Mac PHP Debugging using Eclipse PDT and MAMP

This took a while to figure out so I’m posting the steps to get this setup working here for future reference. This is a simplified version of the more extensive instructions that can be found here tailored for a typical Mac OSX 1.5+ install.

1. Download and install MAMP here
2. Download and install Eclipse PDT All-In-One here
3. Download and extract the Zend debugger extension binary here
4. Copy the appropriate ZendDebugger.so file to the MAMP install’s PHP extension directory. To determine the appropriate ZendDebugger.so file execute the following PHP code snippet and look for the PHP version number at the top of the page. To locate the extension directory look for the line beginning “extension_dir”
5. Copy the dummy.php file extracted from the archive to your PHP project’s home directory.
6. Find and open the MAMP php.ini file. To find this file you can again look at the page generated by the phpinfo statement in step 4 and look for the line beginning “Configuration File (php.ini) Path”
7. In the php.ini file add or update the following directives:

implicit_flush = On
output_buffering = Off
eaccelerator.enable=”0″

;zend_extension=/usr/lib/php4/20020429/xdebug.so (comment out this directive if it exists)
;extension=dbg.so (comment out this directive if it exists)
;extension=php_dbg.dll (comment out this directive if it exists)

[Zend]
zend_extension=/Path/To/ZendDebugger.so
zend_debugger.allow_hosts=127.0.0.1/32
zend_debugger.expose_remotely=always

8. Remove all other directives from the [Zend] section of the php.ini file

That’s it! If I forgot something drop me a comment!

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-06-03

• Just received great resume feedback from a friend from the NPC. There’s apparently something to be said for networking after all! :-) #
• Watched Ghost World last night. Really interesting movie. Totally worth the .99 rental from iTunes. #
• Fluid + Remember The Milk iPhone interface = great desktop task manager for Mac. For Windows use Prism instead of Fluid. Not as sexy though. #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-06-02

• A shout out to @Creech for making me aware of http://unfuddle.com offering free SVN hosting (one project) and other goodies. Very useful! #
• blergh! Either my sinuses are really acting up or I have a cold. So happy to be back on my regular diet again though! #
• Just watched “There Will Be Blood”. Disturbing. #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-06-01

• @penguinasan I *just* installed the knowmore.org extension as well. Googling for a new vacuum revealed info about Target. Very cool. #
• Downsizing 2.0 has begun. Our official move date to SF is June 23! So much to do in just 3 weeks. Yikes! #
• Wow! SLViewer was easy to build from source and ran directly after the build. Sweet! #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-30

• Just back in from San Jose. Met so many wonderful people and had an amazing time. Life is good! :-) #
• The Google App Engine looks rocking. Time to write me some code in Python I guess! #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-29

• Had a great time at the NetSquared conference. Sad that it’s over but looking forward to next year’s conference! #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-26

• woop! The Mars Phoenix lander made it to Mars’ north pole. It looks like they’re going to do an ice core sample to get data on climate. Cool! #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-25

• @EmmaNowhere When I went to the SPCA my cat found me. I had my eye on other kitties but he wouldn’t leave me alone. Good sign that! :-) #
• Liisa and I are comfortably ensconced in our hotel room at the Hilton Santa Clara. Nice digs considering the discounted rate! Kudos! :) #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-24

• VCL for PHP 2.0 still isn’t really ready for prime-time. Or, if it is, the documentation is so poor it’s impossible to know. #
• Lars and the Real Girl was an excellent movie. Highly recommended! #

Random thoughts and observations for 2008-05-23

• Really liked the movie “Better Than Chocolate” … tonight it’s “In A Year With 13 Moons” #
• nVidia’s 175.16 WHQL video driver was released about a week ago. Just an FYI in case you’re a little behind the times like me! #
• Why am I still up? #
• @LadyInWaiting Fill me in on what was discussed! :-) #
• Rock! Just found the del.icio.us beta for Firefox 3 … I can’t live without my del.icio.us integration! #
• Busy night but email is almost caught up, progress made on NPO directory, and thoughts on N2Y3 conference coming together. Time for sleep! #
• We’re back home from Dallas and Liisa is feeling 90% herself again. My tummy is a little messed up but I’m hoping it’s unrelated! #
• @penguirl Thanks! She’s feeling much better and my face has deflated to almost human proportions! :) #