What are some best practices for incorporating debug statements in PHP code, especially in complex systems like online shops?

When working on complex systems like online shops in PHP, incorporating debug statements can be crucial for identifying and resolving issues quickly. One best practice is to use conditional statements to control when debug statements are output, ensuring they don't interfere with the functionality of the live site. Additionally, logging debug information to a separate file or outputting it to the browser console can help keep the codebase clean and organized. 

// Example of incorporating debug statements in PHP code

// Set a flag for debugging mode
$debug_mode = true;

// Debug statement to output variable value
if ($debug_mode) {
    echo "Debug: Variable value is " . $variable;
}

// Debug statement to log information to a file
if ($debug_mode) {
    file_put_contents('debug.log', 'Debug: Something happened at ' . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . PHP_EOL, FILE_APPEND);
}

Keywords

var_dump error_log xdebug PHP error handling logging

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