What strategies can be employed to effectively troubleshoot and debug parse errors and unexpected variable issues in PHP code?

To effectively troubleshoot and debug parse errors and unexpected variable issues in PHP code, you can start by carefully reviewing the code for syntax errors, missing semicolons, or mismatched parentheses. Additionally, using tools like PHP's built-in error reporting functions, such as error_reporting() and ini_set('display_errors', 1), can help identify the root cause of the issue. Finally, utilizing debugging tools like Xdebug or var_dump() to inspect variables and their values can aid in pinpointing where the unexpected variable behavior is occurring.

<?php
// Enable error reporting to display parse errors
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

// Code snippet with potential parse error and unexpected variable issue
$variable1 = "Hello";
echo $variable2; // Variable $variable2 is not defined

// Debugging using var_dump() to identify variable values
var_dump($variable1);
?>