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Debug WordPress with Visual Studio Code | VSCode WordPress Debug Setup | WordPress xDebug Setup for Local by FlyWheel with VSCode | Part of the VSCode Learning Course → https://VSCode.pro

VSCode WordPress Debugging Setup: WordPress Xdebug Setup for Local by FlyWheel with VSCode


Consider supporting my work by purchasing the course this tutorial is a part of i.e. VSCode Power User

🚅 TL;DR

  • Make sure your Local by FlyWheel WordPress install is a custom install
  • Configure xdebug.remote_autostart = 1
  • Restart your site container in Local by FlyWheel to apply new settings
  • Install PHP Debugger extension and add PHP Debugger configuration with an extra property for the Listen for Xdebug section i.e. Add this "pathMappings": {"/app/public": "${workspaceRoot}"}

🚥 Detailed Tutorial

Here're are some easy steps to follow to make sure you can debug WordPress in Local by FlyWheel with VSCode:

1️⃣ Custom WordPress Install

Make sure your Local by FlyWheel WordPress install is a custom install.

  • ✅ Flywheel Local has Xdebug installed by default if you choose “Custom” instead of “Preferred” when setting up a new local environment.
  • ⚠️ You can check your already installed WP with the ”Site Setup” tab. If you can change the PHP version there, you have the “Custom” environment running and you have Xdebug installed.
  • ⚠️ If not, just export your site, import it back while creating a new site and this time choose “Custom”.

2️⃣ Configure Xdebug

Configure xdebug.remote_autostart = 1.

Now in the right environment we need to configure Xdebug for that:

  • Go to your local WordPress install path E.g. /PATH_WHERE_YOU_INSTALLED_WORDPRESS/conf/php/7.x.x/php.ini
  • Search for the [Xdebug] section
  • Add the following line in this section
xdebug.remote_autostart = 1

While only the above option is required but some 3rd party extension/plugin for local can sometimes change things so make sure in the [Xdebug] section all the following settings are set to 1 (only if your debugger is not working).

xdebug.scream = 1
xdebug.remote_enable = 1
xdebug.show_local_vars = 1
xdebug.remote_autostart = 1
xdebug.remote_connect_back = 1

Save the php.ini file.

3️⃣ Restart The Site

Restart your site container in Local by FlyWheel to apply new settings.

  • On the left side menu, right click on your site
  • Select Restart option to restart the site.

Restart GIF

4️⃣ Visual Studio Code Configuration

Let's start configuration of VSCode:

  • First of all, install PHP Debug extension
  • Open your Local WordPress site project folder in VSCode. You should open the entire WordPress site folder i.e. /PATH_WHERE_YOU_INSTALLED_WORDPRESS/app/public
  • Go to the Debug view in VSCode COMMAND (⌘) + SHIFT (⇧) + D
  • Click “Add configuration” from the top toolbar
  • Select PHP and add the configuration
  • In the .vscode/launch.json file that was created inside the Listen for Xdebug section add "pathMappings": {"/app/public": "${workspaceRoot}"}

In short, your debug launch.json file will look like this:

{
	// Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
	// Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
	// For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
	"version": "0.2.0",
	"configurations": [
		{
			"name": "Listen for Xdebug",
			"type": "php",
			"request": "launch",
			"port": 9000,
			"pathMappings": {
				"/app/public": "${workspaceRoot}"
			}
		},
		{
			"name": "Launch currently open script",
			"type": "php",
			"request": "launch",
			"program": "${file}",
			"cwd": "${fileDirname}",
			"port": 9000
		}
	]
}

5️⃣ Debug Your WordPress

Now go ahead and debug your WordPress app/plugin/theme and what not.

WP VSCode Debug GIF

  • After all this, click the play button next to “Listen for Xdebug” in the top debug bar
  • Create a breakpoint in your PHP code e.g. add this line and a breakpoint<?php $true_story = 'Ahmad is cool and VScode.pro is awesome!'; ?> to header.php of your theme
  • Browse your site and VSCode should pop up showing all your debug info

Remember to stop debugging process when you stop working. A good theme helps with that, install 🦄 Shades of Purple →

🔥 Extra Plugin (optional)

You can also install a local plugin called local-addon-xdebug-control for UI based control of Xdebug settings in your Local by FlyWheel software.

Make sure everything is set to yes for a sane debugging experience.

Add-on

Consider supporting my work by purchasing the course this tutorial is a part of i.e. VSCode Power User

For more follow @MrAhmadAwais

Peace! ✌️

@ahmadawais
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ahmadawais commented Sep 4, 2018

@jg314 thanks for that. You are right this makes it easier. Check out the up to date tutorial now.

@dkeesey
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dkeesey commented Jan 15, 2019

Hi Ahmad,

I bought your course and have been working through it. I was very attracted to getting XDebug working in VS Code, with Local/WP/PHP.

When I use your protocol, I get an error that port 9000 is already in use. Looks like a conflict with the PHP Debug extension by Felix Becker.

If I change the port to 9001, in php.ini (or Local "add-on" for xdebug you list above) and the launch.json, then I lose the port conflict error message, but my breakpoints in "header.php" never get hit.

Am I missing something?

@chasen-bettinger
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This is not working for me. I have done everything noted in the tutorial but code will not break.

@ahmadawais
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ahmadawais commented Apr 3, 2019

@dkeesey seems to be working fine for me. Let's discuss this in the Discord server.

For public readers who've not yet bought my VSCode.pro course, if you can then do so to support my work, if you can't then you'll find whatever fix we end up with in the form of an update at this link → https://github.com/ahmadawais/VSCode-Tips-Tricks/blob/master/videos/PHP%2BWordPress-Setup/WordPress-Debug.md.

Looking forward, peace! ✌️

@daveromsey
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Thanks for the great write up! I ran into a weird issue where local variables would not appear in the Variables pane in VSCode. When watching the variables, they would always show as null. Breakpoints worked fine, however.

I found the fix here which explains that the issue comes from the OpCache module. The solution was to edit my site's php.ini, comment out the line zend_extension = /opt/php/7.3.2/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20180731/opcache.so, then restart the site.

@ahmadawais
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That's very kind of you to say, @daveromsey! 🙌
Consider supporting my work by checking out and purchasing the masterclass of VSCode.pro

@nathan-roberts
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Thanks for taking the time to detail this, lifesaver!!

@nyrsimon
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Still works in April 2020 - spent hours trying to get PHPStorm + Local + Xdebug to work and got this working in 10 mins - I guess I'm switching to VS Code :)

@ahmadawais
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@nyrsimon glad you feel that way. Let me help you switch to VSCode and become a VSCode Power-user through my course. I recorded it only to help people like you, switching to VSCode who want to do it quickly and get the most out of it.

Click here to learn more → VSCode.pro

@byronkeet
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Hi Ahmad,

Just did an update to Local 5.4.1 and Xdebug no longer works. After trying to fix it for ages, I reverted back to 5.2.8 and it is back to working flawlessly. Any ideas?

@sumnermic
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Amazing stuff! This is a masterpiece! 🔥🙌🙌🙌

@ahmadawais
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@sumnermic That's very kind of you to say! 🙌
Feel free to check out my VSCode.pro course which this tutorial is a part of. I explain the entire setup further in more detail with other workflow improvements like PHP Auto formatting based on WordPress coding standards.

Check it out at → VSCode.pro

@glaubersilva
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glaubersilva commented May 22, 2020

@byronkeet I had the same problems and after a few hours I decided to remove it:

 ,
"pathMappings": {
   "/app/public": "${workspaceRoot}"
}

And now everything is working properly! :)

@byronkeet
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@glaubersilva you are an absolute legend! Thank you so much for giving us the answer! Really appreciate it mate! And of course, @ahmadawais thank you for this entire thing!

@nyrsimon
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nyrsimon commented Jun 3, 2020

@glaubersilva - thanks also, I upgraded to 5.4.1 and encountered the same issue.

In case it's not clear to everybody YOU NEED TO REMOVE the pathmappings entry and it magically starts working again :)

@glaubersilva
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@byronkeet @nyrsimon Glad to help! :)

@stedesDev
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stedesDev commented Jul 14, 2020

Hi, How is life...
This is a real pain... we have one of the best IDE VS Code, one of the best Framework for a website WordPress... but we have nothing to debug. I tried every thing... Docker/now localwp

I'm on Ubuntu 20.04

But somethings bug me with and in the php.ini file

  • Mine is named php.ini.hbs is it normal
  • It is suppose to be config if we setup a custom WordPress
    but I have these strange line

[opcache]
{{#if os.windows}}
zend_extension = php_opcache.dll
{{else}}
zend_extension = {{extensions.opcache}} FOR ME IT IS BIZARRE no file name or path as per Steveromsay post
{{/if}}

[xdebug]
{{#if os.windows}}
zend_extension = php_xdebug.dll
{{else}}
zend_extension = {{extensions.xdebug}} FOR ME IT IS BIZARRE no file name or path
{{/if}}

If some one can post the magic solution for all of use...

Regards,
Steph

@ahmadawais
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@stedesDev that is why I created → VSCode.pro course. Take it and learn it.

@stedesDev
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HUM... this is more publicity then an answer.
Regards,

@ahmadawais
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ahmadawais commented Jul 15, 2020 via email

@finesaqib
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Dear Ahmad,

Thankyou for the post.

I have followed the instructions point by point. However, I am having a hard time setting up VSC.

Following Errors are displayed in VSC:
Cannot validate since no PHP executable is set. Use the setting 'php.validate.executablePath' to configure the PHP executable.

and

phpcs: Request workspace/configuration failed with message: Unable to locate phpcs. Please add phpcs to your global path or use composer dependency manager to install it in your project locally.

Thanking in anticipation

@ahmadawais
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@finesaqib — I don't provide support here. You can purchase the course VSCode.pro and learn from the video lectures I teach. Peace! ✌️

@vanduc1102
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vanduc1102 commented May 17, 2021

This is super important, as I am debugging into a container

"pathMappings": {
  "/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/abc-ecommerce": "${workspaceRoot}"
}

@JulioNobre
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JulioNobre commented Aug 5, 2022

In my case, after struggling to get proper debug working when application was launch on browser, I've decided to share it here.

Since Xdebug version dependes on PHP version, and since PHP.INI configuration has changed between Xdebug 2.x and Xdebug 3.x, consider using the following PHP.INI settings,

[Xdebug]

; Consider checking php_xdebug.dll file properties to get installed Xdebug version
zend_extension="D:\Programs\xammp\php\ext\php_xdebug.dll"

; Settings for Xdebug 2.x
xdebug.scream = 1
xdebug.remote_enable = 1
xdebug.show_local_vars = 1
xdebug.remote_autostart = 1
xdebug.remote_connect_back = 1

; Settings for Xdebug 3.x
xdebug.mode = debug
xdebug.start_with_request = yes
xdebug.client_port="9000" ; Default now is 9003

For further information, please check PHP Debug Adapter for Visual Studio Code official docs

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