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echo vs print vs print_r vs var_dump in PHP

PHP & the Web 2 min read Full lesson: Hello World in PHP with XAMPP
Short answer

echo outputs text and is what you want in templates. print_r and var_dump are debugging tools — var_dump is the one that shows types, which is usually the information you actually need.

#echo and print

php
echo "Hello";
echo "a", "b";       // echo takes multiple arguments
print "Hello";       // returns 1, so it can sit in an expression

Use echo. It is marginally faster and takes multiple arguments. print returning a value is a curiosity that almost never matters.

In templates, use the short form:

php
<h1><?= htmlspecialchars($title) ?></h1>

#print_r and var_dump

php
$data = ["count" => 3, "ok" => true, "score" => "5"];

print_r($data);
// Array ( [count] => 3 [ok] => 1 [score] => 5 )

var_dump($data);
// array(3) {
//   ["count"]=> int(3)
//   ["ok"]=>    bool(true)
//   ["score"]=> string(1) "5"
// }

print_r renders true as 1 and "5" as 5 — exactly the distinctions you are usually debugging. var_dump shows the type and length, so it is the better default.

#Make it readable in a browser

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

Or capture print_r output as a string with its second argument:

php
$text = print_r($data, true);
error_log($text);

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