Custom Debugging Package for Laravel Octane

This package provides a custom debugging solution for Laravel applications using Octane, where traditional debugging tools like Xdebug might not be available. It allows developers to cache variables and view them in a modern, user-friendly web interface that updates every 5 seconds.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Features
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
  • Cache Variables with _debug()
  • Remove Cached Variables with _forget()
  • View Cached Variables
• Full Example
• Security Considerations
• Customization
• Compatibility
• License
• Contributing
• Contact

Introduction

This package offers a custom debugging solution for Laravel applications running with Octane, allowing developers to cache variables and display them in a modern, user-friendly web interface that automatically updates every 5 seconds.

Features

• Cache Variables: Allows you to cache any variables for debugging purposes.
• User-Friendly Web Interface: View cached variables in a modern and easy-to-use web interface.
• Automatic Refresh: The interface updates every 5 seconds to display the latest values.
• Easy Installation: Simple installation via Composer.
• Laravel Compatibility: Supports Laravel 8.x, 9.x, 10.x, and 11.x.

Installation

Step 1: Require the package using Composer.

composer require mconsult/anfi-debug

Note: Ensure your composer.json includes the repository if necessary.

Step 2: Publish the package assets.

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="ANFI\DebugPackage\DebugServiceProvider" --tag="views"

This command will copy the CSS files to your public directory and the views to your resources/views/vendor directory.

Configuration

No additional configuration is required. The package automatically registers its Service Provider through Laravel's package discovery.

Usage

Cache Variables with _debug()

Use the global _debug() function to cache variables for debugging.

Example:

// Cache variables
$key = _debug([
    'variable1' => $value1,
    'variable2' => $value2,
    // Add as many variables as needed
]);

• Parameters:

  • array $variables: An associative array of variables to cache.
  • string $key (optional): A custom key for the cache entry.

• Returns:

  • string: The key used to store the variables in the cache.

Using a Custom Key:

$key = _debug($variables, 'my-custom-key');

Remove Cached Variables with _forget()

To remove cached variables, use the global _forget() function.

Example:

$success = _forget($key);

if ($success) {
    echo "Cache key '{$key}' has been removed.";
} else {
    echo "Cache key '{$key}' does not exist.";
}

• Parameters:

  • string $key: The key of the cached variables to remove.

• Returns:

  • bool: true if the key existed and was removed, false otherwise.

View Cached Variables

Navigate to the following URL in your browser to view the cached variables:

http://your-app-url/debug/{key}

• Replace {key} with the key returned by the _debug() function.

Example:

http://localhost:8000/debug/debug-614c1b5e5f8b

The interface will display the cached variables and automatically refresh every 5 seconds to reflect any changes.

Full Example

Here's a complete example of how to use the package:

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class ExampleController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        $data = [
            'user' => auth()->user(),
            'settings' => config('app.settings'),
        ];

        // Cache variables for debugging
        $key = _debug($data);

        // Now, visit http://your-app-url/debug/{$key} to view the variables

        return view('welcome');
    }

    public function clearDebug()
    {
        $key = 'debug-614c1b5e5f8b2'; // Replace with your actual key

        $success = _forget($key);

        if ($success) {
            return redirect()->back()->with('status', "Debug cache '{$key}' has been cleared.");
        } else {
            return redirect()->back()->with('status', "Debug cache '{$key}' does not exist.");
        }
    }
}

Security Considerations

• Do Not Use in Production: Ensure that the debug routes are not accessible in production environments, as they may expose sensitive data.
• Route Protection: Consider protecting the debug routes with authentication or by restricting access to certain IP addresses.

Customization

• CSS Styling: You can modify the CSS file located at public/vendor/debug-package/css/debug.css to change the appearance of the debug interface.
• Views: The views are published to resources/views/vendor/debug-package. Feel free to customize them as needed.

Compatibility

• Laravel Versions: This package supports Laravel 8.x, 9.x, 10.x, and 11.x.
• PHP Versions: Requires PHP 8.0 or higher.

License

This package is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue to discuss changes.

Contact

If you have any questions or need support, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.