PHP print_r() Function

The PHP print_r() function prints the information about a variable in a more human-readable way.

Note: print_r(), var_dump() and var_export() will also show protected and private properties of objects. Static class members will not be shown.

Syntax

print_r(variable, return)

Parameters

`variable`	`Required.` Specify the variable to be printed.
`return`	`Optional.` If set to true, this function will returns the information rather than print it. Default is false

Return Value

If the variable is a string, int or float, the value itself will be printed. If the variable is an array, values will be presented in a format that shows keys and elements. Similar notation is used for objects.

When the return parameter is true, this function returns a string.

Example:

The example below shows the usage of print_r() function.

<?php
$x = array(10, 20, array("a", "b"));
print_r($x);

echo "\n";

$y = array(10=>"Red", 20=>"Green", 30=>"Blue",
           40=>array("Black", "White"));
print_r($y);
?>

The output of the above code will be:

Array
(
    [0] => 10
    [1] => 20
    [2] => Array
        (
            [0] => a
            [1] => b
        )
)

Array
(
    [10] => Red
    [20] => Green
    [30] => Blue
    [40] => Array
        (
            [0] => Black
            [1] => White
        )
)

❮ PHP Variable Handling Reference