How to print arrays in PHP for debugging?

There are several ways to print arrays in PHP for debugging purposes. Here are the most effective methods:

Method 1: print_r() (Most Common)

<?php
$array = array('red', 'pink', 'blue', 'white');
print_r($array);
?>

Method 2: print_r() with <pre> tags (Better Formatting)

<?php
echo '<pre>';
print_r($array);
echo '</pre>';
?>

Method 3: var_dump() (Detailed Information)

<?php
var_dump($array);
?>

var_dump() shows data types, lengths, and more detailed information about each element.

Method 4: var_export() (Valid PHP Code)

<?php
var_export($array);
?>

var_export() outputs valid PHP code that can be used to recreate the variable.

Method 5: Custom Function for Better Display

<?php
function debug_array($array) {
    echo '<pre style="background: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">';
    print_r($array);
    echo '</pre>';
}

debug_array($array);
?>

Recommendation: Use print_r() with <pre> tags for general debugging, and var_dump() when you need detailed type information.