any errors or warnings
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

// Use var_dump to inspect variables and objects
var_dump($username);
var_dump($password);

// Implement proper authentication and access control logic here