Using the Xdebug Extension`s xdebug_call_function() Function

Introduction

The Xdebug extension is a software package that will let you keep track of various useful debugging parameters. These include the state of the variables handled by your PHP programs, stack and functions calls, execution time of scripts and memory usage, and many more.

If you had the chance to read the first chapter of this series, then you have an idea of how to put the Xdebug extension to work for you, at least at a basic level. In that article, I explained how to install the library on a Windows-based web server, and developed a couple of hands-on examples that demonstrated how to use its "xdebug_call_file()" and "xdebug_call_line()" functions.

As you'll surely recall, the first of these functions was used to return the name of the file that called a method defined within a sample class, while the second one determined at which line of the script this call was made. Indeed, the combination of these functions permits you to perform basic debugging operations in PHP programs with remarkable simplicity.

The Xdebug extension comes equipped with many other functions, however, that allow you to debug PHP applications more deeply. Therefore, in this second article of the series, I'll be discussing how to use another useful function included with the extension, called "xdebug_call_function()," which as its name suggests, can be utilized for keeping track of the functions called by a PHP script.

Are you ready to learn how to use this handy function? Then click on the link that appears below and start reading!