Xdebug Update: August 2020
Another monthly update where I explain what happened with Xdebug development in this past month. These will be published on the first Tuesday after the 5th of each month. Patreon and GitHub supporters will get it earlier, on the first of each month. You can become a patron to support my work on Xdebug. If you are leading a team or company, then it is also possible to support Xdebug through a subscription.
In August, I worked on Xdebug for about 80 hours, with funding being around 70 hours. I worked mostly on the following things:
Xdebug 3
This month I focussed on making it easier to spot what Xdebug is doing, and how and why it is trying to connect to a debugging client, creating files, etc. For this I reworked Xdebug's logging mechanism. Instead of it just being used for the step debugger, the logging mechanism is now used for everything, and as part of that I've renamed xdebug.remote_log to xdebug.log. The log will contain all messages with levels that match the xdebug.log_level setting, but Xdebug will now also send errors through PHP's standard error mechanism. Errors include not being able to open a log file, to create a profile or trace file, or issues with making debugging connections.
The biggest new addition is the xdebug_info() function , which acts as a Xdebug specific phpinfo() and contains configuration information about Xdebug, but more importantly lists warnings and errors. Where possible, a link to the documentation is included as well, where I set up a new page that includes all the warning and error messages that Xdebug can generate. I have tried to add information about how a specific message is created, and what you can do to resolve the issue if possible.
Modes and Docker
Xdebug 3 introduces modes that can be configured with the xdebug.mode setting. This setting can only be changed in php.ini, and not in an .htaccess file or equivalent, nor in the script with ini_set. Because Docker and containers are a more common development set-up now, a method was needed to be able to change Xdebug's mode without have to rebuild the containers. Because of that, I added support for configuring the mode through a new environment variable, XDEBUG_MODE, too. This can be used when starting your Docker container, and/or in Compose.
PHP 8
Now PHP 8 is getting closer I have started to pay a little bit more attention to adding support for features, beyond making it compile. PHP 8 introduces named parameters, and also has a project for adding (and updating) names for internal functions. Xdebug's tracing and logging already showed variable names for user-defined functions, and I've now adding support of doing that for built-in functions and methods as well.
Showing argument names in Xdebug 2 is controlled through setting xdebug.collect_params to 4. In Xdebug 3 I have removed this setting altogether, and argument names are now always visible if possible.
My focus in September is to add support for the rest of PHP 8's features and capabilities as well.
Xdebug Cloud
The only time I spend in August on Xdebug Cloud is some further conversations with JetBrains. I am going to work on Xdebug Cloud when these conversations move along a little further.
If you want to be kept up to date with Xdebug Cloud, please sign up to the mailinglist I'll let you know as soon as something can be tried-out.
Business Supporter Scheme and Funding
In August, no new supporters signed up.
If you, or your company, would also like to support Xdebug, head over to the support page!
Besides business support, I also maintain a Patreon page and a profile on GitHub sponsors.
Life Line
I've finished reading This Way Up. It's about maps, that went wrong.
It's a good read, but htyerr were several chapters that were written in a novel way (as a video transcript, a series of letters), and I found distracting from the a tail content. It'll have worked better in a produced video.
No mention of @openstreetmap though :-(
Updated a bench
Created a tree; Updated 3 humps and a waste_basket
The Early Cormorant Catches the Eel
Sorry, not the best photo! But I caught this Cormorant catching this large eel when looking for Bank Swallows, right next to Eel Pie Island in the Thames.
#Birds #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Photography #London
Updated an estate_agent office
I went to my nieces' birthday party yesterday.
The theme was pink, and that included all the food, mostly died with beet root.
Shock and horror this morning when doing number two. Not only was my turd dark red, it was also glittering at me. Apparently the carrot cake had edible glitter...
So now I know what's worse than glitter.
😂 ✨ 💩 🟣Long-Tailed Tit on a Branch with Lichen
I've been spending some time in random London local nature reserves.
Sitting and listening, and in fifteen minutes you spot countless species.
This one was in Ham Lands Local Nature Reserve near Teddington.
#london #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon #Birds #LichenSubscribe
A Colourful Mandarin
In The Long Water in Kensington Palace Gardens, London.
#photography #Birds #BirdPhotogaphy #BirdsOfMastodon
Created 7 benches
Created 2 benches
Created a bench
I walked 7.3km in 2h28m39s
Added a note about a duplicate Papersmiths
I walked 4.1km in 49m02s
Fixed website
fix typo
Updated a bench
I walked 1.6km in 20m26s
I walked 1.1km in 11m49s
The Yellow Eye
A blue heron's head, with its very yellow stare-y eye.
#BirdPhotography #Photography #BirdsOfFediverse #BirdsOfMastodon #London
My little Lego box is telling me it really is quite warm outside.
Created a bicycle_parking and a crossing
I walked 3.3km in 41m56s
Shortlink
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