php debugging on a Mac? - php

Question

I've seen these answers: debugging php on mac?
but I am hoping that there is a better/newer solution. I am a system-level developer (C/C++/x86) but totally new to the web/scripting space. I feel that I would do well do setup a solid debugging environment - it is usually a great way for me to learn.
Any suggestions/pointers as to a good php debugging setup on a Mac (10.6) would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt

Answer 1

I'm a Mac user myself and since I do some heavy PHP development, I need an elaborate setup for this.
First of all, the standard PHP and Apache installed in Snow Leopard isn't bad, but upgrading or adding extensions to it is quite a task. To be able to fully control the environment, I decided to install the entire AMP stack using MacPorts. Don't worry about overwriting existing files, as everything will be installed in separate locations. Just make sure you disable the stock Apache before starting the newly installed one. There are loads of tutorials on how to get this done.
My IDE of choice is Komodo IDE. This IDE comes out of the box with integrated debugging using a preconfigured xdebug setup. I have ended up compiling and using the latest xdebug version instead of the stock version for compatibility reasons (PHP 5.3+). Many developers use the aforementioned Eclipse + PDT which offers a similar IDE, although slightly more has to be done to get it configured properly.
For remote debugging I have configured the PHP module in apache to load xdebug also and connect to my running IDE. More info about that can be found here. For complex web applications it is ideal if you can just open the browser, navigate to the correct webpage and activate debugging to step into the first line of code of that page.
For performance testing and tuning I use the profiling feature of xdebug. When enabled, xdebug will write callgrind files to a specific directory. I use MacCallGrind to visually analyse the profiler files. There is a free alternative called KCacheGrind which can be installed if you enabled MacPorts (as mentioned in the first suggestion).
I use this environment to develop pretty complex and large multi-homed projects, involving commandline (daemonized) PHP applications that utilize forking and IPC structures and extensions like memcache. I'm quite satisfied with how this setup works for me.

Answer 2

There is a way how to do it using:
PhpStorm
Homebrew
ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
Php + Xdebug
1) Install php and debug
brew install php70
brew install php70-xdebug
In PhpStorm - check Preferences => Language and Frameworks => PHP
Php language level: 7
Interpreter: PHP 7.0.8 + XDebug (or choose from [...])
Check debug config:
Preferences => Language and Frameworks => PHP => Debug => Xdebug section
All checkboxes should be checked and set Debug port to: 9001
2) run server in your app's directory:
php -S localhost:8080
3) Add localhost:8080 to PhpStorm Preferences => Language and Frameworks => PHP => Servers:
Name: Localhost:8080
Host: localhost
Port: 8080
Debugger: Xdebug
4) Update php.ini:
Php => Interpreter => […] => Configuration file - Open in Editor
Add this section: (check zend_extention path through the cli)
[Xdebug]
zend_extension=/usr/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20121212/xdebug.so
xdebug.remote_enable=1
xdebug.remote_host=localhost
xdebug.remote_port=9001 (same as in Debug preferences)
5) Add Debug Configuration:
Run => Edit Configuration => add - Php Web Application
Choose Localhost:8080 server
6) Click Start Listening for Php Debug Connections
7) Set up breakpoints
7) Click on Debug (Green bug)

Answer 3

I'd also be interested in a better solution but I doubt there is one.
xdebug with a frontend like NetBeans, Eclipse or MacGDBp is probably where the bets go.