What are the best practices for handling error messages and debugging PHP code to identify issues that may not produce visible errors?

When handling error messages and debugging PHP code to identify issues that may not produce visible errors, it is important to enable error reporting and logging in your PHP configuration. This will help you identify any errors or warnings that may not be displayed on the webpage. Additionally, using tools like Xdebug can aid in step-by-step debugging of your code to pinpoint the exact location of issues.

// Enable error reporting and logging
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);
ini_set('log_errors', 1);
ini_set('error_log', '/path/to/error.log');

// Use Xdebug for step-by-step debugging
// Install Xdebug extension and configure your IDE for debugging
// Set breakpoints in your code and step through it to identify issues