Debug with PhpStorm: Ultimate Guide
Examining a Suspended Program

Examining a Suspended Program

Last modified: 23 September 2022

After the debugger session has started, the Debug tool window will appear, and the program will run normally until one of the following happens:

a breakpoint is hit
you manually pause and resume the program

After that, the program is suspended, allowing you to examine its current state, control its further execution, and test various scenarios at runtime.

tip
If you accidentally closed the Debug tool window, select View | Tool Windows | Debug from the main menu or press Alt+5 to reopen it.

Examine frames

The state of the program is represented by frames. When the program is suspended, the current frame stack is displayed on the Frames tab of the Debug tool window.

A frame corresponds to the active method or function call. It stores the local variables of the called method or function, its arguments, and the code context that enables expression evaluation.

Each time a method is called, a new frame is added to the top of the stack. When the execution of a method is complete, the corresponding frame is removed from the stack (in the last in, first out fashion).

Examining frames helps you understand why particular parameters were passed to a method and what the state of the caller was at the time of calling.

Copy stack to clipboard

To copy the call stack for the current thread, right-click anywhere on the Frames tab and select Copy Stack.

Examine/update variables

The Variables tab shows the list of the variables in the selected frame/thread. The examination of variables is instrumental to understanding why the program operates in a certain way.

The Variables tab shows you the variables visible from the current execution point

tip
Be mindful of variable scope and lifetime. If a variable is not present on the list, this means the variable is out of scope for the current frame at the current execution point.

The icon on the left of each variable indicates its type.

User-defined constants are grouped under a separate Constants node, which is by default collapsed. Once expanded or collapsed, the Constants node preserves this state across the debugging sessions. Note that if the number of user-defined constants is significant, the stepping performance might decrease. If necessary, you can disable fetching such constants during the debugging session by clicking on the Debug tool window toolbar. The Constants node will be hidden.

Copy variables

When examining variables, you may need to copy a variable name or value to paste it somewhere else or to compare it with another variable.

To copy the value that a variable holds, right-click the variable and select Copy Value Ctrl+C.
To copy the name of a variable, right-click the variable and select Copy Name.

Compare variables with clipboard

When you need to compare a variable value with some other value, use the Compare Value with Clipboard option. This is helpful, for example, when a variable holds a long string, and you need to compare it with another long string.

Copy the content you are going to compare (for example, from a text file).
In the Variables tab, right-click the variable which you are going to compare with and select Compare Value with Clipboard.
Examine the differences in the Diff Viewer that opens. For additional information on how to efficiently use the Diff Viewer, refer to the Comparing Files and Folders topic.

View variables in a dedicated dialog

PhpStorm allows you to inspect variables in a dedicated dialog. This is useful when you need to keep track of some variable (or the object whose reference it holds) and at the same time be able to navigate between frames and threads.

Right-click a variable on the Variables tab and select Inspect.

Set variable values

If there is a need to test how the program would behave in certain conditions or fix its current behavior at runtime, you can do that by setting/changing the variable values.

Right-click a variable on the Variables tab and select Set Value, or select the variable and press F2.
Enter the value for the variable and press Enter.

Navigate to source code

If you need to look into the source code where some variable or class is declared, you can move there right from the Variables tab.

To navigate to the code where the variable is declared, right-click a variable and select Jump to Source F4.
To navigate to the class declaration of the variable type, right-click a variable and select Jump to Type Source F4.
Suppose, you have $my_car = new Car();. If you select $my_car in the Variables pane, then choosing Jump To Source will bring you to $my_car = new Car(); while choosing Jump To Type Source will bring you to class Car().

Evaluate expressions

PhpStorm lets you evaluate expressions during a debugging session to obtain additional details about the program state or test various scenarios at runtime.

note
When evaluating expressions, be mindful of variable scope and lifetime. All expressions are evaluated in the context of the current execution point.

Evaluate a simple expression in the editor

The simplest way to evaluate an expression is to point at it in the code. Although this is the quickest way, it cannot be used for evaluating method calls. This is done for safety as they may produce side effects.

Use this option when you need to quickly evaluate an expression from the editor.

Point at the expression which you are going to evaluate. The result of the expression appears in a tooltip.
If you need to view child elements , click or press Ctrl+F1.

If you find value tooltips distracting, you can increase the delay or disable them altogether. To do this, in the Settings/Preferences dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S), go to Build, Execution, Deployment | Debugger | Data Views and set the Show value tooltip and Value tooltip delay options as required.

Evaluate a complex expression in the editor

If you want to evaluate an expression in the code that involves a method call, or you want to be specific about which portion of expression to evaluate, use the Quick Evaluate Expression option.

This option is available only if the program was suspended after hitting a breakpoint (not paused manually).

Place the caret at the expression (to evaluate the closest matching expression) or select a portion of it (if you want to be specific about which part of a complex expression to evaluate).
Click Run | Debugging Actions | Quick Evaluate Expression Ctrl+Alt+F8.

note
If there are breakpoints inside the method called from the expression, they will be ignored.

tip
When calling methods, make sure you are aware of their possible side effects (for example, changes to an outside variable), as they may alter the program flow or result.

You can configure Quick Evaluate to work for a piece of code on just selecting it (without using the menu/shortcut). Use this option carefully, as you can accidentally call methods when it is enabled.

To configure Quick Evaluate on code selection, go to Settings/Preferences | Build, Execution, Deployment | Debugger | Data Views and set the Show value tooltip on code selection option as preferred.

Evaluate arbitrary expressions

Evaluating arbitrary expressions is the most flexible evaluating option. It lets you evaluate any code as long as it is in the context of the current frame. Using it, you can evaluate declarations, method calls, loops, anonymous classes, lambdas, and so on.

Use this feature to get additional information about the current state of the program and test various scenarios all within the same debugging session. This saves a lot of time by reducing the number of sessions you have to run.

This option is available only if the program was suspended after hitting a breakpoint (not paused manually).

If you want to start with some expression or a variable, which is currently in front of you (for example, in the editor or on the Variables tab), select it.
Click Run | Debugging Actions | Evaluate Expression Alt+F8. The shortcut may not work on Ubuntu (for correct operation, adjust the shortcut configuration).
In the Evaluate dialog, modify the selected expression or enter a new one in the Expression field. If you are going to evaluate a code fragment, click Expand Shift+Enter.
note
Keep in mind that any variables declared in the body of the expression go out of scope after the expression has been evaluated.
Click Evaluate (Ctrl+Enter for multiline mode). The expression result appears in the Result field.
The result of the expression is taken from the return statement. When there is no return statement, the result is taken from the last line of code (it does not even have to be an expression: a literal works too). When there is no valid line to take value from, the result is undefined. If the specified expression cannot be evaluated, the Result field indicates the reason.

note
If there are breakpoints inside the method called from the expression, they will be ignored.

tip
When calling methods, make sure you are aware of their possible side effects (for example, changes to an outside variable), as they may alter the program flow or result.

The Evaluate dialog is non-modal, so you can switch the focus back to the editor to copy other variables and expressions. You can also open multiple Evaluate dialogs if necessary.

Evaluate variables in the Console

In the PHP and JavaScript context, you can view the values of variables during a debugging session by using the interactive console.

Select the variable in the Variables pane and choose Evaluate in Console from the context menu of the selection.
When you switch to the Console pane, the variable name is shown in green at > and its value is displayed below in blue.
Click the Use Console Input toggle button and type the name of any variable at > in the Console and press Enter to have its value displayed.
Code completion Ctrl+Space is available: as you type the name of a variable, PhpStorm displays a suggestion list.
To evaluate a previously evaluated variable, find it using the Up and Down arrows on you keyboard and press Enter.

Execute code in the Console

During a PHP debugging session, you can not only evaluate variables, but also change their values, call PHP functions, and define additional ones right in the Console pane. Note that this functionality is not available for PHPUnit or Behat run/debug configurations.

On the Console pane of the Debug tool window, click the Use Console Input toggle button on the toolbar.
- When this toggle-button appears pressed, you can evaluate and alter variables, call PHP functions, and define additional functions on the fly in the Console pane.
- When the toggle-button appears non-pressed, any input in the Console pane is treated like STDIN.
Type a statement or expression at > and press Enter. PhpStorm evaluates your code fragment and shows the output below the input code. You can type most PHP constructs including class declarations, function declarations, variables, expressions, and so on. Code completion Ctrl+Space is available: as you type, PhpStorm displays a suggestion list.
When typing a multi-line code fragment, press Shift+Enter to start a new line and Ctrl+Enter to split a line.
Output for arrays and objects is by default wrapped in a var_export() function and displayed in the Console. To hide the output displayed, clear the Show array and object children in Debug Console checkbox on the Debug page.

View values inline

PhpStorm facilitates the debugging process by showing you the values of the variables right next to their usage.

Once the variable value has changed, the inline view is updated with the new value and changes its color.

Inline values of the variables change with each step

If a line contains a reference to an object, you can examine its properties right in the editor. From this popup, you can also change the variable values and add inline watches.

Inline values view is enabled by default. To turn it off, in the Settings/Preferences dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S), go to Build, Execution, Deployment | Debugger | Data Views and disable the Show values inline option.

Add an Inline Watch

If you want the result of some expression to appear on a particular line, you can set up an inline watch for that. Inline watches are persistent and remain active after session restart.

Click the inline hint referring to the object whose property you want to track.
In the popup, select the property and click Add as Inline Watch.
Fine-tune the watch if needed. You can use any valid expression as a watch.

Inline watches you set in the editor are also shown under Inline Watches in the Variables pane of the Debug tool window.

To remove an inline watch, hover over the watch and click the cross near it.

Watches

If you want to keep track of some variable or the result of a more complex expression, set up a watch for this variable or expression. This is useful when you need to add something that is not regularly displayed on the list of variables , or to pin some instance variable thus eliminating the need to expand the tree after each step.

This option is available only if the program was suspended after hitting a breakpoint (not paused manually).

tip
When calling methods, make sure you are aware of their possible side effects (for example, changes to an outside variable), as they may alter the program flow or result.

Watches are evaluated in the context of the selected frame. Watches cannot be evaluated when they are out of context or when they fail to compile. If this is the case, the watch is marked with the error icon .

By default, the Watches tab is hidden and watches are shown on the Variables tab. To hide/reveal the Watches tab, use the Show watches in variables tab button on the Variables or Watches tab.

Add a watch

Click New Watch on the Watches tab.
Enter the variable or expression to be evaluated. In expressions, you can evaluate method calls, lambdas declare variables, and so on, as long as this is in the local context.

tip
If the variable or expression that you are going to track is already in front of you (for example, in the code editor or on the Variables tab), you can just select and drag it to the Watches tab. For variables, you can also right-click them in the Variables tab and select Add to Watches.

After you have added a variable/expression to Watches, it stays there and is evaluated for each step, providing you with the result in the current context.

Edit a watch

Right-click the desired watch and select Edit.

Copy a watch

Select the watch you are going to copy.
Click Duplicate Watch on the Variables/ Watches tab or press Ctrl+D.

Change the order of watches

For convenience, you can change the order in which the watches appear on the Variables/ Watches tab.

Use the Move Watch Up/Move Watch Down buttons on the Variables/ Watches tab or Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down keyboard shortcuts.

Delete a watch

To remove a single watch, right-click it and select Remove Watch N/A on the Variables/ Watches tab.
To remove all watches, right-click anywhere on the Variables/ Watches tab and select Remove All Watches.

Watches allow for the same actions as variables do. For example, you can view them in a dedicated dialog or use them to navigate to the source code.

Watches are a part of your project. This means you can stop and rerun the debugging session without risk of losing them.

Return to the current execution point

Examining the program state involves navigating in code, and you often need to return to the place where your program is suspended.

Do one of the following:

From the main menu, select Run | Debugging Actions | Show Execution Point.
Press Alt+F10.
Click on the stepping toolbar of the Debug tool window.

The current execution point is indicated with a blue line. The code at this line has not been executed yet.

Blue line indicating the current execution point

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Examining a Suspended Program

See also

Procedures

Reference

Examining a Suspended Program﻿

tip

Examine frames﻿

Copy stack to clipboard﻿

Examine/update variables﻿

tip

Copy variables﻿

Compare variables with clipboard﻿

View variables in a dedicated dialog﻿

Set variable values﻿

Navigate to source code﻿

Evaluate expressions﻿

note

Evaluate a simple expression in the editor﻿

Evaluate a complex expression in the editor﻿

note

tip

Evaluate arbitrary expressions﻿

note

note

tip

Evaluate variables in the Console﻿

Execute code in the Console﻿

View values inline﻿

Add an Inline Watch﻿

Watches﻿

tip

Add a watch﻿

tip

Edit a watch﻿

Copy a watch﻿

Change the order of watches﻿

Delete a watch﻿

Return to the current execution point﻿

See also

Procedures

Reference

Examining a Suspended Program

Examine frames

Copy stack to clipboard

Examine/update variables

Copy variables

Compare variables with clipboard

View variables in a dedicated dialog

Set variable values

Navigate to source code

Evaluate expressions

Evaluate a simple expression in the editor

Evaluate a complex expression in the editor

Evaluate arbitrary expressions

Evaluate variables in the Console

Execute code in the Console

View values inline

Add an Inline Watch

Watches

Add a watch

Edit a watch

Copy a watch

Change the order of watches

Delete a watch

Return to the current execution point