What are some best practices for debugging PHP code that involves regular expressions?

When debugging PHP code that involves regular expressions, it is helpful to use tools like online regex testers to validate the regular expressions and ensure they are working as expected. Additionally, using var_dump() or print_r() to inspect the output of preg_match() or preg_replace() functions can help identify any issues with the regex pattern or the input string. It is also recommended to break down the regex pattern into smaller parts and test each part individually to pinpoint any errors. 

// Example code snippet for debugging PHP code with regular expressions

$pattern = '/^([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)@([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)\.([a-zA-Z]{2,5})$/'; // Example regex pattern for email validation

$email = "test@example.com";

if (preg_match($pattern, $email)) {
    echo "Email is valid.";
} else {
    echo "Email is invalid.";
}

Keywords

regular expressions debugging PHP code preg_match error handling

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