Pretty dump variable/object in Symfony 2.*?

Question

When developing stuff I need to output the state of some instance in order to inspect it.

While using CakePHP I always had a debug() function which does some kind of var_dump inside a <pre> html element, so the content is readable.

Is something similar in Symfony 2.x too?

Answer 1

exit(\Doctrine\Common\Util\Debug::dump($someVar));

Answer 2

As of today, one of the best ways to debug in Symfony that I know of is the Ladybug Bundle. Its output is similar to xdebug's, but it has some nice features, like a collapsible tree structure for arays or automatically linking to documentation pages (supporting standard PHP, Doctrine and Symfony).

You can find some great examples of its use on the README.

Answer 3

use

\Doctrine\Common\Util\Debug::dump($user);

Answer 4

Now there is a new function in Symfony - dump(), have a look at http://symfony.com/blog/new-in-symfony-2-6-vardumper-component