PHP __toString() method for debugging

README.md

Use

In object: $this->__toString(); OR echo $this;

In object, var_dump: $this->__toString('var_dump');

Print out a different object: $class->__toString('print_r', $object);

__toString().php

<?php

class Foo {

       /**
	 * Prints out the contents of the object when used as a string
	 * 
	 * @return string
	 */
	function __toString()
	{
		$args = func_get_args();
		$method = ( ! empty($args)) ? $args[0] : "print_r";
		$data = (isset($args[1])) ? $args[1] : $this;
		
		$output = '<pre>';
		
		if($method == "var_dump")
		{
			ob_start();
			var_dump($data);
			$output .= ob_get_contents();
			ob_end_clean();
		}
		else if($method == "var_export")
		{
			ob_start();
			var_export($data);
			$output .= ob_get_contents();
			ob_end_clean();
		}	
		else
		{
			$output .= print_r($data, TRUE);
		}
	
		return $output . '</pre>';
	}

}