README

A PHP client library for the Dat debugging application, providing fast and intuitive debugging capabilities for PHP applications.

Installation

Install the package via Composer:

composer require simonj/dat-php-client

Quick Start

<?php

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

// Basic usage
dat('Hello, World!');

// Debug variables
$user = ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30];
dat($user);

// Multiple arguments
dat('User logged in:', $user, time());

// Colored output
dat('Success!')->green();
dat('Error occurred')->red();
dat('Warning message')->yellow();

// Pass-through debugging
$result = dat($someCalculation)->pass($value);

// Conditional debugging
dat_if($debug, 'Debug information');

// Screen organization
dat('User data')->screen('auth');
dat('Database query')->screen('database');

Features

Dat provides a modern, fast debugging experience for PHP applications with an intuitive API and powerful features.

Basic Debugging

Send any type of data to Dat:

dat('Simple string message');
dat(['key' => 'value']);
dat($object);
dat(123);
dat(true);

Multiple Arguments

Send multiple values in one call:

dat('User:', $user, 'logged in at', date('Y-m-d H:i:s'));

Colored Output

Add colors to your debug messages:

dat('Success message')->green();
dat('Error message')->red();
dat('Warning message')->yellow();
dat('Info message')->blue();
dat('Debug message')->gray();

Pass-through Debugging

Debug a value and return it unchanged:

$result = dat($calculation)->pass($value);
// Equivalent to:
// dat($calculation, $value);
// return $value;

Screen Organization

Organize your debug messages into different screens:

dat('Authentication data')->screen('auth');
dat('Database queries')->screen('db');
dat('API responses')->screen('api');

Pause Execution

Pause the execution of your application:

dat('Before critical section')->pause();
// This will pause the Dat application and your PHP script

Clear Messages

Clear all messages or screen-specific messages:

dat()->clearAll();           // Clear all messages
dat()->clearScreen();        // Clear all messages in current screen

Helper Functions

`dat()`

The main debugging function:

dat('message');
dat($variable);
dat('label', $variable);

`datd()`

Debug and die:

datd('Fatal error occurred', $error);
// Equivalent to: dat('Fatal error occurred', $error); exit(1);

`dat_if()`

Conditional debugging:

dat_if($condition, 'Debug message');
dat_if($user->isAdmin(), 'Admin user detected', $user);

`dat_once()`

Debug only once per execution:

foreach ($items as $item) {
    dat_once('Processing items...'); // Only shows once
    // ... process item
}

`dat_trace()`

Send a stack trace:

dat_trace();          // Full stack trace
dat_trace(5);         // Limit to 5 stack frames

`dat_caller()`

Debug information about the caller:

function someFunction() {
    dat_caller(); // Shows file, line, function info
}

Configuration

Environment Detection

The client automatically detects production environments and disables debugging:

// Set environment via:
$_ENV['APP_ENV'] = 'production';        // Laravel style
$_SERVER['APP_ENV'] = 'production';     // Server variable
putenv('APP_ENV=production');           // Environment variable

Custom Server Configuration

Configure a custom Dat server:

use Dat\Dat;

// Custom host and port
$dat = new Dat('192.168.1.100', 3030);

// Disable debugging
$dat = new Dat('127.0.0.1', 3030, false);

Advanced Usage

Chaining Methods

Chain multiple methods for powerful debugging:

dat('User registration')
    ->screen('auth')
    ->color('green')
    ->send($userData);

Method Reference

Method	Description	Example
`send()`	Send debug data	`dat()->send($data)`
`color()`	Set custom color	`dat()->color('purple')`
`red()`	Set red color	`dat()->red()`
`green()`	Set green color	`dat()->green()`
`blue()`	Set blue color	`dat()->blue()`
`yellow()`	Set yellow color	`dat()->yellow()`
`orange()`	Set orange color	`dat()->orange()`
`purple()`	Set purple color	`dat()->purple()`
`gray()`	Set gray color	`dat()->gray()`
`screen()`	Set screen name	`dat()->screen('database')`
`pause()`	Pause execution	`dat()->pause()`
`pass()`	Pass-through value	`dat()->pass($value)`
`clearAll()`	Clear all messages	`dat()->clearAll()`
`clearScreen()`	Clear screen messages	`dat()->clearScreen()`

Requirements

PHP 7.4 or higher
Guzzle HTTP client
Ramsey UUID library

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

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

simonj / dat-php-client

Maintainers

Details