What are the best practices for debugging PHP scripts that involve executing external programs?

When debugging PHP scripts that involve executing external programs, it is important to use proper error handling techniques to catch any issues that may arise during the execution of the external program. One way to do this is by using functions like `exec()` or `shell_exec()` along with checking the return value for errors. Additionally, logging the output of the external program can also help in identifying any potential issues. 

// Example of debugging PHP script that involves executing an external program

$command = 'ls -l';
$output = shell_exec($command);

if ($output === null) {
    // Handle error if the external program did not execute successfully
    echo "Error executing command";
} else {
    // Log the output of the external program
    echo $output;
}

Keywords

error handling system calls debugging tools shell_exec exec

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