What are some best practices for debugging PHP code, especially when it is not functioning as expected?

Issue: When debugging PHP code that is not functioning as expected, it is important to start by checking for syntax errors, using error reporting functions like error_reporting(E_ALL), and utilizing debugging tools like Xdebug or var_dump() to inspect variables and function outputs. Code snippet:

<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);

// Your PHP code here

?>