# Function proposal

- Thread: https://externals.io/message/16251
- Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/16251
- Started by AnteD on 2005-05-13T11:29:36+00:00
- Messages: 6
- Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net
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## #16251 — AnteD — 2005-05-13T11:29:36+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16251

Hi guys...

Yes I know that this is a small function and yes I know it can be 
copy-paste with every new project you do but from the first day I've 
been using PHP until today this function follows me everywhere and I now 
that everyone is using it one way or the other for debugging......

the problem is when you want to debug a piece of code separately or use 
it in one script then you have to find the function...copy paste to that 
script or write it again just for that script...and so on...it would be 
great if it could be in the php core....

I have a very basic knowledge of C so implementing this function would 
be a nightmare for me but for someone who knows C and the inner 
"mysteries" of the Zend Engine :) this is a piece of cake....

Ok...here it is...don't laugh :)

/**
  * Prints the variable in HTML format...
  *
  * @param mixed $var
  * @param bool $return return or print the var
  * @return string
  */
function print_pre($var, $return = false) {
	$retval = »<pre>«.print_r($var, true).</pre>«;
	if($return) return $retval;
	print($retval);
}

ok....let the shooting begin :)

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## #16254 — Benj Carson — 2005-05-16T14:16:03+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16254 · In reply to: #16251

Hmm, it's no GOTO, but oddly enough we have virtually exactly the same 
function and use it everywhere too.  The only differences are we call ours 
pre_r() and we add the following check against `php_sapi_name()` so that the 
function behaves sanely when called from the cli:

function pre_r($mixed, $return) {

   if ( `php_sapi_name()`  == "cli" ) {
     if ( $return )
       return print_r($mixed, true);
     print_r($mixed);

   } else {

     if ( $return )
      return "<pre>" . print_r($mixed, true) . "</pre>";

    echo "<pre>";
    print_r($mixed);
    echo "</pre>";
  }

}

While I don't know if it *needs* to be in the core, if it were I'd certainly 
use it.

My $0.02,

Benj Carson

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## #16255 — Sean Coates — 2005-05-16T14:22:35+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16255 · In reply to: #16251

AnteD wrote:
> Yes I know that this is a small function and yes I know it can be 
> copy-paste with every new project you do but from the first day I've 
> been using PHP until today this function follows me everywhere and I now 
> that everyone is using it one way or the other for debugging......
...

The proper place to ask for new features is at http://bugs.php.net/. 
Click "report a bug" and choose "Feature/Change Request" as the "Type of 
bug".

S

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## #16256 — Greg Beaver — 2005-05-16T15:15:05+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16256 · In reply to: #16251

AnteD wrote:
> /**
>  * Prints the variable in HTML format...
>  *
>  * @param mixed $var
>  * @param bool $return return or print the var
>  * @return string
>  */
> function print_pre($var, $return = false) {
>     $retval = »<pre>«.print_r($var, true).</pre>«;
>     if($return) return $retval;
>     print($retval);
> }
> 
> ok....let the shooting begin :)

the xdebug extension has very nice html-ized `var_dump()`.  Use that on 
your devel machine and you'll never need your print_pre again. 
Otherwise I find it easier to simply do this:

<?php
echo '<pre>';
var_dump($blah);
echo '</pre>';
?>

than to write a function and make sure it is always there.

Alternately, view source from your browser works great for grabbing 
 `var_dump()`/print_r() output.

Greg

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## #16257 — Derick Rethans — 2005-05-16T16:11:18+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16257 · In reply to: #16255

> AnteD wrote:
> > […]
> ...
> 
> The proper place to ask for new features is at http://bugs.php.net/. Click
> "report a bug" and choose "Feature/Change Request" as the "Type of bug".

But don't bother - this was requested before and denied.

Derick

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## #16258 — Sara Golemon — 2005-05-16T18:02:30+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/16251#16258 · In reply to: #16257

> > […]
copy-paste
> > […]
PHP
> > […]
everyone is
> > […]
Click
> > […]
>
> But don't bother - this was requested before and denied.
>
If you really-really want it on your own build, just apply this short patch.

Index: ext/standard/basic_functions.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /repository/php-src/ext/standard/basic_functions.c,v
retrieving revision 1.713
diff -u -r1.713 basic_functions.c
--- ext/standard/basic_functions.c      2 May 2005 12:12:04 -0000
1.713
+++ ext/standard/basic_functions.c      16 May 2005 18:00:25 -0000
@@ -2762,23 +2762,29 @@

 /* }}} */

-/* {{{ proto mixed print_r(mixed var [, bool return])
+/* {{{ proto mixed print_r(mixed var [, bool return[, bool pretags]])
    Prints out or returns information about the specified variable */
 PHP_FUNCTION(print_r)
 {
        zval *var;
-       zend_bool i = 0;
+       zend_bool i = 0, pretags = 0;

-       if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "z|b", &var,
&i) == FAILURE) {
+       if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "z|bb", &var,
&i, &pretags) == FAILURE) {
                RETURN_FALSE;
        }

        if (i) {
                php_start_ob_buffer (NULL, 0, 1 TSRMLS_CC);
        }
+       if (pretags) {
+               php_printf("<pre>\n");
+       }

        zend_print_zval_r(var, 0 TSRMLS_CC);

+       if (pretags) {
+               php_printf("\n</pre>\n");
+       }
        if (i) {
                php_ob_get_buffer (return_value TSRMLS_CC);
                php_end_ob_buffer (0, 0 TSRMLS_CC);