How to print an object in PHP

Created
Modified

Using print_r Function

The print_r() prints human-readable information about a variable. If given a string, int or float, the value itself will be printed. If given an array, values will be presented in a format that shows keys and elements. Similar notation is used for objects.

print_r(mixed $value, bool $return = false): string|bool

$i = 10;
print_r($i);

$arr = array(
  'title' => 'Apple Watch 7',
  'views' => 1000
);
print_r($arr);
10
Array
(
  [title] => Apple Watch 7
  [views] => 1000
)

Using var_dump Function

The var_dump() dumps information about a variable. This function displays structured information about one or more expressions that includes its type and value. Arrays and objects are explored recursively with values indented to show structure.

var_dump(mixed $value, mixed ...$values): void

$i = 10;
var_dump($i);

$arr = array(
  'title' => 'Apple Watch 7',
  'views' => 1000
);
var_dump($arr);


// This one returns the value of var_dump instead of outputting it.
function var_dump_ret($mixed = null) {
  ob_start();
  var_dump($mixed);
  $content = ob_get_contents();
  ob_end_clean();
  return $content;
}
int(10)
array(2) {
  ["title"]=>
  string(13) "Apple Watch 7"
  ["views"]=>
  int(1000)
}

Using var_export Function

var_export() gets structured information about the given variable. It is similar to var_dump() with one exception: the returned representation is valid PHP code.

var_export(mixed $value, bool $return = false): ?string

$i = 10;
var_export($i);

$arr = array(
  'title' => 'Apple Watch 7',
  'views' => 1000
);
$v = var_export($arr, true);
echo $v;
10
array (
  'title' => 'Apple Watch 7',
  'views' => 1000,
)

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