What are best practices for debugging PHP functions used to convert BBCode to HTML in forum software integration?

When debugging PHP functions used to convert BBCode to HTML in forum software integration, it is important to test the function with different types of BBCode inputs to identify any potential issues. Additionally, using error logging and debugging tools like Xdebug can help pinpoint any errors in the code. It is also helpful to break down the conversion process into smaller, manageable steps for easier debugging.

function convertBBCodeToHTML($bbcode) {
    // Replace [b] tags with <strong> tags
    $bbcode = preg_replace('/\[b\](.*?)\[\/b\]/', '<strong>$1</strong>', $bbcode);

    // Replace [i] tags with <em> tags
    $bbcode = preg_replace('/\[i\](.*?)\[\/i\]/', '<em>$1</em>', $bbcode);

    // Add more conversion rules as needed

    return $bbcode;
}

// Test the function with sample BBCode input
$bbcode = "[b]This is bold text[/b] and [i]this is italic text[/i]";
$html = convertBBCodeToHTML($bbcode);
echo $html;